The nuclear industry is developing several promising new technologies to advance peaceful uses of nuclear energy. These advancements can be categorized as either next-generation nuclear reactors or advanced nuclear fuels. Such technologies entail some proliferation risks that should be addressed and safeguarded as they develop. Advanced Nuclear Reactors Nuclear power has traditionally been generated through […]
Fact Sheet: Space Weapons
A growing interest in the space domain has led to the emergence of new weapon systems. This new class of space weapons is generally divided into three categories: Earth-to-space, space-to-space, and space-to-Earth. Moreover, systems can have both kinetic and non-kinetic effects that are either permanent or reversible. Earth-to-space weapons pose the greatest current danger and […]
Fact Sheet: Hypersonic Weapons
Technically speaking, hypersonic weapons have existed since the middle of the 20th century. A hypersonic weapon is merely something that travels at Mach-5 or faster, or at least five times the speed of sound. Ballistic missiles have long possessed these speeds. What differentiates today’s emerging class of hypersonic capabilities is the use of aerodynamic lift […]
Fact Sheet: Autonomous Weapons
Often misleadingly referred to as “killer robots,” autonomous systems can interact with their environments by gathering information, determining a course of action and undertaking actions to achieve a goal, all with limited or no human interaction. In the realm of weaponry, autonomous technologies have most prominently been deployed in unmanned aerial and submersible drones. Such […]
Fact Sheet: Artificial Intelligence
Updated December 2024 Clear, comprehensive and actionable definitions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are elusive given the rapid pace of its evolution. Generally, the term refers to a suite of capabilities executed via computer systems that are designed to perform the cognitive functions of the human mind. Among these are machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, […]
