Strategic defense in the nuclear age : a reference handbook / Sanford Lakoff ; appendix by Richard L. Garwin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lakoff, Sanford A.

Series:

Contemporary military, strategic, and security issues 1932-295X

Contemporary military, strategic, and security issues, 1932-295X

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Strategic Defense Initiative.

Ballistic missile defenses--United States.

Ballistic missile defenses.

United States.

Physical Description:

xi, 180 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger Security International, [2007]

Summary:

When Ronald Reagen introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in 1983, he boldly challenged the long-accepted nuclear doctrine of "mutual assured destruction." He argued that the development of this costly and complex missile defense system, popularly known as "Star Wars," was the only viable and real alternative to the ongoing proliferation of nuclear weapons. While Reagan's vision unwittingly accelerated the end of the Cold War, SDI soon became a program shrouded in controversy. Costs soared and researchers struggled to develop the essential and successful technologies, although the threat of an atomic exchange with the former Soviet Union no longer loomed on the horizon. Despite those factors, SDI has survived. It remains in the active stages of development more than two decades after it was introduced, even as American policy makers struggle to counter the emerging threat posed by "rogue states" engaged in the active pursuit and development of atomic weapons. Lacking any political agenda, Strategic Defense in the Nuclear Age presents a concise, up-to-date overview of the history of SDI, chronicling its successes and failures through the ongoing evolution of the program.

Sanford Lakoff is an established expert on the development of SDI. In this work, he chronicles the history of the program from its initial introduction during the Reagan years, through the ongoing struggles associated with research and development that plague the program to this day. Each chapter provides analysis of the strategic, scientific, and diplomatic challenges policy makers and scientists struggle to overcome, at the same time exploring the changing strategic needs and specific purposes for the program. Offering a glossary that provides an explanation of key scientific terms and an appendix by noted physicist Richard L. Garwin, this book will appeal to scholars and students, as well as to the general public.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Background: Relying on "Assured Destruction," Not Defenses 1

Chapter 2 The Pursuit of Active Defenses: A Seismic Event for Strategy and Arms Control 31

Chapter 3 The Strategic Defense Initiative and the Cold War 61

Chapter 4 SDI on the Drawing Board: Architecture, Components, and Controversies 91

Chapter 5 Decline and Revival 120

Appendix Holes in the Missile Shield / Richard L. Garwin 155.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [169]-172) and index.

ISBN:

0275993248

9780275993245

OCLC:

74966603