Loeb's biography includes the line "international project supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative (1983-1988)". I did not immediately find any documentation about exactly what he was doing for that. (Tagging @nuclearanthro.bsky.social for interest.)

Now I’m thinking of the ABM tactic of setting off buried nuclear warheads near/in missile fields along approach paths to trash incoming warheads with debris. The fallout, timing, control, & attack nature & ISR were all issues. I mean, fuck if you if accidentally/on error set that off!

There just seems to be a lot of overlap between the "everything is hostile aliens" contingent and Cold War weapons-of-mass-destruction types.

it’s a mindset!