Publication

This brief considers the requirements for verifying complete nuclear disarmament. The author describes the verification tasks that will need to be accomplished while 'getting to zero', including those related to nuclear weapons, nuclear research and development and manufacturing capabilities, nuclear-capable delivery systems, and fissionable material. He also considers the institutional components of the verification and compliance regime that are likely to be required, ranging from a substantial technical secretariat to a strengthened UN Security Council. The report concludes that, in the long run, establishing a reliable verification system to monitor universal nuclear disarmament is not impracticably idealistic.