Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, U.S. Air Force, director of the Missile Defense Agency, explains some of the recent advances in U.S. anti-missile technology to reporters during a Dec. 17, 2002, Pentagon press briefing. Joining Kadish at the lectern is Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy J. D. Crouch (left). Their briefing was held as a follow-up to a White House announcement that President George W. Bush has directed the Department of Defense to begin fielding an initial defensive capability against hostile missiles.