Dense Pack

Dense Pack is a strategy for basing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the purpose of maximizing their survivability in case of a surprise nuclear first strike on their silos conducted by a hostile foreign power. The strategy was developed under the Reagan administration as a means of safeguarding America's inventory of MX missiles during the final decade of the Cold War. The U.S. commitments under the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty prevented the development and staging of adequate ABM installations around its nuclear missile silos. Therefore, it was decided that new and unconventional strategies for protecting these military assets from a sneak-attack had to be developed: "Dense Pack" was one strategy. Other ICBM basing strategies considered during this time were scatterpack, deep basing, rail-mobile, alert ground dispersal, and reverse-inclination basing.