RUSI NewsbriefVOLUME 39ISSUE 1members only

Mackinder, Spykman and the Geopolitical Significance of Ballistic Missile Defence

Professor Peter Roberts and Dr Sidharth Kaushal
8 February 2019clock8 Minute Read
launch USS Shiloh

A Standard Missile Three (SM-3) is launched from the guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) during a joint Missile Defense Agency, US Navy ballistic missile flight test. Courtesy of US Navy/Wikimedia.

As missile defence becomes a central feature of many states’ security postures, it is attendant to frame the enterprise in a wider strategic context to understand its importance. The classic geopolitical dichotomy between Heartland and Rimland states outlined by Halford Mackinder and Nicholas Spykman might help us understand the geopolitical significance of global allied missile defences.

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WRITTEN BY

Professor Peter Roberts

Senior Associate Fellow

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Dr Sidharth Kaushal

Senior Research Fellow, Sea Power

Military Sciences

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