Nuclear Weapons, Early Warning Systems, and the Development of Digital Technologies
in Educational , Nuclear on March 12, 2023Choose Your Desired Option(s)
This PowerPoint introduces students to the history of early warning systems in nuclear command and control and the challenges associated with implementing them. It emphasizes the trade-off between enhancing the credibility of deterrence through early warning systems and the inherent limitations on the safety and reliability of those systems. Drawing on Charles Perrow’s concepts of ‘normal accidents’ it makes the case that many nuclear technologies are examples of tightly coupled complex systems in which redundancy increases the likelihood of accident. As an example, students are introduced to the case of a Soviet early warning system that produced a false alarm. This lecture pairs well with the Launch on Warning: A Nuclear Crisis Decision Making Exercise.
Content Attributes
| Link to Resource | |
| Video Url | |
| Topic / Subject Matter | Cyber, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Weapons |
| Skillset | Critical Thinking, Strategy |
| Lens / Approach / Method | Historical, Policy Relevant |
| Download Category | Educational, Nuclear |
| Content Tag | Decision Making, early warning system, normal accident, nuclear crisis, nuclear deterrence |
| Activity Type | Lecture |
| Audiences | College |
| Minimum Number of Participants | |
| Maximum Number of Participants | |
| Group or Individual | Groups |
| Recommended group size | |
| Number of Leaders | |
| Total Prep Time | |
| Total activity time | 50 |
| Divisible | No |
| Divisible Explanation | |
| Recommended Reading |
Learning Objectives |
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