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.
目錄:
Acknowledgements
1. The US Fleet Ballistic Missile system: technology and nuclear
war
2. Theoretical models of weapons development
3. Heterogeneous engineering and the origins of the fleet
ballistic missile
4. Building Polaris
5. Success and successors
6. Poseidon
7. Strat-X, ULMS and Trident I
8. The improved accuracy programme and Trident II
9. Understanding technical change in weaponry
10. Appendix: list of interviewees
Notes
Index