Concern that cross-domain entanglement may prompt nuclear weapons use has grown in recent years. Risk at the cyber-nuclear nexus has become a focal point, particularly as nuclear systems continue to be digitalized, and the cyber domain is increasingly incorporated into military operations. In order to identify and implement effective measures to reduce escalatory risks linked to interactions both direct and indirect between cyber and nuclear capabilities, it is important to first foster a common understanding of what those risks are.

To this end, UNIDIR convened a two-day virtual workshop with partners from the University of Leicester and Yale-NUS College (Singapore). The workshop brought together members of the diplomatic community and experts in nuclear and cyber policy to jointly explore the cyber-nuclear nexus, identify areas of concern, and consider potential options to reduce risk. The discussion over the course of this two-day workshop is summarized in this report.

Citation: Rinko Kawamoto, Eleanor Krabill, and Harry Spencer (2022) “Nuclear Risk Reduction Workshop Series: The Cyber-Nuclear Nexus, Summary Report”, UNIDIR, Geneva, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.37559/WMD/22/NRR/01