SDI: Making America Secure

On March 23, 1983, President Reagan asked American scientists to take a fresh look at the possibilities for defending America from attack by ballistic missiles, in the light of the new technologies of defense and an altered global balance of military power. SDIO—the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization—was established in response to his call.

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the President’s speech, the editors of NR put a number of key questions relating to SDI to the Technical Panel on Missile Defense of the George C. Marshall Institute. The questions begin with the basics—Do we need SDI? Is there no good alternative? Will the Soviets pre-empt if we start to deploy?— and go on from there.

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On March 23, 1983, President Reagan asked American scientists to take a fresh look at the possibilities for defending America from attack by ballistic missiles, in the light of the new technologies of defense and an altered global balance of military power. SDIO—the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization—was established in response to his call.

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the President’s speech, the editors of NR put a number of key questions relating to SDI to the Technical Panel on Missile Defense of the George C. Marshall Institute. The questions begin with the basics—Do we need SDI? Is there no good alternative? Will the Soviets pre-empt if we start to deploy?— and go on from there.