Latest missile crisis with Russia

The secretary and his generally young civilian analysts also rejected arguments for anti-ballistic missiles (ABMs) because any conceivable defensive systems could be overwhelmed at relatively low cost by simply increasing the number of attack vehicles.

McNamara’s policies and style quickly unified the services against him. The Army pressed successfully for an ABM role. When President Lyndon Johnson forced the secretary to resign, he gave him the choice post of president of the World Bank, but also made him publicly announce support for the ABM system.

President Ronald Reagan gave priority to exotic space-based missile interceptors, termed the Strategic Defense Initiative or ‘Star Wars’. The Air Force became the leading service but the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsed the effort, with Reagan and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger prime exponents.

The Bush administration has gone to great lengths to deny the current missile defense program is directed at Russia. There has been an offer to include Moscow in planning and emphasis on the limited number of interceptors.

The Czech-Poland deployment can be defended as prudent given possible threats from Iran, North Korea or other extremist states. Nuclear strategist Herman Kahn used precisely that argument in trying to bolster the humiliated McNamara when the earlier ABM system was announced. However, the current missile deployment greatly spurs endemic Russian insecurities. The new Obama administration should give high priority to evaluation of this policy. Meanwhile, Ike continues to look better all the time.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College in Wisconsin and author of “After the Cold War” (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan). He can be reached at acyr@carthage.edu

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