fred: In the following sense, a defense against incoming missles is “offensive”.

“offensive” and “defensive” are not terms of morality/ethics. They are terms of strategy. (The attack and the defense are the tactical equivalents.)

The country/force that gains and maintains the offensive is the country/force that is able to control the general course of events by virtue of being able to control itself.

The country/force that is on the defensive is the one that can only react to what the other side does. It cannot control the general course of events because it cannot control itself.

The Russian doctrine involves lower-level aggression, like Georgia, while deterring any meaningful response by the threat of launching missles. To be credible, that threat must count on those missles being given a free ride to target. If those missles can be shot down, the offensive passes from Russian hands to the targets hands.

That is why they call a system designed to keep us from harm “offensive”.

Therefore, let us offend them to the max.