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  1. Home
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  3. From Polaris to Trident
  • Cited by 34
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
September 2009
Print publication year:
1994
Online ISBN:
9780511559136
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511559136
Series:
Cambridge Studies in International Relations (30)
Subjects:
Politics and International Relations, International Relations and International Organisations
Information

Book description

This book provides a complete history of the US Fleet Ballistic Missile programme from its inception in the 1950s and the development of Polaris to the deployment of Trident II in 1990. Writing in an accessible yet scholarly manner, Graham Spinardi bases his historical documentation of FBM development on interviews with many of the key participants. His study confronts a central issue: is technology simply a tool used to achieve the goals of society, or is it an autonomous force in shaping that society? FBM accuracy evolved from the city-busting retaliatory capability of Polaris to the silo-busting 'first strike' potential of Trident. Is this a case of technology 'driving' the arms race, or simply the intended product of political decisions? The book provides a comprehensive survey of the literature looking at the role of technology in the arms race, and seeks to explain technological development using a 'sociology of technology' approach.

Reviews

‘… it is an intriguing account of the political background, aims and technology of the fleet ballistic missile system … [It] is clear and anyone interested in ballistic missile politics and technology will find it fascinating.’

Source: Journal of Naval Engineering

‘It is quite simply, the most carefully researched, scholarly and objective account I have read on the FBM program.’

Rear Admiral Robert H. Wertheim

‘Since World War II the western world has become adept at designing and managing extremely large and complex technological projects that greatly influence the course of contemporary history. Graham Spinardi’s history of the Fleet Ballistic Missile Project provides a pioneering, detailed and engaging history of creativity massively organized.’

Tom Hughes - University of Pennsylvania

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