Strategic Defense Initiative: Estimates of Brilliant Pebbles' Effectiveness are Based on many Unproven Assumptions

Abstract

In January 1991, the President directed that the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program be refocused toward providing protection against limited ballistics missile strikes, whether deliberate, accidental, or unauthorized. The proposed system concept is known as Global Protection Against Limited Strikes, or GPALS, and would consist of both-surface- and space-based sensors and interceptors. Because this was a significant change in the program, the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) and its contractors are still adapting the SDI program to the directive and are assessing a proposed space-based interceptor system known as Brilliant Pebbles.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA256810

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Ballistic Missiles
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Battle Management
  • Communication Systems
  • Computer Simulations
  • Defense Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Detection
  • Flight Simulators
  • Orbital Inclination
  • Orbits
  • Reentry Vehicles
  • Simulators
  • Space Based
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Facilities
  • United States

Readers

  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Space