Just before the Republican presidential candidates went on stage Tuesday night for the fourth debate, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will deploy “strike systems capable of penetrating any missile defenses.” He was specifically talking about the U.S. defensive systems planned for Europe that will offer protection against some kinds of Iranian missile threats, and are configured in a way so as to not put a dent in the Russian deterrent. This is not the first time Russia has threatened to target U.S. and NATO defenses, and we can be sure it won’t be the last.

Despite President Obama’s chiding in the run-up to the last presidential election that the “Cold War is over,” his administration’s policies on missile defense have not moved beyond that of the Cold War era. While it is true the Obama administration has supported some elements of ballistic missile defense, it has cancelled deployments of key systems in an effort to appease Russia, and it has totally eliminated some of the most promising programs meant to dramatically advance the system.