POLARIS

摘要

On 7 December 1955, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) ADM Arleigh Burke dictated a letter to the Director, Special Projects (SP) Office, RADM William F. "Red" Raborn, Jr.: If Rear Admiral Raborn runs into any difficulty with which I can help, I will want to know about it at once along with his recommended course of action for me to take. If more money is needed, we will get it. If he needs more people, those people will be ordered in. If there is anything that slows this project up beyond the capacity of the Navy Department we will immediately take it to the highest level and not work our way up through several layers. These strong words illustrate the importance of POLARIS as a weapons system that began then, and has since evolved into our TRIDENT strategic deterrent. POLARIS remains of great interest in that its technical achievement and development are illustrative of what the minds and resources of this country can achieve with a management environment and precepts that support managing tightly and competently, with urgency. This article addresses key features of the technical and managerial achievements, but first it is useful to establish the historical environment.