Technology is like the wind - you can't keep it contained, no matter how hard you try. Give smart people the resources and the time, and sooner or later they'll duplicate everything on their own.

Weaponry always has been evolutionary, and eventually copied. It's one type of technology where no nation has ever paid any attention to patents or other industrial protections.

The missile defense system has always been a whipping boy to the Democrats' defense reduction demands. A North Korean - Iranian alliance on weapons technology only goes to show why continued advancements by the US in defense systems should be a premier aspect in every administration. When the other guy now has something that can hurt you is not the time to start trying to develop a defense to it - the time to start was the day before yesterday!