Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Posted: 21st January 2024
A US guided-missile destroyer engages Houthi missiles and drones in the Red Sea in October 2023. (Credit: US Navy / Aaron Lau)JAMES BRADY
Houthi attacks from Yemen show need for controls on advanced missile technology proliferation
“Non-state armed groups in multiple conflict zones have acquired new missile systems with long-range capabilities that could cause a shift in strategic considerations,” writes a researcher at King’s College London. Read more.
YANLIANG PAN
Diversification from Russian nuclear fuel requires market-oriented solutions
Western countries are eager to reduce their dependence on Russian-origin nuclear fuel but are hindered by capacity constraints in uranium conversion and enrichment. Governments should focus on providing market players with the incentives and certainty they need to protect their individual conversion and enrichment supply chains. Read more.
HANS M. KRISTENSEN, MATT KORDA, ELIANA JOHNS, MACKENZIE KNIGHT
Nuclear Notebook: Chinese nuclear weapons, 2024
According to experts from the Federation of American Scientists, in the past five years “China has significantly expanded its ongoing nuclear modernization program by fielding more types and greater numbers of nuclear weapons than ever before.” Read more.
Next week: The 2024 Doomsday Clock announcement
Right now, the Clock is the closest it has ever been at 90 seconds to midnight.
What time will it be this year? Join us on January 23rd at 10 am EST to find out.
WARD HAYES WILSON
A response to Kallenborn: Why realism requires that nuclear weapons be abolished
In a recent piece in the Bulletin, Zachary Kallenborn argued that a ban on nuclear weapons would create serious risks and asserted that continuing to maintain small nuclear weapons arsenals for the foreseeable future is sensible. But that view is naively unrealistic, this article responds, ignoring humanity’s history of almost constant warfare. Read more.
SPECIAL TOPICS
The Bulletin welcomes 2024 board fellows
The Bulletin is thrilled to welcome its 2024 board fellows, Giovana Rodrigues Manfrin and Reja Younis. Read more.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We urgently need congressional leadership. Ask your U.S. House Representative to co-sponsor, H. Res. 77, the congressional Back from the Brink resolution.”
—Jeremy Love, Back from the Brink Campaign national field organizer.
This month for the quote section of our newsletter, we’re asking you to send us your suggestions for “What can YOU do to turn back the clock?”—something we can all do to tackle existential threats today.
Your ongoing support ensures we stay on mission and get the job done.
Thank you!