This course is divided into two components. The first is an introduction to ballistic missiles including discussions about why missiles matter and the history of their development, rocket components, propulsion, steering, guidance, structure, launchers, trajectories and cruise missiles. Then we will start to apply what we have learned to understand the current status of ballistic missile defense. How difficult is it to hit a bullet with a bullet? We will discuss defense-in-depth and layered defense, defended footprint and radars, boost-phase, mid-course and terminal-phase intercepts, discrimination of warheads and decoys, missile defense effectiveness modelling and evaluating testing, drone-based and space-based missile defense, and cost and status of programs around the world. It is recommended that students will have taken the Science for Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies course but a handout will be given before the course starts as a refresher of the main concepts. This will be a pass/fail course.