Technical Evaluation of Offensive Uses of SDI

This paper discusses several possible offensive applications of an SDI system or parts thereof--whether implemented by the US or the USSR. An effective ballistic missile defense may not make nuclear weapons impotent; rather, a BMD may have the opposite effect if used to suppress the ICBM deterrent of an adversary. The lower demands of an offensive system compared to a defensive system suggest that the offensive uses may in fact be favored in the implementation of SDI.