Problem
Government secrecy concerning nuclear weapons testing
Other Names:
Secret weapons developmentClandestine space weapons
False claims for weapons performance
Nature:
The secrecy surrounding nuclear weapons developments leads the nuclear powers to infer the 'worst case' which heightens mistrust, hinders international arms reduction talks, and accelerates the arms race. In addition, secrecy may cover up nuclear accidents and their causes, and also prevent accountability of the public cost of enriching arms manufacturers. Incidence:
In 1993 the Congress of the USA was investigating evidence that the Pentagon had faked missile tests in 1984 to persuade Congress to invest billions of dollars in the Strategic Defence Initiative. It was also announced that since 1951 the USA had conducted more than 200 underground atomic weapons tests that had never previously been made known to the public. Broader Problems:
False claimsMilitary secrecyNuclear weapons testingOfficial cover-up of consequences of experiments Strategies:
Continuing role of the USA for global stabilityPreventing movement of weapons-usable nuclear materials to non-nuclear statesMaintaining government secrecy concerning nuclear weapons testingExposing government secrecy concerning nuclear weapons testingHiding weaponsUsing secrecyFalsifying claims for weapons performanceDiscrediting false claims for weapons performanceChecking claims for weapons performance Subject(s):
Transportation, Telecommunications → Aerospace, spaceCommerce → Insurance
Research, Standards → Inspection, tests
Defence → Arms
Defence → Secrecy
Defence → Espionage, subversion
Government → Government
Development → Development
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
F: Fuzzy exceptional problems Date of last update
04.10.2020 – 22:48 CEST