Cruise Missiles

The cruise missile is the principal innovation in U.S. weaponry in the early 1980s. Because it is inexpensive and versatile, it is likely to be used for a wide range of military missions. At the same time, it has become a delicate issue in arms control and alliance politics. Although cruise missile programs are among the most dynamic elements in the U.S. defense buildup, their consequences have not been fully appreciated. This book assesses the complex set of technological, budgetary, strategic, diplomatic, and political implications of this new weapon as a contribution to public understanding of its pervasive influence on diplomacy and military affairs. Cruise missile technology and development programs are dealt with in chapters by John C. Toomay; Godron MacDonald, Jack Ruina, and Mark Balaschak; Ron Huisken; and John C. Baker. Military uses and arm control implications are discussed by Bruce Bennett and James Foster; Roger H. Palin; Richard Burt; Michael MccGwire; George H. Quester; and William H. Kinkade. Diplomatic and national political questions are analyzed by Raymond L. Garthoff; Robert J. Art and Stephen E. Ockenden; Gregory F. Treverton; Lawrence D. Freedman; and Catherine McArdle Kelleher.

The Canadian government's 1983 decision to allow U.S. cruise missile testing in this country resulted in intense political fallout. The controversial program was kept quiet for as long as possible, but when key secrets were leaked, the powers that be faced harsh criticism from activists, opposition parties, Washington, and the Canadian public. Using recently declassified documents from the highest levels of government, political insider John Clearwater asserts that both Trudeau and Mulroney viewed the cruise missile program as essential to maintaining good relations with the United States. In this highly charged, uncompromising analysis, Clearwater contends that cabinet made important decisions based on relatively little information and took major steps to maintain the secrecy surrounding the testing in an attempt to prevent the public from mounting an effective opposition. Just Dummies is a finely crafted and unflinching examination of the politics and history of cruise missile testing in Canada. Clearwater's insider expertise, backed up with military and political documents from both Canada and the United States, provides readers with a unique perspective on this highly contentious issue.

Much of this book addresses the U.S. Navy's Regulus missile program--the world's first submarine weapon for attacking an enemy homeland with a nuclear warhead--and the similar Soviet Navy's cruise missile efforts.

How can the core transatlantic Allies make coalitions more effective? One year on from Kosovo, disparities in the capabilities of the coalition partners, as well as uneven levels of prior coordination, persist. To address these problems will require much greater force planning in peacetime. This stimulating and influential work offers one of the most comprehensive independent assessments to date of the Kosovo campaign, and of the performance of the NATO allies. An important subject area in which there is a great deal of international interest.