Jürgen Altmann - Böcker

With revolutionary changes in nanotechnology (NT) now on the horizon, many countries have started major research and development (R&D) programmes, which are mainly civilian. Often overlooked are military R&D programmes – in particular those of the US government. This is the first systematic and comprehensive presentation of the potential military applications of NT. In ten to twenty years, these applications may include extremely small computers, robots, missiles, satellites, launchers and sensors. They may also provide lighter and stronger materials for vehicles and weapons, implants in soldiers’ bodies, metal-free firearms, autonomous fighting systems, and smaller chemical and biological weapons.These potential uses raise strong concerns. This assessment is made 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. Some military applications, such as computers, will be so close to civilian uses that limits are impractical. Others, such as sensors for biological-warfare agents, may contribute to stronger protection against terrorist attacks and better verification of compliance with arms-control treaties. For preventive limitation of these new technologies, specific approaches are proposed that balance positive civilian uses and take into account verification of compliance, with a view to international peace and security, not national military strength. This book will be of great interest to scholars of military technology, non-lethal weapons, disarmament and security studies in general.

With revolutionary changes in nanotechnology (NT) now on the horizon, many countries have started major research and development (R&D) programmes, which are mainly civilian. Often overlooked are military R&D programmes – in particular those of the US government. This is the first systematic and comprehensive presentation of the potential military applications of NT. In ten to twenty years, these applications may include extremely small computers, robots, missiles, satellites, launchers and sensors. They may also provide lighter and stronger materials for vehicles and weapons, implants in soldiers’ bodies, metal-free firearms, autonomous fighting systems, and smaller chemical and biological weapons.These potential uses raise strong concerns. This assessment is made 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. Some military applications, such as computers, will be so close to civilian uses that limits are impractical. Others, such as sensors for biological-warfare agents, may contribute to stronger protection against terrorist attacks and better verification of compliance with arms-control treaties. For preventive limitation of these new technologies, specific approaches are proposed that balance positive civilian uses and take into account verification of compliance, with a view to international peace and security, not national military strength. This book will be of great interest to scholars of military technology, non-lethal weapons, disarmament and security studies in general.

Anybody concerned about the maintenance of peace in our world, and in prospects of reaching agreements on arms control and disarmament, is bound to be interested in one of the key pre-conditions for related international treaties: the verification of compliance with such treaties. This book presents an up-to-date exposition of the latest developments in science and practice of international verification. It contains an account of the experience with new practical results of scientific research, devoted to solving verification problems in areas where agreements have not yet been concluded. The authors are scientists and practitioners from governments and research institutes in East and West. This book is required reading for anybody interested in the field: especially for decision-makers, government and military experts, natural scientists, technologists, those working in political and historical science. Among the topics covered are: INF Treaty, nuclear test ban, control of mobile missiles, and fissile material, demilitarization of space, stability and reductions of conventional forces, ban on chemical weapons. From the Reviews: "Verfication of Arms Reductions is packed with information and analysis which is vital for arms-control students, negotiators and other practitioners. The strength of the book lies in the science and technology contributions, but there are comprehensive political analyses also which have been written for longevity and are unlikely to become dated too quickly."