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Learning from History: Case Studies of the Weapons Acquisition Process

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EdmundBeard, Developing the ICBM: A Study in Bureaucratic Politics. New York: Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University Press, 1976, 273 pp., $15.00.

TedGreenwood, Making the MIRV: A Study of Defense Decision Making. Cambridge, Mass.: Program for Science and International Affairs, Ballin-ger Publishing Co., 1975, 237 pp., $17.50.

Harvey M.Sapolsky, The Polaris System Development: Bureaucratic and Programmatic Success in Government. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1972, 261 pp., $9.95.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2011

Robert C. Gray
Affiliation:
Franklin and Marshall College
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Abstract

This review article presents three case studies of the U.S. strategic weapons acquisition process: the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Polaris fleet ballistic missile (FBM), and the multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV). By considering programs that stretch from the 1950s to the 1970s, the essay provides a record of the changing environment of American weapons choices over the past 25 years. After a description of research methods and major arguments, each study is assessed in terms of bureaucratic politics and of its relevance to contemporary policy. Conclusions are drawn about the most fruitful approach to the study of weapons acquisition, about the lessons of these cases for the development of weapons in an age of arms control, and about the challenges of future studies.

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Review Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Trustees of Princeton University 1979

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