Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts for kids (Star Wars)
The following fact sheet contains interesting facts and information on the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) for kids.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts for kids (Star Wars)

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 1: Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) was the military strategy adopted during the Cold War Arms Race. MAD was based on the assumption that both the USSR and the US would refrain from launching nuclear weapons, knowing that the other country would retaliate and cause the complete nuclear annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 2: President Ronald Reagan disagreed with the military strategy of MAD as a nuclear deterrent. Reagan believed that not only was MAD immoral as it was based on the threat of killing massive numbers of people, but also that should a nuclear war begin the United States would not be defended.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 3: The Strategic Defense Initiative program was to develop an advanced anti-ballistic missile system to enable the US to prevent missile attacks from the USSR and other countries during the Cold War.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 4: President Reagan was fascinated by the theories of Dr. Edward Teller and his ideas of using 'x-ray lasers' in space to shoot down enemy missiles and although no such lasers had been developed, space-based weapons were theoretically possible because of new, emerging technologies.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 5: The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program was introduced by President Reagan on March 23, 1983. The goal was to detect the launch of enemy missiles and form a protective shield against possible attacks from the Soviets.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 6: The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) initiative replaced the strategic offense doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD) and focused on strategic defense.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 7: In 1984, the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) was established to oversee the program and to develop a space-based missile defense system.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 8: In order to make the Soviets feel less threatened, President Reagan promised to share the technology developed, enabling them to have their own protective shield.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 9: Predictably, the USSR did not believe the fiercely anti-communist President Reagan and were extremely suspicious of the new US initiative.

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Strategic Defense Initiative Facts for kids (Star Wars)

Facts about the Strategic Defense Initiative for kids (Star Wars)
The following fact sheet continues with facts about the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars).

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts for kids (Star Wars)

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 10: A problem with pursuing the concept of the Strategic Defense Initiative were fears of breaking existing treaties, commonly referred to as the "five United Nations treaties on outer space", that dealt with issues such as the non-appropriation of outer space by any one country and arms control.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 11: The Strategic Defense Initiative became the subject of intense political controversy and many believed that it would extend the arms race into space and cause the USSR to expand its own offensive nuclear weapons.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 12: Many of the proposed weapons, including lasers, neutron particle beams and electromagnetic railguns, represented unusual and un-proven new technologies.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 13: The popular trilogy of the "Star Wars" science fiction movies were released between 1977 - 1983. The "Star Wars" movies enabled the American public to easily associate the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program with new and creative technologies.  

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 14: The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program was soon given the nickname of Star Wars.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 15: The SDI began extremely expensive research projects costing billions of dollars every year. The  research projects included space-based laser weapons, spy satellites and space-based interceptors.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 16: Considerable research was also conducted on ground-based anti-missile missiles that could be used if the space-based weapons missed their targets.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 17: In response to the US research projects, the Soviets began work. on developing their own version of Strategic Defense Initiative.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 18: The efforts by the Soviet Union to match the expenditure of the U.S. in the Cold War Arms Race had brought the nation to the point of bankruptcy.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 19: SDI became an economic weapon and was instrumental in causing the downfall of the Soviet Union.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 20: Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev realized that the USSR could not afford the Cold War Arms Race or match the massive expenditure involved in the US Strategic Defense Initiative. In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev fell from power and the Soviet Union was dissolved.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 21: The SDI had itself become an economic weapon and was instrumental in causing the downfall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. 

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts - 22: Congress cancelled the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program in 1993 and was replaced with the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO), later renamed the Missile Defense Agency in 2002.

Strategic Defense Initiative Facts for kids (Star Wars)

Strategic Defense Initiative - Star Wars - President Ronald Reagan Video
The article on the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following Ronald Reagan video will give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 40th American President whose presidency spanned from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989.

Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)

● Interesting Facts about Strategic Defense Initiative for kids
● Summary of the Strategic Defense Initiative in US history
● The Strategic Defense Initiative, a major event in US history
● Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989
● Fast, fun facts about the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)
● Foreign & Domestic policies of President Ronald Reagan
● Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) for schools, homework, kids and children