To Defend and Deter: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program - Encyclopedic Coverage of Nike, ABM, ICBM, Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, IRBM History with Comprehensive Details
To Defend and Deter: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program - Encyclopedic Coverage of Nike, ABM, ICBM, Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, IRBM History with Comprehensive Details

Author: Department of Defense (DoD)

Publisher:

Published: 2017-09-17

Total Pages: 554

ISBN-13: 9781549771408

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This massive book provides encyclopedic coverage of the missile programs of the United States during the Cold War era, with extraordinary details about the headline programs of Nike Ajax, Nike Hercules, ABM, Safeguard, BOMARC, ICBM, Atlas, Titan I and II, Minuteman I, II and III, Jupiter, Thor, and Snark. It is one of the best single source documents official histories of these incredible missile systems. Contents:Introduction: The Cold War and the Nation * Part I: A History of the United States Cold War Missile Program * Chapter 1 * In the Beginning: The Early History of Rocket and Guided Missile Development * Chapter 2 * The Immediate Post-War Era, 1945-1950: Opportunities and Constraints * Chapter 3 * The Beginning of Rearmament, 1950-1954 * Chapter 4 * The ICBM Program Takes Flight, 1954-1955 * Chapter 5 * The Debate Over Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles, 1955-1958 * Chapter 6 * The Air Defense Debate * Chapter 7 * Building Missiles, 1954-1966 * Chapter 8 * ICBM Deployment * Chapter 9 * America's Missile Communities: Social and Economic Impact * Chapter 10 * Antiballistic Missile Defense: Nike Zeus Through Safeguard * Chapter 11 * Modernizing the ICBM Force * Chapter 12 * Arms Control Agreements: The Legacy for Preservation * Chapter 13 * Conclusion * Bibliography * Part II: System Profiles * Introduction * Defensive Missile Systems * Nike Ajax * Nike Hercules * Antiballistic Missiles (ABM): the Safeguard System * BOMARC * Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles * Atlas * Titan I and II * Minuteman I, II, and III * Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles * Jupiter * Thor * Long-Range, Air-Breathing Missiles * Snark * Part III: Site Overviews: * Histories of Missile Development and Deployment Sites in the United States * Appendices * A: A Chronology of the United States Missile Program During the Cold War, 1945-1989 * B: An Inventory of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Launch Facilities and Air Defense Missile Sites in the United States * GlossaryTo Defend and Deter is the product of a 2-year effort by personnel from the Tri-Services Cultural Resources Research Center, located at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL), working in cooperation with Dr. Cameron and other members of the military history community. The goal of this effort was to develop a history and reference guide suitable for use in identifying and evaluating the historical significance of missile-related cultural resources. The authors have supplied the information necessary to locate, identify, and understand Army and Air Force guided missile facilities. This, coupled with evaluative guidelines currently being developed within DoD, will help cultural resources personnel make substantive evaluations.Excerpt: The Development of the Defensive Missile Force - The primary responsibility for defending the United States against air attack rested with the Air Force. To accomplish this mission, the Air Force developed a defense-in-depth strategy that encompassed early warning radars, fighter aircraft, and long-range antiaircraft missiles positioned to detect and engage the enemy before they entered American airspace. If the enemy penetrated this outer layer, the last line of defense was the Army's antiaircraft missile batteries that defended key urban, industrial, and military targets. The long-range antiaircraft missile was the Air Force's BOMARC. Development began in 1946 but the first units were not deployed until 1959. BOMARC resembled a long, sleek fighter with sharply swept wings. The 45-foot missile was powered by ramjet engines and traveled at nearly four times the speed of sound. It had an effective range of 440 miles and could carry either a conventional or nuclear warhead. During the 1960s eight BOMARC missile squadrons were deployed along the eastern seaboard and in the midwest. The Army's contribution to the air defense network was the Nike antiaircraft missile system.

