The proliferation of ballistic missiles in the Third World has posed a new type of challenge to policy makers in the United States. More than twenty Third World countries either possess surface-to-surface missiles or are trying to develop or acquire them. Current trends suggest that the number of countries with missiles will increase in the 1990s and that the capabilities of the available systems will also grow. W. Seth Carus assesses the threat of such proliferation to United States military forces as well as those of its allies operating in the Third World. The book studies the military utility of these missiles to the countries that possess them and covers the various military responses of Third World countries to missile proliferation.

Carus also examines the various attempts the United States has made to slow the proliferation of ballistic missiles. Washington has joined many of its allies in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a suppliers agreement designed to restrict exports of missiles and missile technologies to the Third World. According to Carus, efforts have been made to persuade the Soviet Union, China and other countries to abide by the provisions of the MTCR. After discussing the bilateral talks with proliferating countries, Carus also analyzes the attempts made to derail specific missile programs and the difficulties involved in controlling missile technology.