The authoritative guide to ensuring science and technology make life on Earth better, not worse.

Trust but verify: How to get there by using next-generation nuclear verification and warhead dismantlement techniques

By Samuel M. Hickey | March 10, 2022

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at Saddam International Airport in Iraq on December 1, 2002. The Second Gulf War began a little over three months later. Image courtesy of Petr Pavlicek/IAEA under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0

Trust but verify: How to get there by using next-generation nuclear verification and warhead dismantlement techniques

By Samuel M. Hickey | March 10, 2022

Loading...

References Aitkenhead, M., Owen, M., and Chambers, D. 2012. “Use of artificial neural networks in measuring characteristics of shielded plutonium for arms control.” Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry. January 23. Issue 3. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/JA/c2ja10230g Blinken, A. 2021. “On the Extension of the New START Treaty with the Russian Federation.” US State Department Press Statement. February 3. https://www.state.gov/on-the-extension-of-the-new-start-treaty-with-the-russian-federation/. Congressional Research Service. 2019. Russian Compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: Background and Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service. August 2. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/nuke/R43832.pdf. Danagoulian, A. 2018. “Nuclear disarmament verification via resonant phenomena.” Nature Communications. March 28. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03680-4. Engel, E., and Dangoulian, A. 2019. “A physically cryptographic warhead verification system using neutron induced nuclear resonances.” Nature Communications. October 2. https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.06978. Finney, J;, and Acton, J.M. 2014. “Identifying a hidden warhead.” Nature. June 25. 550, 476-477. https://www.nature.com/articles/510476a. Alex Glaser, et al., “A zero-knowledge protocol for nuclear warhead verification,” Nature, 2014, vol 510: 497–502. Glaser, A., and Kutt, M. 2020. “Verifying Deep Reductions in the Nuclear Arsenals: Development and Demonstration of a Motion-detection Subsystem for a “Buddy Tag” Using Non-export Controlled Accelerometers.” IEEE Sensors Journal.March 5.  https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1616457. Gottemoeller, R. 2020. “Science diplomacy: The essential interdisciplinary approach.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. December 7. https://thebulletin.org/premium/2020-12/science-diplomacy-the-essential-interdisciplinary-approach/. Kristensen, H., and Korda, M. 2021. “Russian nuclear weapons, 2021.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. March 18. Volume 77, Issue 2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2021.1885869. Kristensen, H., and Korda, M. 2021b. “A Closer Look at China’s Missile Silo Construction.” Federation of American Scientists. November 2. https://fas.org/blogs/security/2021/11/a-closer-look-at-chinas-missile-silo-construction/. Kütt, M. and Glaser, A. 2019. “Vintage electronics for trusted radiation measurements and verified dismantlement of nuclear weapons.” PLOS One. October 30. Lepowsky, E., Jeon, J., and Glaser, A. 2021. “Confirming the absence of nuclear warheads via passive gamma-ray measurements.” US Energy Department, Office of Science and Technical Information. February 1. https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1809342-confirming-absence-nuclear-warheads-via-passive-gamma-ray-measurements. NATO Press Release. 2019. “Statement on Russia’s failure to comply with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.” North Atlantic Council. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_162996.htm. Reuters. 2020. “Putin blames Washington for a new arms race.” Video conference, Reuters. December 17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opttMSjAAzo. Rosenbaum, E. 2019. “1 in 5 corporations say China has stolen their IP within the last year.” CNBC CFO. March 1. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/1-in-5-companies-say-china-stole-their-ip-within-the-last-year-cnbc.html. Samson, V. 2022. “The complicating role of the private sector in space.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. January 17. https://thebulletin.org/premium/2022-01/the-complicating-role-of-the-private-sector-in-space/. Spears, D. (ed.) Technology R&D for Arms Control, US Department of Energy, Office of Nonproliferation Research and Engineering, Washington DC, 2001. http://www.fissilematerials.org/library/doe01b.pdf Tass. 2019. “Russia demonstrates Avangard hypersonic missile system to US.” Tass. November 26. https://tass.com/defense/1092885.

Together, we make the world safer.

The Bulletin elevates expert voices above the noise. But as an independent nonprofit organization, our operations depend on the support of readers like you. Help us continue to deliver quality journalism that holds leaders accountable. Your support of our work at any level is important. In return, we promise our coverage will be understandable, influential, vigilant, solution-oriented, and fair-minded. Together we can make a difference.


Get alerts about this thread
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
sedumjoy
sedumjoy
2 years ago

Assuming there will be people around to negotiate treaties after this crisis is over. Yeah …..that’s a bit of stretch isn’t it? It’s my opinion that lots of times the folks in think tanks lose sight that the people in control of nuclear weapons may not all be playing with a full deck of cards. Or at least that’s been my fear for the last 70 years. I sweep it under the rug and that keeps me sane.