Word: mx
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...turn, the Air Force must have its new program--the MX missile--and, in compensation for the cancelled B-1, will probably get a new strategic bomber as well. And the Army, which already controls "tactical" nuclear weapons in Europe, will take charge of the new Pershing II and cruise missiles slated for deployment by NATO. The three services' ability to institute their individual programs, regardless of necessity, lends credence to John Kenneth Galbraith's warning to "never doubt the extraordinary power of the bureaucracy of the military establishment...
...administration's defense record while at the same time demanding new programs. In February 1980 Brown stated that "by all relevant measures, we remain the military equal or superior to the Soviet Union," while in his annual report to Congress he requested new funds for such programs as the MX missiles, cruise and Pershing II missiles for Europe, Trident submarine missile systems, and an extremely accurate new warhead for the Minuteman III missiles...
...Pentagon also intends to push for development of the controversial MX missile system, though just how it would be deployed is now under review. A plan to move the mobile missile on tracks through vast stretches of Utah and Nevada has drawn sharp opposition in those states. A proposal to place up to 320 Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can hurl nuclear warheads over a 1,500-mile range, on each of the two battleships would also strengthen the U.S. nuclear arsenal...
Democrats support improvements in America's conventional armed forces. However, our national security cannot be strengthened by throwing money at the Pentagon. In particular, such extremely expensive weapons as a new manned bomber and the MX missile, which are likely to become obsolete soon after they are deployed, should not be built. One of our chief national priorities must be real arms limitation. A new SALT treaty should reduce the threat of war and eliminate the need for a costly resumption of the arms race. In that sense, arms control can be the biggest budget-cutter...
There are cheaper, more sensible alternatives. One would be a stationary MX. Because the missile has more warheads than the Minuteman, fewer would have to survive a surprise attack for the U.S. to retaliate with "assured destruction" of Soviet military targets. Another possibility is to rely more on submarines, which are virtually invulnerable to pre-emptive strikes, and on aircraft (including perhaps a new supersonic bomber), which can scramble quickly the moment that the U.S. appears to be under attack. Because of improvements in satellite-guidance systems for submarine-launched ballistic missiles and in the technology of slow, low-flying...