Defending the Homeland: Cold War Threats and Defense Strategies

Cold War: Defending the Homeland

The Threat 1950’s on: Manned Bombers 1960’s on: Ballistic Missiles • Land-based ICBM’s initially • SLBM’s* added later * Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile

Soviet Bombers Soviet Special Weapon (?) Tu-4 Bull Copy of US B-29 Chinese-operated Tu-4 with turboprop engines and Chinese copy of US AQM-34 Firebee UAV

Soviet Bombers Tu-95 Bear Max Weight: 400,000 lbs Radius: 7,600 nm FAS

Soviet Bombers M-4 Bison Max Weight: 365,000 lbs. Radius: 2,500 nm

Defense Options Effective, secure nuclear forces Deter the Threat: Defeat the Threat: Active Defenses (aircraft, missiles) Mitigate the Threat: Passive Defenses (civil defense, dispersal, continuity of government)

Active Defense Surface-to-Air Missiles Bomarc Area Defense Warhead: 2 KT Nike Hercules Point Defense Warhead: 2 - 40 KT

Active Defense 288 site in 30 states San Francisco SAM sites Each missile had a nuclear warhead  Variable yield: 2 – 40 KT

Active Defense Nike Hercules SAM site

Active Defense Manned Interceptors F-106 Delta Dart F-101B Voodoo Genie rocket (1.7 KT warhead)

Civil Defense Living With the Bomb

Civil Defense Information Survival Under Atomic Attack (1950) (9:00)

Civil Defense January 12, 1962

Civil Defense

Civil Defense Community shelter supplies

Civil Defense

Civil Defense “Duck and cover!”

Civil Defense Updated Video (9:16)

Civil Defense

Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis

End

Defending the Homeland: Cold War Threats and Defense Strategies