It proposes to restructure fundamentally the StrategicDefenseInitiative(SDI) with a view to preventing the executive branch from acquiring an option to deploy a layered, effective defensive system in the near-term.
The Airborne Laser program is a direct descendent of Ronald Reagan's visionary StrategicDefenseInitiative(SDI), with its exploration of various means of intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles - including lasers and other "directed energy" techniques.