SDI and industrial technology policy

Although SDI has been presented as a military system for the benefit of U.S. national defence, there are also vital implications for the industrial technology policies of the nations involved in SDI research and development. The SDI programme is being executed in a period when the strategic role of science and technology is being strongly emphasised in the industrialized countries, particularly in the case of the United States, with respect to both national defence and economic development. This study focuses on the industrial policy aspects of the SDI programme in relation to the spin-offs for the national economies of the participating nations.

The evidence presented by the authors leads to the conclusion that the benefits to the civilian sectors of the participants are minimal compared with other military programmes. From a standpoint of industrial technology policy, this book demonstrates that SDI is not a cost effective defence system and may be defined as counter-productive for the American allies.