Ten years after the end of the Cold War, the United States has maintained a level of military spending at the average spent during the Cold War, adjusted for inflation. Reliance remains on an overwhelming nuclear deterrence; use of a nuclear first strike is even contemplated under some scenarios. The Senate was even unwilling to debate the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty before voting it down. Next summer the Administration will decide whether or not to deploy a National Missile Defense System, a successor to Star Wars, with further implications for policy and budgets.