Special Talk
Ukraine and the Threat of Nuclear War
Presented by Theodore A Postol, Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and International Security at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The risk of an accidental nuclear war brought about by blunders of Russian and US leaders is a growing extreme danger as the Russo-Ukrainian war continues.The information received by national leaders from their nation's radar and space-based early warning systems is not nearly as clear and unambiguous as what most people believe it to be. This reality is further complicated by the fact that the overwhelming majority of professionals in technical support roles for leaders are not true experts with the appropriate technical knowledge. Instead, they are placed in roles as advisors for bureaucratic or political reasons.The speaker will share some detailed anecdotal observations from his career that indicate that despite apparent government efforts, those in the highest levels of the US government may not be receiving the most accurate technical information to support sound decision-making during a crisis.
8:00 pm, Friday, October 21, 2022
Woodward Hall, UNM
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A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php