For a while during the Cold War, the nuclear standoff was almost comfortable. When the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was briefed on the destructive power of the hydrogen bomb, he told his son Sergei, he was so upset that he could not sleep for several nights. But then, he said, he realised that these weapons could never be used and he could sleep again.
Analysis
China’s UUV seizure was about undersea dominance
As the USNS Bowditch was recovering a UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle, or underwater drone) in the South China Sea on 15th December, a light-fingered Chinese Navy salvage ship reportedly called Naniju swooped in and took it in spite of repeated bridge-to-bridge demands to return the craft.
Opportunities for effective strategic dialogue: bridging the nuclear deterrence and disarmament constituencies
In times when evidence-based policy making approaches are under assault, communities that devote themselves to managing the dangers of strategic competition and nuclear arms racing need to come together to consider ways to realise their common objectives.
Chinese warship seizes US underwater drone in international waters
The recent blogpost by BASIC’s Project Leader, Sebastian Brixey-Williams was referenced in The Guardian in an article which explored the impetus for China’s seizure of a US underwater drone.
Gender and Nuclear Weapons: A Bibliography
BASIC hosts the open-access Gender and Nuclear Weapons Bibliography. We welcome any and all contributions.
Report: Impact of Emerging Technologies on the Future of SSBNs
Our two latest reports assess the effect of emerging undersea technologies on ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and strategic stability.
Conference Videos: Impact of Emerging Technologies on the the Future of SSBN’s
On 13th September 2016, BASIC, British Pugwash and the University of Leicester hosted The impact of Emerging Technologies on the Future of SSBNs in Whitehall, London. The conference welcomed contributions from 15 scientific experts and strategic thinkers on the implications of major advances in sonar, non-acoustic detection, new forms of undersea communications and autonomous maritime drones for sea-based deterrence.
President Trump’s defence deals may spark a nuclear arms race
Executive Director of BASIC, Paul Ingram was recently quoted in New Scientist magazine in an article exploring whether risks of a nuclear arms race would be heightened under Trump.