Encyclopedia of American Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and Cold War Missile Weapons
Encyclopedia of American Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and Cold War Missile Weapons

Author: Department of Defense (DoD)

Publisher:

Published: 2017-09-04

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 9781549666520

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Eight official histories provide the complete story of America's ICBM forces in this compilation, divided into three parts because of its enormous size: Part 1: ICBM and Missile Summary (Space Primer) * On Alert: An Operational History of the United States Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program, 1945-2011 * The Development of Ballistic Missiles in the United States Air Force 1945-1960 Part 2: Inside the Cold War - A Cold Warrior's Reflections (ICBM Excerpt) * The United States Air Force and the Culture of Innovation, 1945-1965 (ICBM Excerpt) * An Examination of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Development Within the United States from 1952 to 1965 * The Missile Plains: Frontline of America's Cold War Part 3: To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program. Part 1: ICBM and Missile Summary (Space Primer Excerpt) - concise historical overview of the ICBM program. On Alert: An Operational History of the United States Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program, 1945-2011 - a fascinating look at a period in our nation's history that is too often overlooked. The vital role the ICBM played in keeping the peace in the Cold War era is increasingly less understood by our populace. The careful documentation of the past and present contribution of the ICBM force to global deterrence will ensure the lessons of this period are not forgotten. The Development of Ballistic Missiles in the United States Air Force 1945-1960 - Although the development of ballistic missiles is largely an administrative history, it is also the story of the herculean efforts of several key individuals. The effort could not have succeeded as it did without the fortuitous appearance on the scene of Trevor Gardner, Gen. Bernard A. Schriever, and Dr. John von Neumann. How these men conceptualized, promoted, and directed the program forms the basis of the story. Part 2: Inside the Cold War - A Cold Warrior's Reflections (ICBM Excerpt) - ICBM combat crew alert was yet another dimension of Cold Warrior dedication and performance. Though the concept of missiles was entirely new to SAC veterans, they adapted quickly to the ICBM weapon systems. Snark, Bomarc, Thor, Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman came into SAC operations as smoothly as new aircraft systems had come in over the years. The United States Air Force and the Culture of Innovation, 1945-1965 (ICBM Excerpt) - Missiles, and particularly ballistic missiles, were disruptive to the Air Force's culture, operations, and organization in several important ways. First, and most obvious, missiles had no pilots so they relegated humans simply to getting the missile somewhere within range of the target and then pushing a button. An Examination of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Development Within the United States from 1952 to 1965 - Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) development by the United States from 1952 through 1965 is marked by extreme urgency. The initial impetus for the development did not proceed within military channels; this paper explores possible reasons why the military channels were not the originator of the program. The Missile Plains: Frontline of America's Cold War - The story of the Minuteman missile program is a Cold War tale. Journalist Walter Lippmann's 1947 book, The Cold War, first used and popularized the term "cold war" to refer to the post-World War II confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Part 3: To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program - The so-called strategic missiles, which included intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and air-breathing strategic missiles (the predecessors of today's cruise missiles), were deterrent systems. In conjunction with the bombers of the Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC), the deterrent systems were intended to discourage an aggressor from attacking.

The Missile Next Door
The Missile Next Door

Author: Gretchen Heefner

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2012-09-10

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 0674070887

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Between 1961 and 1967 the United States Air Force buried 1,000 Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in pastures across the Great Plains. The Missile Next Door tells the story of how rural Americans of all political stripes were drafted to fight the Cold War by living with nuclear missiles in their backyards—and what that story tells us about enduring political divides and the persistence of defense spending. By scattering the missiles in out-of-the-way places, the Defense Department kept the chilling calculus of Cold War nuclear strategy out of view. This subterfuge was necessary, Gretchen Heefner argues, in order for Americans to accept a costly nuclear buildup and the resulting threat of Armageddon. As for the ranchers, farmers, and other civilians in the Plains states who were first seduced by the economics of war and then forced to live in the Soviet crosshairs, their sense of citizenship was forever changed. Some were stirred to dissent. Others consented but found their proud Plains individualism giving way to a growing dependence on the military-industrial complex. Even today, some communities express reluctance to let the Minutemen go, though the Air Force no longer wants them buried in the heartland. Complicating a red state/blue state reading of American politics, Heefner’s account helps to explain the deep distrust of government found in many western regions, and also an addiction to defense spending which, for many local economies, seems inescapable.

Assured Destruction
Assured Destruction

Author: David Bath

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2020-03-15

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 1682475131

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Assured Destruction: Building the Ballistic Missile Culture of the U.S. Air Force documents the rapid development of nuclear ballistic missiles in the United States and their equally swift demise after the Cuban Missile Crisis, revealing how these drastic changes negatively influenced both the Air Force and the missile community. David W. Bath contends that the struggle to create and control nuclear ballistic missiles threatened both the dominance of the United States during an intensifying Cold War and the strategic airpower mission of the newly created Air Force. The book details the strenuous efforts required to create and prepare a missile arsenal before the Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred only five years after the first missile was declared operational. It uses the personal recollections of former missileers and the professional military education theses they wrote to highlight some of the concerns that have faced the missileers who operated and worked on these powerful weapons from 1957 to the present. The highlight of the book, however, is the personal stories of the missileers who served during the missile crisis, revealing the efforts that they went to in order to prepare these unique and untried weapons for what many thought might become the third world war.

