Command and control of nuclear war

Journal Article · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1984 · Sci. Am.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0185-32· OSTI ID:6063291

Carter, A B

Nuclear weapons and strategic policy attract increasing public concern, but systems for command, control, communications and intelligence, C/sup 3/I, may be just as important in deterring nuclear attack and preventing escalation. This paper is devoted exclusively to C/sup 3/I and discusses specifically its four parts: command posts; sensors; communications links; and procedures for the use of all this equipment. It is concluded that although money and effort can and should be spent to improve C/sup 3/I, no level of effort can ever dispel the fundamental unpredictability of nuclear war. Further, in most cases, one cannot foresee precisely the physical effects that would determine the C/sup 3/I systems behavior, much less predict the interaction of people and machines in chaotic circumstances they can never fully anticipate.

• Research Organization: Harvard Univ. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
• OSTI ID: 6063291
• Journal Information: Sci. Am.; (United States), Journal Name: Sci. Am.; (United States) Vol. 252:1; ISSN SCAMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
COMMUNICATIONS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
WARFARE
WEAPONS