Strategic Offense vs Strategic Defense: Going Back for the Future

Abstract

The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), started by President Reagan, was originally chartered to explore the key technolgies permitted by the Anti- Ballistic Missile Treaty so future Presidents and Congresses will have the technical options to start on development and deployment of a strategic defense system. This article establishes the fact and decisions to reduce current or future funding for strategic offensive nuclear weapons, prior to actual strategic defense system deployment, are premature and could seriously impact our ability to deter nuclear war. It also addresses SDI's impact on deterrence and uses historical examples to show it is too early to reduce funding for strategic offensive forces in anticipation of strategic defense system deployment. SDI technology needs time to mature and must not be pressured to provide a jury-rigged solution to our nuclear problems. While it is maturing, we must preserve our nuclear deterrent by continuing to upgrade and modernize our strategic offensive forces.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1986
Accession Number
ADA166676

Entities

People

  • Charles E. Phillips

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Ballistic Missiles
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Defense Industry
  • Defense Systems
  • Deployment
  • Deterrence
  • Governments
  • Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Point Defense
  • Security
  • Strategic Defense Initiative
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Universities
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
  • Strategic Security Studies