The Role of Arms Control

By David Wright

Dr. David Wright is the co-director of the Union of Concerned Scientist's Global Security Program.  He is a nationally known expert on the technical aspects of nuclear weapons policy, missile defense systems, missile proliferation, and space weapons. For the past 27 years, Wright has been a primary organizer of the International Summer Symposiums on Science and World Affairs, which fosters cooperation among scientists around the world working on arms control and security issues.

Hypersonic weapons will be capable of carrying nuclear warheads, yet so far there is little discussion on the role of arms control. The Cipher Brief spoke to David Wright, co-director of the Union of Concerned Scientist’s Global Security Program to learn more about what is involved in establishing an international arms control regime for hypersonic weapons and how this effort will change once these weapons have been deployed.

The Cipher Brief: Russia, China, and the U.S. are concurrently developing hypersonic weapons that can be used to deliver a nuclear warhead. What unique challenges does this pose for arms control regimes?

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