(Archived document, may contain errors) 45 4 Septemb er 17, 1985 MOSCOWS MANY PROBLEMS IN COUNTERING A US. STRATEGIC DEFENSE SYSTEM INTRODUCTION Whether the United States should change its strategic nuclear policy to incorporate ballistic missile defense (BMD) may be the critical strategic, diplomatic, and technological issue of the decade. Since Ronald Reagan announced, on March 23, 1983, the initiative to research the feasibility of rendering nuclear weapons obsolete, BMD supporters and opponents have been girding for battle.