Guardians of the Arsenal; The Politics of Nuclear Strategy
New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1989. First printing [stated]. Hardcover. xiii, [1], 320 pages. Abbreviations. Bibliographical Note. Notes. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Dr. Janne E. Nolan chaired the Nuclear Security Working Group and is a faculty member at the Elliott School of International Affairs of the George Washington University. She had extensive experience in national security in government and the private sector, holding senior staff positions in the Department of State and the U.S. Senate. Her 40 years’ experience in national security led her to specialize in military strategy, defense technology policy, nuclear doctrine and ethics. Her books include Guardians of the Arsenal: The Politics of Nuclear Strategy; An Elusive Consensus: Nuclear Weapons and American Security after the Cold War; and Tyranny of Consensus: Discourse and Dissent in American National Security Policy. In the six years since President Reagan announced his plan for a "Strategic Defense Initiative", it has become the centerpiece of American military policy. Yet has our nuclear strategy really changed? Janne Nolan argues that it has not, and that despite the efforts of virtually every president in the nuclear era to alter the policies of his predecessors, these initiatives have had little impact on the real decisions being taken by the closely knit cadre of individuals responsible for operational war planning. This book traces the erratic evolution of our declaratory nuclear doctrine, from Truman's "NSC-68" to Eisenhower's "massive retaliation", Kennedy's "mutual assured destruction", Nixon's "flexible counterforce", and Carter's "countervailing strategy". It also examines why, regardless of which administration is in power, these good intentions have been circumvented by vested interests intent on maximizing our technological superiority. Nolan contends that we risk losing control of our nuclear juggernaut unless our presidents are able to bridge the gap between public rhetoric and military reality. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Atomic Bomb, Nuclear Weapon, Strategic Defense, Star Wars, Arms Control, Antiballistic Missile, Flexible Response, Deterrence, ICBM, Franklin Miller. MX Missile, Nuclear Doctrine, Preemptive Strike, Strategic War Planning, Targeting, Single Integrate
ISBN: 0465098029
[Book #78335]
Price: $60.00