About this book:

### Summary: Deterrence Rewired

*Deterrence Rewired: Nuclear Strategy in the Age of Cyber and AI* explores the profound transformation of Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) as it shifts from analog, human-centric architectures to a "digital nervous system" driven by artificial intelligence and cyber operations. The book argues that while these technologies offer unprecedented speed and data fusion capabilities, they also introduce systemic vulnerabilities—such as data poisoning, algorithmic opacity, and "black box" logic—that threaten the core assumptions of strategic stability. By compressing decision timelines and blurring the lines between peace and conflict, these tools create a paradox where leaders have more information but less confidence in its integrity.

The text details how emerging threats like deepfakes, synthetic intelligence, and adversarial AI can be used to manufacture crises or spoof early warning systems, potentially triggering accidental escalation. The historical buffer of time, once provided by the physics of missile flight, is being eroded by machine-speed processing and hypersonic weaponry. This creates a dangerous "speed versus prudence" dilemma, where automation bias and cognitive overload may push human decision-makers to defer to flawed algorithmic recommendations. The book emphasizes that in a multi-polar world involving the U.S., Russia, and China, the lack of shared digital norms and the difficulty of cyber attribution significantly increase the risk of miscalculation.

To counter these risks, the author proposes a strategic framework centered on "deterrence by denial" and "resilience by design." This roadmap advocates for hardening NC3 systems through cryptographic data provenance, diverse sensing modalities, and "graceful degradation" protocols that allow systems to function even when compromised. The book stresses the necessity of maintaining a "human-in-the-loop" for all critical nuclear decisions, supported by explainable AI and rigorous red-teaming. It concludes that maintaining strategic stability in the digital age requires not just technical fixes, but a new era of digital diplomacy, transparency, and a fundamental recommitment to human judgment as the ultimate arbiter of nuclear use.

What You'll Find Inside:

• How cyber operations can spoof early warning systems by corrupting data integrity, creating convincing false attack signals without physical destruction
• The dual-edged nature of AI in nuclear command: accelerating threat detection while introducing automation bias, opaque reasoning, and new vulnerabilities to adversarial manipulation
• Lessons from historical false alarms (1979, 1983) applied to modern datafied battlespace where speed compresses decision time and increases risks of machine-generated errors
• Framework for resilient NC3 design including data provenance, diverse sensing modalities, graceful degradation, and human-in-the-loop safeguards for judgment under ambiguity
• Analysis of multi-polar nuclear dynamics (US, Russia, China, emerging states) and how cyber/AI capabilities complicate alliance commitments, attribution, and escalation control in the gray zone

Who's It For:

The book is primarily intended for nuclear policymakers, military strategists, and defense officials responsible for nuclear command, control, and communications systems. It will also be valuable for technologists developing AI and cyber capabilities for defense applications, as well as scholars and researchers in international security, strategic studies, and arms control. Professionals involved in crisis management, alliance coordination, and threat assessment will find practical frameworks for building resilience against emerging threats. Ultimately, anyone seeking to understand how cyber and AI technologies are transforming nuclear deterrence and strategic stability in the 21st century will benefit from this analysis.