Ceci N’est pas Une nuke? The impact of emerging militarised technologies on strategic stability
Abstract
Novel technologies with military applications are often implicitly viewed as significant threats to strategic stability. Yet, some implementations of emerging technologies may bolster defenses, mitigate the security dilemma, or both. In particular, this is more likely to happen if diffusion of the technology is combined with arms control that focuses on qualities rather than quantities of weapons. In this paper, we focus on four emerging militarized technologies (cyber weapons, hypersonic glide vehicles, armed drones, and lethal autonomous weapons systems) and evaluate their effects on the relative advantage of the defense and distinguishability, finding that all four have the potential to contribute to strategic stability.
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Autonomy and decision-support systems in military contexts have destabilizing potential, including novel escalation pathways, shifts in responsibility, and risks to strategic stability.
“Parallel literatures in security studies and AI ethics have highlighted the destabilizing potential of autonomy and decision-support systems in military contexts, including novel escalation pathways, shifts in responsibility, and risks to strategic stability (Dean, 2022; Renic, 2023; Montgomery and Nelson, 2025; Kühn and Williams, 2025).”
From Toward a humanized technology: a reinterpretation of Erich Fromm’ s humanistic peace psychology (2026) · cites this paper as Montgomery and Nelson, 2025
This numbing threatens peace more than open hatred by rendering violence dehumanized, routinized, and increasingly virtualized.
“This numbing threatens peace more than open hatred by rendering violence dehumanized, routinized, and increasingly virtualized (Montgomery and Nelson, 2025).”
From Toward a humanized technology: a reinterpretation of Erich Fromm’ s humanistic peace psychology (2026) · cites this paper as Montgomery and Nelson, 2025
Cites
When speed kills: Lethal autonomous weapon systems, deterrence and stability
Horowitz, M. C. (2019) · Journal of Strategic Studies · doi:10.1080/01402390.2019.1621174 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
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Toward a humanized technology: a reinterpretation of Erich Fromm’ s humanistic peace psychology
Wang, Y., Li, P., & Liu, W. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1646601 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Montgomery, A. H., & Nelson, A. J.
- Affiliations
- Reed College (US)
- New America (US)
- Corresponding author
- Montgomery, Alexander H.
- Venue
- Journal of Strategic Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2025-01-30
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 658-686
- ISSN
- 0140-2390 (ISSN-L)
- 1743-937X
- OpenAlex
- W4406991433
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 14.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Strategic Studies (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- MacArthur Foundation Rethinking Nuclear Deterrence Network
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Nuclear Issues and Defense
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › International Relations and Foreign Policy
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies
- Keywords
- strategic stability, emerging military technologies, cyber weapons, hypersonic glide vehicles, armed drones, autonomous weapons, arms control, security dilemma, technology diffusion, relative advantage, deterrence
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