Global Governance Lecture: The origins of Soviet/Russian missile defense
Christian Brünner - Opening Remarks
Mike Gruntman - Intercept 1961: From Air Defense SA-1 to the Birth of Soviet Missile Defense: On 4 March 1961, a guided missile intercepted and destroyed the approaching warhead of an intermediate range ballistic missile at the Saryshagan test site in the Kazakhstan desert. This event led to the emergence of a powerful political, military, scientific-technological, and industrial missile defense complex in the Soviet Union, a major factor in shaping U.S. defense programs and technologies during the Cold War. A new chapter in the eternal competition between protecting and avenging, between the sword and the shield, has begun. The issue of Missile defense remains on the table in the 21st century - especially in light of recent developments in Ukraine and the Middle east.
Q&A