THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00337R000200260007-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 24, 2008
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: March 8, 1984
• Content Type: REPORT

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THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE
STATEMENT BY
DR. HAROLD M. AGNEW
PRESIDENT, GA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
VICE CHAIRMAN, DEFENSIVE TECHNOLOGIES STUDY TEAM
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
UNITED STATES SENATE
(98th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION)
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I am honored to provide testimony for your deliberations on
the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). I was the Vice Chairman
for the Defensive Technologies Study which I understand is the
techical basis of the SDI. By way of background, I am currently
the President of GA Technologies Inc., and I am a former director
of Los Alamos National Laboratory. I share the view of the
Defensive Technology Study Team (DTST) that research on the
technologies included under the SDI is vital to the future
security of the United States and its allies.
The reasons for embarking on the SDI take two equally
important forms. First, it is absolutely clear to me that our
adversaries have been pursuing a complete spectrum of defensive
technologies, passive and active, at the maximum pace possible.
If the Soviet Union were to deploy a militarily effective
ballistic missile defense system without a corresponding US and
allied capability, our security would be in grave danger. From a
second perspective, I see the promise of extremely effective
ballistic missile defense in the technologies we will pursue. Our
study showed us something we would not have believed a few short
years ago. New technologies in such diverse areas as directed
energy weapons, precision sensors, microelectronics and advanced
kinetic weapons such as rail guns, make militarily effective
ballistic missile defense feasible. Unless we commit to a long
term R&D program we will never be certain. I believe that the
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United States must embark upon a vigorous and focused research and
technology program to provide the option for future Presidents to
rely on defensive systems to supplement deterrence with a degree
of assured survivability in the event deterrence fails. The hope
of a safer world, based on strategic defense, fully justifies this
essential effort. Achieving this promise will not be easy or near
term. We must be dedicated to a long and sustained effort on
these technologies, and other new ones which will undoubtedly
become available as we move forward. As our efforts begin to bear
fruit, I see enhanced opportunities for arms reduction and arms
accords and a more stable world. Clearly meaningful arms
reductions will make the defensive systems more effective and we
must continue our efforts in this most important area.
I fear that we might be reticent about pursuing some of the
new technologies for fear that a focused defensive technologies
effort might trigger renewed efforts by our adversaries in this
area. I fail to see how our effort can incite more vigorous
pursuit of these technologies than is already going on in the
Soviet Union.
I fully appreciate that we must be realistic about
expenditures and therefore I would like to underscore several
technical areas which have critical importance to the United
States both as they relate to the SDI and to other vital national
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needs. The absolutely critical issue of survivability for space
surveillance sensors and their ground systems is one we cannot
ignore. We must pursue this question at the highest priority
since the viability of most effective ballistic missile defense
schemes requires that we at least have highly survivable space-
based sensors together with their ground systems. Moreover,
whether we ever choose to deploy ballistic missile defense systems
or not, we must have reliable and survivable boost-phase detection
sensor systems to preserve our current deterrant. Related to this
issue is our urgent need for a survivable command, control and
communications (C3) system. Our ability to perform ballistic
missile defense depends on this aspect as does our ability to
conduct any military operation. A third vital area is the need to
generate power of many megawatts in space. Our best current space
power systems, based on solar panels, produce a few kilowatts.
The advanced weapons and even the surveillance and battle
management systems needed for ballistic missile defense will use
orders of magnitude more power than we can currently achieve. But
beyond the power requirements for SDI, continued scientific
exploration of the solar system and eventually industrialization
of space must have power sources similar to~those to be developed
by the SDI. Although to me these three technical areas are of
paramount importance, there are many other technical needs which
will be pursued under the SDI which also have far reaching
importance for the United States.
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I believe that the Strategic Defense Initiative warrants your
full support. The technologies to be pursued under its auspices
are critical to the future security of the United States and the
stability of the world. I must stress, as did the DTST, the
importance of central management for the SDI. Work on these new
technologies must be centrally planned, budgeted, and controlled
or we will not have them available when we need them; either for
ballistic missile defense or any other national need. We must
vigorously pursue the SDI as they contain the seeds for a safer
world. The Defensive Technologies Study showed that an effective
defense against ballistic missiles was conceivable; the SDI will
show whether it is realizable.
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