The bounds of the possible: Nuclear command and control in the information age

Abstract

Several constraints exist that limit the flexibility of employment of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, but these constraints can be alleviated by the prudent application of information‐age technology to the planning process and to the command and control system. The changing strategic environment and the ongoing information revolution combine to argue forcibly for this change and offer an opportunity to bring the nuclear command and control system up‐to‐date to meet both current and emerging nuclear tasks. Continued failure to modernize nuclear command and control will have the effect of severely constraining the effectiveness of U.S. deterrent forces. Improvements in the nuclear command and control communications systems are essential for the effectiveness and credibility of U.S. nuclear policy. The nuclear command and control system must evolve into a dispersed, real‐time planning and dissemination system that provides a true, survivable, redundant, flexible planning capability. Development of such a system would allow tailored, appropriate options to be quickly developed, disseminated, and, if necessary, ordered by transmitting electronically encrypted messages over a myriad of systems in response to any given threat or attack.