Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, fourth left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, fifth left, Chief of General Staff of Russia Valery Gerasimov, sixth left, and other top officials oversee the test launch of the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle from the Defense Ministry's control room in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018.Ernie Regehr is chairman of Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
And, of course, it is highly unlikely that hypersonic weapons will stay “conventional.” Indeed, Russia is already boasting that it can place nuclear warheads on its hypersonic missiles. We’re looking at a world where catastrophic destruction is possible – and with unimaginable speed. These are questions that are made relevant again with the emergence of what The New York Times Magazine recently calledAs Times writer R. Jeffrey Smith reminds us, there are no international agreements on how or when hypersonic missiles can be used, nor are there any plans to start such discussions. Instead, he says, the world now faces a new arms race with Russia and China – “one that could, some experts worry, upend existing norms of deterrence and renew Cold War-era tensions.
Immediate steps are necessary. At a minimum, keep nuclear warheads off hypersonics; remove all nuclear systems from high-alert status to prevent false alarms from triggering nuclear catastrophe; commence negotiations to control hypersonic weapons before the emerging hypersonic arms race swings into a no-holds-barred contest among a small but widening circle of countries.
GlobeDebate This is a great article with insight as to why we are most likely headed into a world disaster soon.