https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2008/10/24/dense-pack/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 04:39:28 -0400<![CDATA[Back in the early 1980s, designers seeking to protect land-based ICBMs from a Soviet first strike developed the &#8220;dense pack&#8221; defense system. &#8220;This &#8220;dense pack&#8221; idea involved building super-hardened silos that would withstand more than 10,000 psi (70 MPa) of overpressure and spacing them only 1,800 feet (550 m) apart. The reasoning behind this idea was that a nearby nuclear explosion would damage other incoming warheads in the same wave of attack and would allow a substantial portion of the missiles to survive. This &#8216;fratricide theory&#8217; was fundamentally flawed due to the relative ease with which the Soviets could modify their warheads and circumvent this design. Congress again rejected the silo-based system.&#8221;]]>Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:30:08 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2008/10/24/dense-pack-n186306