Anti-ballistic missile defense countermeasure
Anti-ballistic missile defense countermeasures are tactical or strategic actions taken by an attacker to overwhelm, destroy, or evade anti-ballistic missile defenses.
Anti-ballistic missile defense countermeasures can be categorized in a variety of ways, such as whether something is attacked or just confounded or distracted. They can be categorized by the type of ABM system they are to operate against. Finally, they can be categorized by which part of a ballistic missile's flight they are active.
Attacking Countermeasures
Countermeasures Attacking the Defender
The simplest countermeasure to an ABM defense is to simply increase the size of the attack. This can be done by adding more ICBMs, by increasing the number of warheads delivered by each ICBM using MIRVs, by using SLBMs, or by a heavier reliance on bombers and cruise missiles.
Countermeasures Attacking the Defense
These countermeasures include anti-satellite weapons, space weapons, and the launching of clouds of debris or projectiles in identical but counter-rotating orbits to a space-based defense.
Countermeasures Confounding the Defense
These countermeasures include using fast-burn boosters, light-weight ICBM skirts which limit the infrared signature of the booster (rocketry), use of decoys, use of Ablation materials or reflective coatings which limit the damage of directed energy weapons, launches of numerous harmless missiles early in an attack which might cause the defender reveal their defenses and expend valuable resources.