Military nanotechnology: potential applications and preventive arms control

In: Contemporary security studies

Abstract

This book is the first systematic and comprehensive presentation of the potential military applications of nanotechnology (NT). After a thorough introduction and overview of nanotechnology and its history, it presents the actual military NT R & D in the USA and gives a systematic description of the potential military applications of NT. These may include--in 10-20 years--extremely small computers, miniature sensors, lighter and stronger materials in vehicles and weapons, autonomous systems of many sizes, and implants in soldiers' bodies. These potential applications are assessed from a viewpoint of international security, considering the new criteria of dangers for arms control and the international law of warfare, dangers for stability through potential new arms races and proliferation, and dangers for humans and society.