The Russia-Ukraine war has brought an abrupt end to a certain nuclear complacency that has characterised European politics since the Cold War, writes Andrew Futter. The immediate challenge facing governments across the Euro-Atlantic space appears to be maintaining a credible nuclear and conventional deterrence capability and pursuing risk reduction and confidence-building measures.
Rapid technological change and a return to nuclear great-power competition suggest that the contours and central dynamics of our nuclear world are in flux. Andrew Futter writes that this shift requires a frank debate about the role of UK nuclear weapons and where they fit in the future of UK security policy.
The question of how we manage the challenges and threats posed by “cyber” is perhaps one of the most talked-about security problems of our time. Dr Andrew Futter sets out the key criteria that we need to consider in future “cyber arms control”.
There are currently no formal international agreements linking nuclear weapons and cyber capabilities, and to fill this void states have invested considerable resource to address the ‘cyber’ challenge – but what does this mean for the security of nuclear weapons?
As the UK prepares to renew its nuclear deterrent, Dr Andrew Futter explores the risk an emerging cyber threat poses to Trident.