James E. Doyle is an independent nuclear security specialist. From 1997 to 2014, he was on the technical staff of the Nonproliferation Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is also the recipient of Ploughshares Fund's Paul Olum Grant, which supports one scientist or technical expert each year to work toward disarmament and nonproliferation.
He has recently published three articles which show this kind of expertise, a necessary component in the work toward disarmament and nonproliferation.
Most recently, in The Hill, he writes: "so-called 'life extension' and “modernization” programs are undoubtedly expanding the military applications of US nuclear weapons – and they are intended to do so. The continued and shameless denial of this fact by officials at the Departments of Energy, State and Defense and the National Laboratories undermines US credibility and fosters distrust while awkwardly seeking to prop up false claims regarding both US adherence to nuclear nonproliferation commitments and transparency within the US nuclear weapons complex."
Previously, in the National Interest he rightly argued, "developing and deploying the nuclear LRSO cruise missile would be the opposite of reducing the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy."
And in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientsists he offered comment on an article by Jacques Hymans, also published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Doyle writes, "Jacques Hymans makes a strong contribution to understanding the meaning of nuclear weapons. But if human beings want to keep considering the meaning of anything, we have to change the status quo and construct mechanisms that reliably and permanently prevent the threat of nuclear annihilation. Current approaches to preventing nuclear warfare entail high risk, are prone to human and mechanical error, and are unlikely to succeed over the next several decades."
Please consider a donation to the Paul Olum Grant Fund to support scientists working for a future without nuclear weapons. Also, learn more about James Doyle, his exciting story and how it relates to the Paul Olum Grant Fund.
