A system based on the magnetic compression of ion rings, for generating intense (high-current), high-energy ion pulses that are guided to a target without a metallic wall or an applied external magnetic field includes a vacuum chamber; an inverse reflex tetrode for producing a hollow ion beam within the chamber; magnetic coils for producing a magnetic field, B.sub.o, along the axis of the chamber; a disc that sharpens a magnetic cusp for providing a rotational velocity to the beam and causing the beam to rotate; first and second gate coils for producing fast-rising magnetic field gates, the gates being spaced apart, each gate modifying a corresponding magnetic mirror peak (near and far peaks) for trapping or extracting the ions from the magnetic mirror, the ions forming a ring or layer having rotational energy; a metal liner for generating by magnetic flux compression a high, time-varying magnetic field, the time-varying magnetic field progressively increasing the kinetic energy of the ions, the magnetic field from the second gate coil decreasing the far mirror peak at the end of the compression for extracting the trapped rotating ions from the confining mirror; and a disc that sharpens a magnetic half-cusp for increasing the translational velocity of the ion beam. The system utilizes the self-magnetic field of the rotating, propagating ion beam to prevent the beam from expanding radially upon extraction.