Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles and U.S. Security

(Hardback)

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This is a survey of the subject of sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs). It systematically analyzes the technological promises and weaknesses of SLCMs, especially conventionally armed, land-attack versions, explaining sophisticated technologies in language accessible to the general reader. Eric H. Arnett presents a cogent assessment of the crux of the SLCM issue for U.S. security, examining the "coastal nation" concept of the U.S. defensive position and investigating whether technology can adequately compensate for geography as Tomahawks and their Soviet counterparts give way to more advanced progeny. Arnett weighs the trade-offs in a discussion of the technologies and missions envisioned for current and future SLCMs. This study evaluates both U.S. and Soviet SLCM arsenals, examines the role of arms control and unilateral initiatives in managing the dangers of SLCMs, and critically assesses the claims made for the Tomahawk conventionally armed cruise missile. The relevance of a changing international scene and domestic fiscal chaos to SLCM issues is fully appraised.

Author Bio

ERIC H. ARNETT is Program Associate at the Program on Science and International Security of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His previous publications include Gunboat Diplomacy and the Bomb (Praeger, 1989) edited volume, Science and International Security: Responding to a Changing World and several articles on naval and nuclear armaments.