"What if free people could live secure in the knowledge that their security did not rest upon the threat of instant U.S. retaliation to deter a Soviet attack, that we could intercept and destroy strategic ballistic missiles before they reached our own soil or that of our allies?"Ronald Reagan
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the "Star Wars program", was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles). The concept was announced on March 23, 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, a vocal critic of the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD), which he described as a "suicide pact". Reagan announced SDI in a nationally televised speech, stating "I call upon the scientific community in this country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete."
Although there's no direct correlation between the events of Able Archer 83 and the Star wars defense initiative(SDI) it is believed that the announcement of the SDI by President Ronald Reagan contributed to the Soviets belief that the United States was attempting to nullify their nuclear deterrent. if the United States was capable of shielding itself from Soviet retaliation with nuclear weapons the theory of mutually assured destruction AKA mad would be rendered useless. It is believed that this would have made it possible for the United States to launch a preemptive and devastating nuclear strike on the Soviet Union without any fear of retaliation. at the time the United States was also spending a significant amount of funding on research into the theory of survivable nuclear war.
In retrospect Ronald Reagan, mentioned that his SDI speech was more of a voiced wish than actual belief that the technology was within the grasp of US technology.
Just a reminder for more days till operation Able Archer Operation Able Archer '83 Special Event W3A