War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Lew Allen, 1987
Description:
Gen. Lew Allen was a U.S. Air Force four-star General and the tenth chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force from 1978-1982. In the interview he discusses the development of the Minuteman and MX missile systems. He describes the triad defense system, which includes land, air, and sea defenses, and emphasizes the importance of each leg of the triad. He explains the development of U.S. military technology emphasizing accuracy and efficiency in relation to what they knew the Soviets were developing - emphasizing survivability of command. He explains that since the Soviets put so much effort into ensuring that their leadership would survive a nuclear attack, the U.S. had to do all that it could to develop weapons that would make them question their ability to do so, which would continue to deter nuclear war. He compares the Carter and Reagan administrations' approaches to missile design. He goes into detail about the latter's approach to defense policy, which was designed for a no-arms-control environment. When the Reagan administration vetoed the MX Missile base system, Allen argues, the entire system was jeopardized. He goes on to describe alternatives to the MX and to draw lessons from the whole experience.
