The missile gap, as Secretary McElroy argued, is no cause for alarm, much less panic. But it is no cause for complacency either, and there was a complacent undertone in McElroy’s assurances.

The missile gap is a vestigial effect of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), to which the U.S. was a signatory, but to which China was not.

The Pentagon's $1.3 billion plan includes the purchase of 233 PAC-3 MSE missiles to strengthen defenses against threats from ...

The U.S. faces a critical missile shortage against China. Can innovative strategies and expanded production close the “missile gap” before it’s too late? As Pete Hegseth takes over at the ...

But the gap flap was not easily silenced—and for good reason. During the campaign Candidate Kennedy had played heavily on the possibility of a dangerous missile gap.