planr4robert, Author at Towards a Third Nuclear Age

Cameron Hunter Participates in SCRAP Webinar on US-China Tensions

16th February 2022

Cameron Hunter contributed to a panel discussion titled ‘Deterrence and Strategic Cultures: History and Where We Are Now’ for SCRAP Weapons as part of their new webinar series.

The series aims to provide a space for critical discussion on the relationship between the United States and China, the potential for an arms race between the two countries, and what this means for international disarmament goals.

Cameron shared key comparisons from history, exploring how and why the two countries have at different times fought each other in war, competing during uneasy peace, and cooperated in the past. You can hear the entire panel discussion online here.

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TNA Project Runs procurement politics simulation

12th January 2022

The Third Nuclear Age Project Team ran a simulation of the politics of technological procurement. The players were briefed on their starting positions and then were left free to choose whatever technologies they felt their team required to maintain national security over the long-term. This closed game was part of a process of developing and refining scenarios for future events with stakeholders.

Held at the imaginary “ERSATZ” classification level, the players took on the roles of senior defence procurement bureaucrats in the fictional region of “Archipelagia.” Each turn simulated 3 years of in-game time, allowing players to see the consequences of their procurement decisions and respond to their regional rivals. Competition was intense, and the players’ decisions resulted in a deteriorating security environment. At its conclusion, the game designers extrapolated how a military crisis in the region would play out in light of the new weapons capabilities that the players had selected.

Feedback from the players was incredibly positive, highlighting requirements and implications for the methodology of future games.

The finale session gave players an overview of actions taken by the game designers and their opponents – actions that were otherwise secret while the game was in progress.

The briefing was delivered by the fictional superpower’s military featured in the game.