Regensburg 1998 – scientific programme

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AUV: Abrüstung und Verifikation

AUV 3: Die Zukunft der nuklearen Rüstungskontrolle

AUV 3.1: Invited Talk

Thursday, March 26, 1998, 14:00–15:00, T

Future Directions in Nuclear Arms Control and Verification — •Steve Fetter — School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland, College Park/USA

To date, nuclear arms control has focussed almost entirely on restricting the numbers and capabilities of nuclear delivery vehicles and associated launch systems. In the future, it will become increasingly important to combine these measures with restrictions on nuclear warheads and nuclear-weapon-usable materials and on the operation of nuclear forces. Restrictions on warheads, materials, and operations would not only help achieve the traditional goals of arms control, but they would, perhaps more importantly, also help reduce the possibility of accidental, unauthorized, or erroneous use of nuclear weapons. The main challenge is verifying compliance with such restrictions. This talk will describe the technical possibilities for verifying limits on the stockpiles and dismantling of nuclear warheads, and on the operational readiness of nuclear forces. The political difficulties in reaching agreements on such limits will also be discussed.