War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Kelly Burke, 1987
Description:
Lt. General Kelly Burke was assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1971-1978, and served as the deputy chief of staff, Research, Development and Acquisition, at Air Force Headquarters from 1979-1982. His chief task at SAC dealt with force modernization. In the interview, he discusses the MX and its size, accuracy, and survivability. He touches on the role of Congress and provides his views on different basing modes and the technical complexities of each. He explains that the MX is important because of its impact on world perceptions of U.S. resolve, and its relatively low cost. He then describes how the Air Force got responsibility for land-based missiles, and what issues it has posed for the service. After a brief discussion of the trench idea for basing, he describes how President Carter adjusted his thinking about nuclear strategy during his administration, then moves on to a lengthy treatment of the range of issues and problems surrounding the Utah and Nevada basing idea. He describes the roles of President Reagan and Senators Laxalt and Garn, then relates his conversations with Caspar Weinberger and other high-level Reagan administration officials. Asked in conclusion if Reagan made any mistakes he remarks that there was not adequate study of the issues surrounding the MX. He compares this with Carter?s deep review of the subject.
