event

New Technologies and Nuclear Risk

Tue. September 17th, 2019
Washington, DC

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The proliferation of new technologies threatens to increase the risks of nuclear use. Join us to discuss two of those risks—precision-strike weapons in the hands of U.S. allies and artificial intelligence—explored in recent studies funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Agenda

9:30 to 10:45 a.m.

Conventional Precision-Strike Weapons and Non-Nuclear States 
How could the military capabilities of non-nuclear states allied to a nuclear power affect the risks of escalation? Several U.S. allies and partners in Europe and Asia are pursuing precise long-range strike weapons and acquiring their own intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. We discuss the state of play, some of the reasons behind this trend, and its implications for crisis and conflict situations. 

Tom Plant, Joshua Pollack, Caitlin Talmadge, Samuel Charap

10:45 to 11:00 a.m.

Break

11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Artificial Intelligence, Strategic Stability, and Nuclear Risk
Breakthroughs in machine learning and new approaches to AI engineering have enabled the development of increasingly capable AI-enabled and autonomous military systems. We will explore why and how machine learning and autonomy might become the focus of an arms race among nuclear-armed states. 

Lora Saalman, Petr Topychkanov, Lindsey Sheppard, Toby Dalton

Speakers

Tom Plant

Tom Plant is director of the Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Program at the Royal United Services Institute. 

Joshua Pollack

Joshua Pollack is editor of the Nonproliferation Review and senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

Caitlin Talmadge

Caitlin Talmadge is associate professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Samuel Charap

Samuel Charap is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation.

Lora Saalman

Lora Saalman is associate senior fellow for the Armament and Disarmament and Conflict and Peace Programs at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, and senior fellow at the Global Cooperation in Cyberspace Program at EastWest Institute.

Petr Topychkanov

Petr Topychkanov is a senior researcher in the Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control, and Non-proliferation Program at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Lindsey Sheppard

Lindsey Sheppard is an associate fellow in the International Security Program at Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Toby Dalton

Toby Dalton is the co-director and a senior fellow of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment.

SecurityMilitaryTechnology
Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie India, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Tom Plant

Joshua Pollack

Joshua H. Pollack is the editor of the The Nonproliferation Review and a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies' James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. He is recognized as a leading expert on nuclear and missile proliferation, focusing on Northeast Asia.

Caitlin Talmadge

Caitlin Talmadge is associate professor of Security Studies in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she specializes in the study of nuclear deterrence and escalation, civil-military relations, and military operations and strategy.

Samuel Charap

Lora Saalman

Nonresident Associate, Nuclear Policy Program

Saalman was a nonresident associate in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her research focuses on China’s nuclear and strategic policies toward India, Russia, and arms control.

Petr Topychkanov

Fellow, Nonproliferation Program, Moscow Center

Topychkanov was a fellow in the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Nonproliferation Program.

Lindsey Sheppard

Toby Dalton

Senior Fellow and Co-director, Nuclear Policy Program

Toby Dalton is a senior fellow and co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment. An expert on nonproliferation and nuclear energy, his work addresses regional security challenges and the evolution of the global nuclear order.