246. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition (Costello) to Secretary of Defense Carlucci1
SUBJECT
- SDI Review Task Force—ACTION MEMORANDUM
Per your direction I am recalling the SDI DSB task force under Bob Everett. Sol Buchsbaum, Sey Weiss, and Bill Perry have agreed to participate. A complete list of members is attached.2
My proposed tasking is to have the panel review LtGen Abrahamson’s planned program to support initial deployment demonstrations and longer term technologies under several realistic budget profiles (20% growth/year, 10% growth/year, constant level of effort). Specifically, we will review:
- What experiments must be conducted to resolve fundamental issues of feasibility and cost effectiveness?
- When would major benefits accrue from the broad interpretation? When would the broad interpretation be required? What are the cost, schedule, and technical risk implications of adhering to the narrow interpretation?
- When could full scale development decisions be supported under the broad and narrow interpretations?
- What are the implications of initiating deployment with a treaty limited (100 ground based interceptor) force?
LtGen Abrahamson will need some time to prepare answers to these questions for review. Tentatively the group will meet 1–2 February and could give you a quick look assessment shortly thereafter. We feel that a thorough review will take several weeks longer.
Is the proposed guidance and schedule acceptable to you?3
- Source: Reagan Library, Frank Carlucci Files, SECDEF Carlucci’s Library Subject—1988: SDI [01/01/1988–01/28/1988]. No classification marking. Stamped notations indicate that Taft saw the memorandum on January 13 and that Carlucci saw the memorandum on January 14. Carlucci wrote at the top of the memorandum: “Give me for my mtg w/President FC.” An unknown hand crossed out Carlucci’s note and wrote: “Done.”↩
- Attached but not printed is a list of the planned task force membership.↩
- Carlucci approved the proposal on January 14.↩