From Polaris to Trident

ThisbookprovidesacompletehistoryoftheUSFleetBallisticMissileprogrammefromitsinceptioninthe1950sandthedevelopmentofPolaristothedeploymentofTridentIIin1990.Writinginanaccessibleyetscholarlymanner,GrahamSpinardibaseshishistoricaldocumentationofFBMdevelopmentoninterviewswithmanyofthekeyparticipants.Hisstudyconfrontsacentralissue:istechnologysimplyatoolusedtoachievethegoalsofsociety,orisitanautonomousforceinshapingthatsociety?FBMaccuracyevolvedfromthecity-bustingretaliatorycapabilityofPolaristothesilo-busting'firststrike'potentialofTrident.Isthisacaseoftechnology'driving'thearmsrace,orsimplytheintendedproductofpoliticaldecisions?Thebookprovidesacomprehensivesurveyoftheliteraturelookingattheroleoftechnologyinthearmsrace,andseekstoexplaintechnologicaldevelopmentusinga'sociologyoftechnology'approach.