Archive

NC3

The End of Survivability?

The End of Survivability?

In this episode of The Fourth Leg, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes are joined by guest Daryl Press, who focuses on the growing threats to nuclear command and control and communication (NC3) systems around the world.

global stability, NC3, nuclear command, nuclear control, nuclear risk, strategic stability, vulnerabilities, vulnerable NC3

October 17, 2019

Elements of Caution and Prudence

Elements of Caution and Prudence

In this episode of The Fourth Leg, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Avner Cohen to explore Israel's NC3 profile.

Israel, Middle East, NC3, NC3 architecture, nuclear command, nuclear control, nuclear weapon state

October 10, 2019

An Altogether Different Set of Challenges

An Altogether Different Set of Challenges

Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes are joined by Feroz Hassan Khan for a conversation on the nuclear command, control, and communications of Pakistan.

delegation, NC3, NC3 architecture, nuclear deterrent, nuclear war, Pakistan

September 26, 2019

When and Why Cede Nuclear Authority

When and Why Cede Nuclear Authority

In this segment, Dr. Vipin Narang joins Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to challenge the delegative/assertive binary, arguing that, while conceptually important, it has hamstrung our thinking of regional powers’ NC3 by forcing them into one bin or another when it is in fact a time-dependent spectrum: all states delegate—that is, cede the ability to use nuclear weapons, irrespective of the authority to do so—at some point.

assertive, delegative, hardware, NC3, NC3 architecture, nuclear command, nuclear control, regional powers, software

September 18, 2019

United Kingdom: Nuclear Weapon, Command, Control, and Communications

United Kingdom: Nuclear Weapon, Command, Control, and Communications

In this episode, Rear Admiral John Gower joins Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to discuss the UK nuclear weapon command, control, and communications architecture. He goes into detail on the multiple communication paths, frequencies, fall-back systems, and encryption needed to continuously enable the UK's Prime Minister to act on a nuclear launch decision.

crisis communications, encryption, NC3, nuclear launch, nuclear weapons, systems, United Kingdom

September 12, 2019

China, Technology, and the Security Dilemma

China, Technology, and the Security Dilemma

In this episode, Elsa Kania joins Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to assess how emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fifth-generation telecommunications, and quantum communications—may affect China’s NC3.

5G, artificial inteligence, China, cloud computing, complexity, NC3, quantum

September 5, 2019

Questioning Unitary Command: Nuclear Launch Authority and the N-Person Problem

Questioning Unitary Command: Nuclear Launch Authority and the N-Person Problem

In this segment, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes are joined by Dr. Alex Wellerstein, who sketches a framework for thinking about how concentrated nuclear use authority should be at the top.

NC3, nuclear command, nuclear control, nuclear use authority, nuclear war, nuclear weapons states

August 8, 2019

Deterred by the Uncertainties

Deterred by the Uncertainties

In this episode, guest Fiona Cunningham joins hosts Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to describe the origins of China’s NC3 system and its primary role in supporting China’s land-based missile force.

China, early warning systems, missile, NC3, nuclear command, nuclear war, submarines

July 29, 2019

The Curse of Flexibility

The Curse of Flexibility

In this segment, Nancy Leveson joins Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to make the case that using conservative techniques and avoiding unnecessarily complex software in critical functions in NC3 systems circumvented nuclear catastrophe in the past.

complexity, NC3, nuclear command, risk management, software

July 25, 2019

Is the Enemy in the System?

Is the Enemy in the System?

Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Dr. Jon Lindsay, who makes the case that the cybersecurity of nuclear command, control, and communications is a pressing concern.

cyber, cybersecurity, NC3, nuclear command, nuclear war, offensive cyber, risk

June 20, 2019

Complexity is the Enemy of Security

Complexity is the Enemy of Security

Philip Reiner is joined by guest Eric Grosse, who makes the case that for information security at extreme scales, complexity is the enemy of security. Using the example of Gmail, he calls for a return to basics. "For the very highest security needs such as NC3, we ought to return to basics and harden small-scale systems. And we ought to do it as a joint effort, even between adversaries.”

complexity, Information Security, NC3, nuclear command, nuclear communications, security

May 30, 2019

The System Can’t Be Perfect

The System Can’t Be Perfect

In this podcast, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Dr. John Harvey, who asserts that the US NC3 system "must seek vastly improved senior leader conferencing capabilities to support decisions that go beyond what some of us call the Cold War’s “multiple choice test”—that is, which major attack option to execute."

cold war, conferencing, crisis communications, NC3, nuclear communication

May 24, 2019

Grand Tactics and the Thin Skin of Civilization

Grand Tactics and the Thin Skin of Civilization

In the first episode of The Fourth Leg, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Dr. Paul Bracken for an overview of NC3 tactics and global stability.

C3I, entanglement, global stability, inadvertent escalation, NC3, nuclear command, nuclear war

May 13, 2019

The AES Project: Any Lessons for NC3?

The AES Project: Any Lessons for NC3?

Thomas Berson details how lessons from the Advanced Encryption Standard Competition can aid the development of international NC3 components and even be mirrored in the creation of a CATALINK community.

advanced encryption standard, AES, Anagram, blockchain, CATALINK, cryptography, encryption, NC3, NIST, standards

June 23, 2020

Hardware that is Less Untrusted: Open Source Down to the Silicon

Hardware that is Less Untrusted: Open Source Down to the Silicon

In an essay out of the workshop "Last Chance: Communicating at the Nuclear Brink," Ron Minnich argues "We can not build on a foundation that is compromised at all levels. There is no visibility into the system's behavior. The existing model assumes perfect software: 'Trust, but don't verify." We need to start anew, from the gates, and work our way up.

CATALINK, central processing unit, chip, computing, CPU, firmware, hardware, IO chips, memory chip, motherboard, NC3, open-source, PC, personal computer, silicon, software, supply chain, UV

June 9, 2020

Communication Disruption Attacks on NC3

Communication Disruption Attacks on NC3

In an essay out of the workshop "Last Chance: Communicating at the Nuclear Brink," Paul Bracken argues, "in a nuclear world we should be careful about attacking enemy communications because doing so leads to greater risks of uncontrolled escalation. The worst possible situation is the one the United States is now in, that is, to not be clear in our own minds about what we are doing when it comes to disrupting communications.”

CATALINK, communication, communication attacks, electromagnetic pulse, electronic warfare, escalation, military, NC3, nuclear, red line, retaliation, strike, target, targeting, United States, vulnerability

May 28, 2020