Precision-Guided Weapons: New Chances To Deal with Old Dangers.

Discusses the implications of the new precision guided munitions (PGMs), a broad class of guided bombs and missiles that can be mass-produced at relatively low cost and operated by simple means--some by average foot soldiers. Many can be produced without a great industrial base. Far more research is needed, but it now appears that, in the short run, PGMs make both small states and NATO more defensible. PGM precision makes nuclear use more avoidable. The need to decentralize military forces into small, mobile, concealable units means command/control problems. Pervasive changes in force posture highlight the need to revise theater nuclear policies, now dangerously vague. The pace of war is likely to be much faster, with unprecedentedly high rates of munition use; tactical forces-in-being count more, and the general economy less, toward the outcome. The OPEC countries' arms buildup presents a problem deserving attention of all who are concerned with national security and world stability. (Prepared for the United Nations Association Conventional Arms Control Panel; the first 12 pages are similar to the author's P-5257.) 27 pp.