Date
5-20-2026
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
Adam Coker
Keywords
Cold War, technology, private sector, information age, communism, national security, national defense, strategy
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | History
Recommended Citation
Hoover, Stephen J., "The Cold War and the Weaponization of Digital Technology: How the United States Government Partnered with the Private Sector to Create a Technology-Driven Strategy for National Defense" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8494.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8494
Abstract
Beginning with the National Security Act of 1947, the study traces the transition from conventional warfare to a sophisticated "Second Offset Strategy" defined by technological superiority. It argues that the Cold War necessitated the maturation of the alliance between the federal government and the private sector, transforming private enterprises into essential strategic partners for Cold War national defense. The research analyzes milestones in this digital shift, including the development of voice communications, air defense, space and nuclear technologies, command and control networks, and the transition from mainframes to microprocessors. Central to this analysis is the role of technology in key geopolitical flashpoints, from the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and the Soviet-Afghan War. The economic and operational dimensions of this technological arms race is analyzed by highlighting the effectiveness of export controls and U.S. "tech denial" strategies that degraded the Soviet military order of battle throughout the Cold War. It also explores how digital tools were used for propaganda and psychological operations to influence non-aligned nations. This also demonstrates how the U.S. government integrated the private-sector innovative capabilities into military operations and doctrine that not only modernized national defense systems but also altered the global balance of power that led to the inevitable collapse of Soviet technological parity and the end of the Cold War.
