Strategic defense and the ABM treaty: an examination of the effect of the ABM Treaty on US ballistic-missile defense programs, 1972-1986
This study examines how the ABM Treaty restraints and the arms control process that was a logical continuation of the ABM Treaty have effected US ballistic-missile defense programs from 1972 to 1986, including the Strategic Defense Initiative. It provides a thorough analysis of US ABM Treaty negotiating objectives and outcomes, concluding that the conceptual linkage between offense and defense established early in SALT was broken and never reforged in later negotiations or agreements. It examines how Soviet views of strategic defense differ from the US, and how those views are reflected in Soviet strategic defense programs. It concludes that the Soviet understanding is diametrically opposed to the US view of the ABM Treaty, and that this has contributed to the great disparity in strategic defense effort since the signing of the Treaty. Finally, US BMD programs are examined in detail both to set out a general history of their development and to examine specifically the ABM Treaty's effect on that development. US Programs were effected by the ABM Treaty's logic and spirit as much as they were constrained by specific limitations. The Strategic Defense Initiative has been similarly hampered by being entangled in the US-Soviet strategic arms control process. The thesis concludes with a review of alternative approaches to the ABM Treaty regime.
- Research Organization:
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7224211
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ARMS CONTROL
TREATIES
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
SALT TALKS
VIOLATIONS
USA
USSR
NATIONAL DEFENSE
ASIA
EASTERN EUROPE
EUROPE
NORTH AMERICA
350101* - Arms Control- Policy
Negotiations
& Legislation- Treaties- (1987-)
290000 - Energy Planning & Policy