Weinberger, Caspar
Weinberger, Caspar (1917–), lawyer, government official, secretary of defense.President Ronald Reagan appointed Weinberger, a former California and federal official, as secretary of defense in 1981. Weinberger worked to implement Reagan's defense program, stressing armed forces modernization, readiness, and sustainability to counter the threats of the Soviet Union, which Reagan labeled the “evil empire.” Weinberger pushed for a broad strategic weapons program, including B‐1B bombers, a stealth aircraft, the Trident II submarine‐launched ballistic missile, and the MX “Peacekeeper” ICBM. He backed development of Reagan's space‐based system to defend against missile attack—the Strategic Defense Initiative or “Star Wars” program.
Weinberger persuaded Congress to approve large increases in the defense budget, which increased from about $176 billion...
[The entire page is 475 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
