The penchant of the American military to be on the leading edge of technology could destroy our perspective of new weapon systems and distort our perceptions of their most effective use in modern warfare. So it is with cruise missiles, one of technology's newest and most sophisticated developments. Dr. Werrell's book provides the perspective and insight we would otherwise lack.
The penchant of the American military to be on the leading edge of technology could destroy our perspective of new weapon systems and distort our perceptions of their most effective use in modern warfare. So it is with cruise missiles, one of technologys newest and most sophisticated developments. Dr. Werrells book provides the perspective and insight we would otherwise lack."Although cruise missiles are among the newest and most sophisticated weapons fielded by the United States, they possess a rich conceptual and technological heritage. It is important that we understand this heritage as we consider deployment and employment options. It is also important that we understand the developmental process illustrated by the history of the cruise missile. Without the perspective provided by this history, our perceptions of their purpose and use lack depth and insight."Donald D. StevensColonel, United States Air ForceCommander, Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education
This is a comprehensive history of the origin and development of the cruise missile, one of the most important weapons in the American arsenal. Contents: Chapter 1 - Introduction * Chapter 2 - The Early Years: To 1941 * Chapter 3 - World War 2 * Chapter 4 - Postwar Developments * Chapter 5 - Us Cruise Missiles Revitalized * Chapter 6 - 1977 To The Present * Chapter 7 - Conclusion. From the Foreword: The penchant of the American military to be on the leading edge of technology could destroy our perspective of new weapon systems and distort our perceptions of their most effective use in modern warfare. So it is with cruise missiles, one of technology's newest and most sophisticated developments. Dr. Werrell's book provides the perspective and insight we would otherwise lack. Although cruise missiles are among the newest and most sophisticated weapons fielded by the United States, they possess a rich conceptual and technological heritage. It is important that we understand this heritage as we consider deployment and employment options. It is also important that we understand the developmental process illustrated by the history of the cruise missile. Without the perspective provided by this history, our perceptions of their purpose and use lack depth and insight. In actuality, the cruise missile, as an operational concept and system, has been around for some time; and very early on inspired rather far-reaching claims. A newspaper account in 1915 called it: "A device . . . likely to revolutionize modern warfare." Before World War I was over, the cruise missile, or the aerial torpedo, as it was then called, was touted as "the gun of the future" and compared in importance with the invention of gunpowder. Billy Mitchell saw it as: "A weapon of tremendous value and terrific force to airpower." The passing of years has not dimmed enthusiasm for the device, a newspaperman in 1977 writing that: "Except for gunpowder and atomic bomb, no weapon has threatened a greater effect on war and peace than the cruise missile." More temperate comments also emphasize its importance. "The advent of the long-range highly accurate cruise missiles," one high official told Congress, "is perhaps the most significant weapon development of the decade." According to Leslie Gelb, a noted defense analyst: "The cruise missile could be an invaluable addition to our security or a dangerous complication."
For the last few decades, cruise missiles have been increasingly used and are in the process of unabated spread. While the major powers have used this Big Stick conveniently in increasing numbers, the developing countries and in them the poor man's arsenal. But why and how they have evolved, and what its likely implications, are not seriously been debated. is study, therefore, is an endeavour to define various contours of cruise missiles and their evolution which now seem moving towards a matured stage. It identifies the trend and nuances of cruise missile spread by enquiring the utility, motive and future of them in different strategic scenarios. While visualising cruise missiles as the weapons of the future, the book suggests for a joint approach of cruise missile control and defence to contain their spread and to manage the threat."
This report has two objectives: (1) to record in some detail how the Cruise Missiles Project was organized and managed; and (2) to provide a preliminary evaluation of the management methods. Section II summarizes the project origins, including a review of cruise missile development before the formation of the joint office and how the Joint Cruise Missiles Project Office originated. Section III identifies the major management issues involved in the project and describes the management techniques used. Section IV presents the limited assessment of project outcomes that is possible at this time. Additional details are included in the appendixes, published separately as N-1989.
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.
"This book tells the complete history of U.S. Cruise Missiles from the very beginning (the Bug) to the Snark and up to the Tomahawk."--Provided by publisher.
