Background: Trident-II Basing and Concerns
By the early 1970s the thawing of Cold War tensions under detente was coming to an end. Continuing conflicts between the Soviet Union and United States in surrogate nations around the world, the prevalence of nuclear arms and weapons development, and shifts in both nations’ governments led to a resurgence of militarism. One of the first steps undertaken by the United States was the deployment of nuclear Trident-II missiles at two locations on the East and West Coasts to act as nuclear deterrents to the Soviet Union. The homeport chosen for West Coast, Trident-armed submarines was the Naval Submarine Base Bangor on Washington State's Puget Sound.
The plan for Trident submarines to operate out of Bangor was brought before the city councils of Seattle and Kitsap and confirmed in 1973 by both cities’ Chambers of Commerce. The Board of Trustees of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce deemed the strategy fully justified for a number of reasons:
- Trident was an essential component of the military’s strategic deterrence model and was necessary to maintain at least two decades of peace.
- Bangor’s location offered more advantages to the Trident system than any other location in the United States, according to military experts and analysts.
- Additionally, the new military buildup in the area promised to stabilize local economies and offer opportunities for growth.
- Finally, any potential negative impacts were deemed to be minimal relative to these benefits, and it was believed that sufficient government support would easily alleviate any emerging issues.
Despite the optimism of the city council members, not everyone agreed that bringing Trident submarines to Bangor was a smart, or safe, decision; almost as soon as the basing plans were confirmed in 1973, protest organizations had formed to challenge the weapons’ purposes and potential consequences to the Puget Sound region and beyond.