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What Do We Want From the Nuclear Command and Control System?

Report

What Do We Want From the Nuclear Command and Control System?

In this essay from IST and the Nautilus Institute, Paul Davis suggests that U.S. NC3 modernization “should place increased emphasis on assuring control, avoiding accidents, and avoiding ill-informed or unwise employment of nuclear weapons.”
authorization, deterrence, first strike, intelligence, launch under attack, limited war, modernization, NC3, nuclear policy, redundancy, retaliation, stability, strategic, warfighting, zero-tolerance
October 24, 2019
Law, Targeting and Nuclear Weapons

Report

Law, Targeting and Nuclear Weapons

This report by William Boothby seeks to explain the law of armed conflict rules that regulate respectively the resort to nuclear force and the use of nuclear force during an international armed conflict and to provide an accepted baseline for the dissemination of the law with a view to achieving a common understanding and acceptance of it by all nuclear States.
API, armed conflict, civilian, first strike, Geneva Conventions, International Court of Justice, NC3, nuclear, planning, territorial integrity, threat, United Nations, warfare
October 21, 2019
Counter Nuclear Command, Control and Communications

Report

Counter Nuclear Command, Control and Communications

This report by Carol Ann Jones seeks to introduce the nuclear command, control, and stability framework; collect open source NC3 system information on the eight declared nuclear nations to fill in the framework; describe counter NC3 activities; and introduce a few alternate NC3 approaches that may contribute to nuclear stability.
anti-satellite, bias, C3, command and control, communication, complexity, electromagnetic pulse, launch authority, modernization, NC3, Nuclear Posture Review, special operation, stability, strike, supply chain, threshold, vulnerability, warhead, warning
November 7, 2019
NC3 Insider Threats

Report

NC3 Insider Threats

​Ron Schouten examines fundamental concepts of insider threats and provides an overview of the extent and significance of insider threats in US and other NC3 systems.
Bystander Effect, capability, chemical, civilian, classified materials, critical infrastructure, deterrence, espionage, IAEA, information systems, insider threat, NC3, nuclear, organizational culture, stability, threat, vulnerability
November 14, 2019
For Better or for Worse: The Future of C3I Entanglement

Report

For Better or for Worse: The Future of C3I Entanglement

James Acton evaluates the risk of inadvertent escalation arising from attacks on dual-use (nuclear and conventional warfare) command, control, communication, and intelligence (C3I) capabilities in a conventional war because such attacks would degrade the target’s nuclear command-and-control system.
anti-satellite, ballistic missile, boost-glide, C3I, capabilities, cyber, defense, dyad, early warning, geopolitical, high-precision munition, hypersonic, incidental attacks, intelligence, launch under attack, military, nuclear, orbits, radar, stability, strategic, war, warfighting
November 21, 2019
Roundtable Discussion: AI and Human Decision Making

AAR, Report

Roundtable Discussion: AI and Human Decision Making

On June 29, 2018, Technology for Global Security and the Center for Global Security Research hosted a roundtable discussion. The discussion specifically investigated the potential security implications of these technologies as they are considered for use in military capacities. The discussion was attended by a mix of academics, research scientists, venture capitalists, civil society, and industry.
artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, black box, cyber attacks, decision-making, deterrence, disinformation, ethics, military, stability
November 28, 2018
Playing Telephone: Hoax Calls and the Insecurity of Leader to Leader Communications

Report

Playing Telephone: Hoax Calls and the Insecurity of Leader to Leader Communications

A database of hoax calls between leaders that illustrates the importance of secure, trusted crisis communications.
Atlas of Crisis Communications: Nuclear States

Report

Atlas of Crisis Communications: Nuclear States

Leah Walker and Andrew Facini present an atlas of hotlines between states with nuclear weapons, part of IST’s work efforts to reinvigorate broader nuclear crisis control through research and development aimed at identifying and solving practical nuclear risk reduction gaps.
Testimony: Rising Threats: Ransomware Attacks and Ransom Payments, Enabled by Cryptocurrency

Testimony

Testimony: Rising Threats: Ransomware Attacks and Ransom Payments, Enabled by Cryptocurrency

On June 7, 2022, IST Chief Strategy Officer Megan Stifel testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for the hearing entitled, "Rising Threats: Ransomware Attacks and Ransom Payments, Enabled by Cryptocurrency."
The Ransomware Task Force: One Year On

Progress Report

The Ransomware Task Force: One Year On

In the year since the publication of the RTF report, the Ransomware Task Force reflects on progrsss, noting a great deal of action to combat ransomware and a continued rise observed incidents. This summary briefly discusses some of the ransomware-related activity of the last year, its impact, the current threat level, and the RTF's recommendations for moving forward.
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