[oleg]

Originally posted by Jack Simth:
... Just think: What happens if ICBM's with nuclear warheads become effectively nullified by laser-based anti-missle systems? No nuclear war -> no devastating nuclear-induced world-ending climate change.

Unfortunately, it will not. It will spring a new race to make a hardy missile, faster missile or something else. For exanple, Russia has a working design of fast-rotating modification of Tupol ICBM. The idea is to spread and decipate the heat over larger area - laser is not exactly a bullet after all.

Just few more trillions of $ to the dust bin. Why not keep the current status quo and send a man to Mars instead ?