157. Editorial Note
On September 7, 1979, President Jimmy Carter, joined by Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, spoke to reporters in the Old Executive Office Building to announce details of his decision to develop a new, mobile land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, the MX, as part of his administration’s plan to strengthen the U.S. strategic Triad of sea-, air-, and land-based nuclear weapons. At 95 tons with 10 independently targetable warheads each, the MX was the largest ICBM system to date and was comparable to the Soviet SS–18 ICBM system (its largest in 1980). (Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book II, pages 1599–1601)
In his remarks, Carter outlined the five criteria for the MX basing system: “First, it must contribute to the ability of the strategic forces to survive an attack. Second, it must be verifiable so as to set a standard which can serve as a precedent for the verifiability of mobile ICBM systems on both sides. Third, it must minimize the adverse impact on our own environment. Fourth, its deployment must be at a reasonable cost to the American taxpayer. And fifth, it must be consistent with existing SALT agreements and with our SALT III goal of negotiating for significant mutual reductions in strategic forces.” Carter then announced the development of a system of 200 MX missiles, transportable among 23 shelters via specially constructed roadways in Western states of the United States at a projected cost of $33 billion. Carter concluded by stating that MX was “not a bargaining chip,” but rather a necessary addition to ensure national security Carter concluded: “As long as the threat of war persists, we will do what we must to deter that threat to our Nation’s security. If SALT II is ratified and SALT III is successful, then the time may come when no President will have to make this kind of decision again, and the MX system will be the last weapon system of such enormous destructive power that we will ever have to build. I fervently pray for that time, but until it comes we will build what we must, even as we continue to work for mutual restraint in strategic armaments.” (Ibid.)