What was the purpose of the Strategic Defense Initiative What was its nickname?
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the “Star Wars program”, was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles).
What was the real significance of the SDI proposal?
What was the real significance of the SDI proposal? SDI, or “Strategic Defense Initiative,” was a proposal that called for satellites that would be controlled from the ground. These satellites would project lasers at incoming nuclear missiles and destroy them in the air.
Why was the strategic Defence initiative significant in the demise of the Cold War?
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a U.S. missile defense program that played a very prominent role in the U.S.–Soviet relationships in the 1980s and is often credited with helping end the Cold War, as it presented the Soviet Union with a technological challenge that it could not meet.
Why did Reagan propose SDI?
Reagan said he wanted to avoid nuclear Armageddon, critics called the Strategic Defense Initiative far-fetched and expensive. It was a plan that read like science fiction: A system armed with an array of space-based X-ray lasers would detect and deflect any nukes headed toward the United States.
Why was the Strategic Defense Initiative controversial?
Third, critics both in the United States and around the world called the SDI initiative a clear violation of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty. That treaty had committed the United States and the Soviet Union to refrain from developing missile defense systems in order to prevent a new and costly arms race.
How did the arms race and the US Strategic Defense Initiative SDI affect the Soviet Union?
SDI also failed to dissuade the Soviet Union from investing in development of ballistic missiles. The Soviet Union quickly identified ways to avoid a technological arms race with the United States and focused on development of advanced missiles and anti-satellite systems to counter missile defenses.
What was Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative quizlet?
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, was a program first initiated on March 23, 1983 under President Ronald Reagan. The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union.
Why did the Soviets react strongly against the Strategic Defense Initiative SDI?
Why did the Soviets react strongly against the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)? The SDI-equipped satellites would be too easy to destroy.
When Did Reagan begin his Strategic Defense Initiative?
March 23, 1983
On March 23, 1983 in a televised address to the nation, U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced his intention to embark upon groundbreaking research into a national defense system that could make nuclear weapons obsolete.
Why did the Soviets react strongly against the Strategic Defense Initiative SDI )?
Why did the Soviet Union object to the American Strategic Defense Initiative SDI quizlet?
Why did the Soviets react strongly against the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)? It violated international treaties.
What was the original name of the Strategic Defense Initiative?
See Article History. Alternative Titles: SDI, Star Wars. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), byname Star Wars, proposed U.S. strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks—as originally conceived, from the Soviet Union. The SDI was first proposed by President Ronald Reagan in a nationwide television address on March 23, 1983.
Why is the SDI called Star Wars?
The SDI was first proposed by President Ronald Reagan in a nationwide television address on March 23, 1983. Because parts of the defensive system that Reagan advocated would be based in space, the proposed system was dubbed “Star Wars,” after the space weaponry of a popular motion picture of the same name.
What does SDI stand for?
Written By: Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), byname Star Wars, proposed U.S. strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks—as originally conceived, from the Soviet Union.
Was the SDI initiative a violation of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty?
Third, critics both in the United States and around the world called the SDI initiative a clear violation of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty. That treaty had committed the United States and the Soviet Union to refrain from developing missile defense systems in order to prevent a new and costly arms race.