By Benjamin Sutherland

How might the United States ratchet up pressure on foreign enemies and threats, wherever they are on the globe, while reducing the need to station warships, planes, and troops within striking distance? A new type of weapon might do the trick--and even facilitate President Barack Obama's efforts to reduce the U.S. arsenal of nuclear warheads, which are of limited use against terrorists anyway.
 
THE IDEA: The Department of Defense is designing nonnuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles, which could be operational in less than two years. Packed with conventional explosives, they would be able to strike pretty much anywhere on the planet within one hour. ICBMs travel above the atmosphere, so they avoid most radar systems and the airspace of countries en route. For this capability, the U.S. is "willing to pay a great deal," says Mark Lewis, the Air Force's top technology official until his retirement this year.