Suchergebnisse

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.

New military technologies are being developed at a high pace, with the USA in the lead. Intended application areas are space weapons and ballistic missile defence, hypersonic missiles, autonomous weapon systems, and cyber war. Generic technologies include artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, synthetic biology and gene editing, and soldier enhancement. Problems for international security and peace - arms races and destabilisation - will likely result from properties shared by several technologies: wider availability, easier access, smaller systems; shorter times for attack, warning and decisions; and conventional-nuclear entanglement. Preventive arms control is urgently needed.