 STRAT-X was presided by General Maxwell D. Taylor.[1] | |
| Date | 1 November 1966 – August 1967[2] |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Strategic-Experimental |
| Participants | U.S. Department of Defense Institute for Defense Analyses U.S. Armed Forces Military contractors |
| Outcome | Implementation of several military concepts |
STRAT-X, or Strategic-Experimental, was a U.S. government-sponsored study conducted during 1966 and 1967 that comprehensively analyzed the potential future of the U.S. nuclear deterrent force. At the time, the Soviet Union was making significant strides in nuclear weapons delivery, and also constructing anti-ballistic missile defenses to protect strategic facilities. To address a potential technological gap between the two superpowers, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara entrusted the classified STRAT-X study to the Institute for Defense Analyses, which compiled a twenty-volume report in nine months. The report looked into more than one hundred different weapons systems, ultimately resulting in the MGM-134 Midgetman and LGM-118 Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Ohio-class submarines, and the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles, among others. Journalists have regarded STRAT-X as a major influence on the course of U.S. nuclear policy.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
G10_53was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "About SSP: September 1966 ~ 1975". U.S. Navy. Navy.mi. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2013.