The Navy's first submarine-launched ballistic missile program for nuclear deterrence was known as which missile program?

• A. Atlas missile program
• B. Minuteman
• C. Polaris missile program
• D. Trident

Answer: (C)

Submarine-launched ballistic missiles gave the navy a mobile, at-sea second-strike capability that would deter even if land-based forces were knocked out. The navy’s first program to develop this capability was the Polaris missile program, which delivered SLBMs capable of being launched from submerged submarines and formed the foundation of a sea-based deterrent with patrol boats like the George Washington class. Atlas and Minuteman were Air Force ICBMs, not navy SLBMs, and Trident came later as the successor to Polaris.