This article highlights the impact of emerging technologies on the security of nuclear weapons and, in turn, on strategic stability. This article suggests that the Nuclear Responsibilities Approach can help mitigate the threat posed by the emerging technologies.
Command and Control
Donald Trump poised to take control of US nuclear weapons arsenal
BASIC's Chairman of the board, Dr Trevor McCrisken was interviewed by the News & Star about the new President-elect, Donald Trump and his pending responsibility over the nuclear codes. Trump's seemingly implusive and reactive temprement has aroused global concerns that he could launch a reckless nucear strike – McCrisken outlined the potential risks;
“You could imagine perhaps a situation where he just loses his mind or gets angry and decides to launch.”
The dangers of vulnerable nuclear forces
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.
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.
Clarifying Command on US Nuclear Weapons
Here’s a terrifying prospect: President Donald Trump with his finger on the nuclear button. This erratic narcissist with little knowledge of the world and, according to his former ghost writer, an attention span of five minutes, with the power to set off a nuclear war. This seems unlikely to come about now, with Trump trailing in the polls, but the election is some way off and it cannot be ruled out.