Technological Developments Affecting the Royal Navy’s Continuous At-Sea Deterrent: Assessing the Implications for Global Nuclear Stability

By Tom Layhe

Message from the Editor

By the Editor – The author employs a quantitative approach to evaluate the influence of technological and tactical developments on nuclear strategy, and consequently, he questions the apparent stability the international system currently enjoys. The author concludes that new technological developments have the potential to render specific areas of the ocean transparent to the operating depths of Dreadnaught-class boats, and that such developments may cause an immediate period of instability before permanently altering the strategic landscape. A 40 minute read.

Nuclear weapons have the ability to eliminate 30% of the world’s population with initial strikes alone. Nobody could therefore reasonably overemphasize the importance of the strategic nuclear deterrent.1Ehrlich P, Harte J, Harwell M, Raven P, Sagan C, Woodwell G, Berry J, Ayensu E, Erlich A, Eisner T, Gould S, Grover H., Herrera R., May R., Mayr E., McKay C., Mooney H., Myers, N., Pimentel, D. & Teal, J. (1983), Long-term Biological Consequences of Nuclear War. [online]. Published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Science, Vol. 222, Art. 4630, pp. 1293–1300, on…

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