Policy and Strategy Implications of the President's Strategic Defense Initiative

Abstract

Since the introduction of nuclear weapons, military planners and theorists have rejected the idea that defense against the devastating nature of nuclear weapons was practical. With advancements in technology, however, the question of effective defense is resurfacing. This paper deals with the potential effect of a defensive system, such as President Reagan proposed in his Strategic Defense Initiative, on the United States' policy of nuclear deterrence. It examines the question of whether deployment of an effective defensive system will alter the United States' reliance on offensive systems to support the strategy of deterrence.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA156119

Entities

People

  • C. P. Bowen

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
  • National Security
  • New York
  • North America
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Political Science
  • Security
  • Strategic Defense Initiative
  • United States
  • Warfare
  • Warning Systems
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Systems Analysis and Design