Building the Polaris Missile System that Kept the Country Safe in the Cold War

This episode covers the history of the Polaris missile system, which was a key development in the Cold War that provided the United States with a submarine-launched ballistic missile capability. Madeline Zimmermann, an expert on defense acquisition, talks through the many trials and tribulations, broken rules, unusual bureaucracy-defeating strategies and a lot more.We cover:- Background on the development of ballistic missiles and the nuclear triad during the early stages of the Cold War- The Navy's struggle to establish its own ballistic missile program, leading to the creation of the Special Projects Office (SPO) for the Polaris project- The innovative management and acquisition practices used by the SPO, including decentralization, competition among contractors, and flexible requirements- The role of strong leadership and the creation of the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) as a bureaucratic cover for the project's success- Lessons from the Polaris program that can be applied to modern defense acquisition, such as encouraging competition among buyers, resisting monopsony, and emphasizing leadership accountabilityVisit the Typhoon Bearing website: typhoonbearing.substack.comSupport the show here: https://usnavalhistorypodcast.com/#/portal/signupEmail me at: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠Follow me on IG: ⁠⁠⁠@USNavyPodcast⁠⁠⁠Follow me on Twitter:⁠⁠⁠ @ChaseHDalton⁠Please also share, rate, and subscribe to help the show grow. Madeline's Kinetic Reviews Substack: https://kinetic.reviews/