Star Peace (originally published in 1986) is a look at space warfare defense technology by novelist Ben Bova, the author of more than a hundred works of science fiction and fact. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This report details the anatomy and calculus of the ballistic missile portion of the transition to a robust nationwide strategic defense posture as proposed by Pres. Regan 23 Mar 83. The authors develop an analytic format based on ballistic missile 'defense potential'. The defense potential format demonstrates that, if highly survivable strategic defenses were deployed as an adjunct to current superpower ballistic missile forces, the United States could make the transition to the President's goal of assured survival from ballistic missile attack without having to pass through a period during which either the U.S. or the USSR would have great incentive to launch a first strike against the other. If, however, the defenses are vulnerable to attack and/or both superpowers continue to deploy weapons capable of destroying hard targets but fail to adopt corresponding offensive force survivability measures, a stable transition would become less likely.

The Great Power Peace has tenuously held since the end of World War II. However, it now appears on shakier ground than ever before. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the official National Security Strategy of the United States declared that “the risk of conflict between major powers is increasing.” Undoubtedly, such a conflict would cause unprecedented human, environmental, and economic damage. As noted by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985—and reiterated by Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in 2021—“a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” While a clear sentiment, how to ratchet tensions down and sustainably coexist is considerably less clear. Moreover, the need for international cooperation to address issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence, and future pandemics is greater than ever.