In 1960 there were some 3,500 strategic nuclear weapons in the United States; by the mid-1970s there were more than 10,000. This book, written by a member of the U.S. nuclear weapons force, gives an account of that buildup and the efforts taken to keep the stockpile under control. Jerry Miller highlights the strategies, targeting and attack plans and arms control measures associated with the bomb. He addresses the role of the military in establishing requirements and the role of the scientists in meeting those requirements and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the weapons and their significance for the future. A final chapter reviews threat scenarios and suggests actions to bring the nuclear force into line.

About the Author

Jerry Miller, Vice Adm., USN (Ret.), was a nuclear weapons delivery pilot and a nuclear plans monitor and helped prepare the National Strategic Target List and Single Integrated Operational Plan for waging nuclear war. Following retirement, he participated in arms control meetings with the Soviets. He lives in Oakton, VA.