The greatest strategic threat to the United States is an attack by one or more ballistic missiles armed with nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction. Today, the United States remains completely vulnerable to this form of attack.
Missilethreat.com is dedicated to explaining this threat, and the urgent need for robust and layered missile defenses. Systems based on land, sea, air, and in space which are capable of intercepting a missile during any phase of its flight are necessary to provide for the common defense.
On November 30, the U.S. Navy successfully test launched a Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile from a submarine in the Pacific Ocean, the U.S.S. Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730). The latest test marks the 120th consecutive successful test launch since 1989 giving the Trident the best record of any large ballistic missile or space launch vehicle. The three-stage, solid-propellant, inertial-guided missile is currently aboard 12 U.S. Trident II Ohio-class submarines and four U.K. Trident II Vanguard-class submarines. It has a range of 4,000 nautical miles and carries multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles.