Strategic Stability Through the Strategic Defense Initiative

Abstract

From the 1950s the U.S. policy on nuclear strategic forces has been that of massive retaliation and mutual assured destruction. Those policies are being reexamined by the leading edge of technology in spite of political direction. The advances in scientific and industrial research have caused a real and critical examination of the strategic stability issues surrounding the U.S. nuclear forces and military strategy. This paper focuses on what the role of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) research program will play in current and future nuclear stability issues. It addresses the historical policies that lead to the current rationale for nuclear stability between the two superpowers and where they each stand on their strategic defense programs. The study then looks at what the SDI was envisioned to be and what arms control pacts with the Soviets have done to influence our decisions to pursue this radically different deterrent strategy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 09, 1989
Accession Number
ADA208641

Entities

People

  • James T. Reeves

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Anti-Ballistic Missiles
  • Arms Control
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Defense Systems
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
  • Military Strategy
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Strategic Defense Initiative
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • Vulnerability
  • War Colleges
  • Weapons Effects

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies