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AI and NC3
Pioneering action-oriented efforts to explore how advanced AI capabilities will be integrated into nuclear command, control, and communications
AI Antitrust and National Security
Exploring how to more effectively account for national security considerations in AI antitrust cases while respecting precedent, scope, and the core principles of antitrust law
AI Risk Reduction Initiative
Assessing the emerging risks and opportunities of AI foundation models and developing risk reduction strategies
AI Chip Export Control Initiative
Safeguarding U.S. national competitiveness by closing critical compliance and enforcement gaps
AI Risk Barometer
Measuring national security professionals’ perceptions of AI futures through a technically-informed survey
CATALINK
Preventing the onset or escalation of conflict by building a resilient global communications system
Energy FIRST
Powering U.S. and allied security & prosperity through a resilient energy future
Ransomware Task Force (RTF)
Combating the ransomware threat with a cross-sector approach
Religious Voices and Responsible AI
Engaging religious communities on safe and beneficial AI
SL5 Task Force
Strengthening AI security through a multistakeholder approach
UnDisruptable27
Driving more resilient lifeline critical infrastructure for our communities
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Archive
nuclear command
Blog
The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon – IST Hosts Book Talk with Author Ankit Panda
IST’s Nuclear Policy team hosted international security expert and author Ankit Panda in Palo Alto to learn more about his latest book unpacking the trilateral nuclear competition between the United States, China, and Russia. IST CEO Philip Reiner sat down for a fireside chat with Ankit, highlighting in their discussion the need to collectively identify political and technical solutions to address the nexus of emerging technologies and the new nuclear age.
AI
,
and communications
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artificial inteligence
,
China
,
control
,
NC3
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nuclear
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear risk
,
Russia
,
United States
November 17, 2025
Report
AI, NC3, and Strategic Stability: Scenario Exercise
How might the integration of AI into global NC3 systems transform strategic stability and deterrence dynamics? In Washington, D.C. this spring, IST convened more than 60 senior officials, technical experts, and civil society actors for an in-depth analysis of the risks and opportunities of AI in NC3 using this scenario exercise.
adaptive targeting
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AI
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decision support
,
nuclear
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nuclear command
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scenario
,
strategic warning
,
TTX
October 16, 2025
Blog
Bridging the Policy, Military, and Technology Fields: IST Hosts Critical Workshop on AI in Nuclear Command, Control, and Communication Systems
On April 10, 2025, the Institute for Security and Technology’s (IST) Innovation and Catastrophic Risk team hosted a scenario-driven workshop titled "The Risks and Opportunities of AI in NC3: Finding Common Ground," with cross-sector experts in Washington, DC.
adaptive targeting
,
AI
,
crisis communication
,
decision support
,
deterrence
,
NC3
,
nuclear
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear control
,
strategic stability
,
strategic warning
April 29, 2025
Report
AI-NC3 Integration in an Adversarial Context: Strategic Stability Risks and Confidence Building Measures
AI-NC3 Integration in an Adversarial Context aims to examine the strategic stability risks posed by integrating AI technologies into nuclear command, control and communications systems across the globe.
and communications
,
artificial intelligence
,
confidence-building measures
,
control
,
NC3
,
nuclear command
February 27, 2023
In the News
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Podcast
Strategic Stability: Sahil Shah on Press the Button
Sahil Shah joined Ploughshare Fund’s flagship podcast Press the Button to discuss strategic stability, transatlantic relations, and the need for reliable communications links in all nuclear contexts.
crisis communications
,
JCPOA
,
nuclear command
,
risk reduction
October 11, 2021
Podcast
Targeting Communications and Escalation
This week's episode of The Fourth Leg features the return of one of the “NC3 originals,” Paul Bracken from Yale University.
crisis communications
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear communications
,
nuclear escalation
,
nuclear war
May 28, 2020
Podcast
NC3 Threats: Insider Edition
Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Dr. Ronald Schouten to discuss insider threats to nuclear command, control, and communications.
insider threats
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear weapons
,
risk
November 14, 2019
Podcast
The End of Survivability?
In this episode of The Fourth Leg, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes are joined by guest Daryl Press, who focuses on the growing threats to nuclear command and control and communication (NC3) systems around the world.
global stability
,
NC3
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear control
,
nuclear risk
,
strategic stability
,
vulnerabilities
,
vulnerable NC3
October 17, 2019
Podcast
Elements of Caution and Prudence
In this episode of The Fourth Leg, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Avner Cohen to explore Israel's NC3 profile.
Israel
,
Middle East
,
NC3
,
NC3 architecture
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear control
,
nuclear weapon state
October 10, 2019
Podcast
When and Why Cede Nuclear Authority
In this segment, Dr. Vipin Narang joins Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to challenge the delegative/assertive binary, arguing that, while conceptually important, it has hamstrung our thinking of regional powers’ NC3 by forcing them into one bin or another when it is in fact a time-dependent spectrum: all states delegate—that is, cede the ability to use nuclear weapons, irrespective of the authority to do so—at some point.
assertive
,
delegative
,
hardware
,
NC3
,
NC3 architecture
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear control
,
regional powers
,
software
September 18, 2019
Podcast
Questioning Unitary Command: Nuclear Launch Authority and the N-Person Problem
In this segment, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes are joined by Dr. Alex Wellerstein, who sketches a framework for thinking about how concentrated nuclear use authority should be at the top.
NC3
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear control
,
nuclear use authority
,
nuclear war
,
nuclear weapons states
August 8, 2019
Podcast
Deterred by the Uncertainties
In this episode, guest Fiona Cunningham joins hosts Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to describe the origins of China’s NC3 system and its primary role in supporting China’s land-based missile force.
China
,
early warning systems
,
missile
,
NC3
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear war
,
submarines
July 29, 2019
Podcast
The Curse of Flexibility
In this segment, Nancy Leveson joins Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes to make the case that using conservative techniques and avoiding unnecessarily complex software in critical functions in NC3 systems circumvented nuclear catastrophe in the past.
complexity
,
NC3
,
nuclear command
,
risk management
,
software
July 25, 2019
Podcast
Is the Enemy in the System?
Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Dr. Jon Lindsay, who makes the case that the cybersecurity of nuclear command, control, and communications is a pressing concern.
cyber
,
cybersecurity
,
NC3
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear war
,
offensive cyber
,
risk
June 20, 2019
Podcast
Complexity is the Enemy of Security
Philip Reiner is joined by guest Eric Grosse, who makes the case that for information security at extreme scales, complexity is the enemy of security. Using the example of Gmail, he calls for a return to basics. "For the very highest security needs such as NC3, we ought to return to basics and harden small-scale systems. And we ought to do it as a joint effort, even between adversaries.”
complexity
,
Information Security
,
NC3
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear communications
,
security
May 30, 2019
Podcast
Grand Tactics and the Thin Skin of Civilization
In the first episode of The Fourth Leg, Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes sit down with Dr. Paul Bracken for an overview of NC3 tactics and global stability.
C3I
,
entanglement
,
global stability
,
inadvertent escalation
,
NC3
,
nuclear command
,
nuclear war
May 13, 2019
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