Thankfully, no party has used nuclear weapons in war since 1945. Treaties limiting nuclear tests and weapon inventories during the Cold War highlighted the pragmatism of world leaders. As memories fade, and nascent nuclear states mature,
the potential for their use (or misuse) rises. In a strategic environment with multiple nuclear-armed states of various sizes and incentives, it is important to understand the science underlying the use of nuclear weapons in novel and unexpected ways.
As opposed to the ground bursts of World War II, their use in the sky has potential to achieve certain objectives without catastrophic loss of life. Due partly to the lack of testing and partly to a somber reluctance to consider this potentiality,
many misunderstandings persist. There is a need to address prevailing myths about the use of high-altitude nuclear explosions and provide realities rooted in the existing research on the subject.
Waging war against an enemy with dominant digital communications systems is a recipe for defeat. Modern digital communications structures enable lethal kill-chain targeting cycles, seamless command and control, and precision guidance that dominate the enemy.
This reality makes the space and cyber domains a primary target in future warfare. All tacticians seek to degrade their adversaries’ communications in war, but few consider the literal “nuclear option” that could fundamentally upend the current communications ecosystem.
High-altitude nuclear explosions (HANEs) allow an actor to degrade modern communications, either on the ground or in the sky. Closer to the ground, HANEs create a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) that could shut down power plants, cellular towers,
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