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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

rshowalter - 10:12am Aug 30, 2001 EST (#8240 of 8249)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

National Missile Defense Overview A new guide to the various systems that might be included in a US national missile defense. http://www.fas.org/nsp/bmd/index.html

especially the Coyle Report http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/nmdcoylerep.pdf

At many stages, on specific issues in these reports, the questions

" What are the jobs that have to be done to make the program work?"

and

" Why and how are these jobs hard?"

need to be answered.

These answers can always be determined, up to the level of " breakthroughs needed" or " miracles needed".

The answers can be given, with uncertainties and costs made clear, in terms of the open literature . Evaluated by professionals, in public, with umpiring of questions by professionals, in public.

But explained clearly enough so that a much wider audience can understand what matters.

If we could get "islands of checkable fact" established in this way -- we could make much better decisions, and do so in ways that people of many political persuasions and interests could respect, and would agree to.

rshowalter - 10:42am Aug 30, 2001 EST (#8241 of 8249)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Effective explanation on technical issues, good enough to work before juries, or before wide publics, is hard. It takes resources. The NYT sometimes shows how it can be done, with explanation of the "tumbling warhead" problem a fine recent example.

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense