Introduction The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear tests, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996, but has not entered into force, as eight specific nations have not ratified the treaty. Brief History The… Read More
Introduction Federal Emergency Plan D-Minus was a plan developed by the United States of America (US) in the 1950’s to guide the federal government in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophic nuclear attack. Plan D-Minus was part of the National Plan for Emergency Preparedness, which also included Mobilisation Plan C (providing direction for federal planning… Read More
“They’ll be no learning period with nuclear weapons. Make one mistake an you’re going to destroy nations.” Robert McNamara (1916 to 2009) Robert Strange McNamara was the US Secretary of Defence from 1961 to 1968 who revamped Pentagon operations and who played a major role in the nation’s military involvement in the Vietnam War.
“The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophes.” Albert Einstein (1879 to 1955) Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the… Read More
“One of the earliest uses for the chips coming out of Silicon Valley, which owes its existence to the patronage of the Pentagon as much as it does to venture capitalists, was in guidance systems for nuclear missiles. A White House report published in 2017 does not mince its words: “Cutting-edge semiconductor technology is…critical to… Read More
Between 1945 and 2018, there have been “2450 nuclear detonations” (Holmes, 2018, p.46). “…the origins of Greenpeace, which started life in Vancouver as a protest against the US nuclear test on Amchitka Island, Alaska, in 1971.” (Holmes, 2018, p.46). Reference Holmes, B. (2018) The Art of Remembering. New Scientist. 05 May 2018, p.46.
“But then I would remember what Weinmann-Smith told me: there is at least enough nuclear material in the world to make 200,000 bombs, and the International Atomic Energy Agency speculates that 30 countries have the capability to do so.” (Whyte, 2018, p.13). Reference Whyte, C. (2018) Huntig Potential Nuclear Bombs. New Scientist. 04 August 2018,… Read More