Encyclopedia of American Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and Cold War Missile Weapons: Development and Operation of Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, Peacekeeper, Official Histories - Part 1 Of 3
Encyclopedia of American Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and Cold War Missile Weapons: Development and Operation of Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, Peacekeeper, Official Histories - Part 1 Of 3

Author: Department of Defense (DoD)

Publisher:

Published: 2017-09-04

Total Pages: 624

ISBN-13: 9781549666407

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Eight official histories provide the complete story of America's ICBM forces in this compilation, divided into three parts because of its enormous size:Part 1: ICBM and Missile Summary (Space Primer) * On Alert: An Operational History of the United States Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program, 1945-2011 * The Development of Ballistic Missiles in the United States Air Force 1945-1960Part 2: Inside the Cold War - A Cold Warrior's Reflections (ICBM Excerpt) * The United States Air Force and the Culture of Innovation, 1945-1965 (ICBM Excerpt) * An Examination of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Development Within the United States from 1952 to 1965 * The Missile Plains: Frontline of America's Cold WarPart 3: To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program.Part 1:ICBM and Missile Summary (Space Primer Excerpt) - concise historical overview of the ICBM program.On Alert: An Operational History of the United States Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program, 1945-2011 - a fascinating look at a period in our nation's history that is too often overlooked. The vital role the ICBM played in keeping the peace in the Cold War era is increasingly less understood by our populace. The careful documentation of the past and present contribution of the ICBM force to global deterrence will ensure the lessons of this period are not forgotten.The Development of Ballistic Missiles in the United States Air Force 1945-1960 - Although the development of ballistic missiles is largely an administrative history, it is also the story of the herculean efforts of several key individuals. The effort could not have succeeded as it did without the fortuitous appearance on the scene of Trevor Gardner, Gen. Bernard A. Schriever, and Dr. John von Neumann. How these men conceptualized, promoted, and directed the program forms the basis of the story.Part 2:Inside the Cold War - A Cold Warrior's Reflections (ICBM Excerpt) - ICBM combat crew alert was yet another dimension of Cold Warrior dedication and performance. Though the concept of missiles was entirely new to SAC veterans, they adapted quickly to the ICBM weapon systems. Snark, Bomarc, Thor, Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman came into SAC operations as smoothly as new aircraft systems had come in over the years.The United States Air Force and the Culture of Innovation, 1945-1965 (ICBM Excerpt) - Missiles, and particularly ballistic missiles, were disruptive to the Air Force's culture, operations, and organization in several important ways. First, and most obvious, missiles had no pilots so they relegated humans simply to getting the missile somewhere within range of the target and then pushing a button.An Examination of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Development Within the United States from 1952 to 1965 - Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) development by the United States from 1952 through 1965 is marked by extreme urgency. The initial impetus for the development did not proceed within military channels; this paper explores possible reasons why the military channels were not the originator of the program.The Missile Plains: Frontline of America's Cold War - The story of the Minuteman missile program is a Cold War tale. Journalist Walter Lippmann's 1947 book, The Cold War, first used and popularized the term "cold war" to refer to the post-World War II confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union.Part 3:To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program - The so-called strategic missiles, which included intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and air-breathing strategic missiles (the predecessors of today's cruise missiles), were deterrent systems. In conjunction with the bombers of the Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC), the deterrent systems were intended to discourage an aggressor from attacking.

Ballistic Missile Defense In The Post-cold War Era
Ballistic Missile Defense In The Post-cold War Era

Author: David Denoon

Publisher: Westview Press

Published: 1995-08-20

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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In the post–Cold War era, two fundamental changes have made missile defense for the United States and its military forces more compelling: The United States and Russia no longer see each other as direct threats and there has been a dramatic proliferation of ballistic missile capability in the Third World. Consequently, U.S. forces deployed overseas are more likely to be at risk and, eventually, the United States itself could become vulnerable to missile threats.With these changes in mind, David Denoon analyzes the current BMD dilemma, arguing that active defenses against missiles should be seen as a form of insurance against catastrophe. He assesses the likelihood of missile attacks and the appropriate level of investment for the United States to defend against such attacks. The book provides an assessment of deterrence and the performance of the Patriot missiles during the 1991 Gulf War, critiques the Strategic Defense Initiative, and analyzes the prospects for new types of short-range and intercontinental missile defenses.