On January 14, 2014, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation jointly held a private roundtable briefing with leaders of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In the briefing, the participants discussed the potential of new technologies for enhanced deterrence. The session was moderated by Barry Pavel, Atlantic Council vice president and director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security.
The event discussed the potential of new technologies, including lasers and directed energy weapons, to complement traditional defense methods and create a more robust and advanced defense system addressing comprehensive security threats. It also raised discussion about the growing likelihood of non-state actors to acquire missile and nuclear weapons systems and the existing technological means to counter this threat. Further, the event touched upon the Obama administration’s “3+2” strategic vision aiming to enhance the cost-effectiveness of nuclear stockpiling, while maintaining strategic flexibility and credible deterrence.
The briefing took place as part of the Atlantic Council’s project “Strengthening US Extended Deterrence in East Asia,” which is funded by the MacArthur Foundation to study the credibility and effectiveness of US extended deterrence in the region’s dynamic strategic environment.