The Nitze Criteria and the Bush Missile Defense Architecture
Abstract
The July 1998 Rumsfeld report on ballistic missile threats to the United States predicts that rogue nations could have the ability to strike the continental United States with ballistic missiles carrying biological or nuclear warheads within five years of a decision to acquire such a capability. In response to these growing potential threats, the Bush Administration intends to pursue deployment of a missile defense capability for protection of the 50 states. The last major effort to deploy a missile defense system to protect the United States began under President Reagan and was called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Prior to a deployment decision of SDI, Paul Nitze, President Reagan's chief arms control advisor, proposed that the system satisfy criteria addressing military utility, survivability, and cost effectiveness. After years of research and development, Congress decided to cut the program's funding based upon criteria similar to Nitze's. Given the controversy surrounding the planned deployment of the Bush Administration's missile defense system, this paper examines the applicability of the Nitze criteria to today's missile defense debate and determines if the criteria supports deployment of the proposed missile defense architecture.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA402084
Entities
People
- John K. Vaughn
Organizations
- United States Army War College