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From: kissell@flairvax.UUCP (Kevin Kissell)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: "Star Wars" BMD
Message-ID: <737@flairvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Aug-84 19:18:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: flairvax.737
Posted: Fri Aug 24 19:18:44 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Sep-84 09:33:22 EDT
Organization: Fairchild AI Lab, Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 34

(Have you noticed that the press bought "Star Wars" when they
wouldn't buy "Peacekeeper"?  The Ministry of Truth is getting more
subtle.)

A few disjointed thoughts on the subject of "Star Wars" defensive systems:

Both the US and the USSR have the resources and the technology to find
dozens of ways of laying waste to one another.  We can use poisons,
plagues, climate busters, targeted asteroids, induced earthquakes,
and many, many ways of delivering thermonuclear devices.  By the time
any side can deploy an effective countermeasure for one of these, the
other can find an alternative system.  A 20 year, multigigabuck program 
to nullify *one* of these is at best a colossal waste of resources, and
at worst an invitation to armageddon.

The publicly discussed BMD systems all seem to require some form of
boost-phase intercept capability, to counter MIRVed missiles.  The
boost-phase is short, requiring rapid (and automatic?) reaction.
How many scientific/commercial spacecraft are going to be shot down
by these systems?

It *does* seem to me that a (multinational?) small-scale defensive
system would be useful if it could catch accidental or unauthorized
strikes without disturbing the strategic equalibrium.

Kevin D. Kissell
Fairchild Research Center
Advanced Processor Development
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