Federation of American Scientists

This isn't your mother's surveillance. Digital surveillance has made it increasingly easy to track someone’s whereabouts, communications, and inner thoughts based on browser history, all without leaving an office.

Here's how civil society can fight back.

A Roadmap for Organizations Fighting Digital Surveillance Digital privacy is at risk. What can civil society do to fight back against the growing trend of widespread digital surveillance?

Learn more about how our experts use unique data points from social media and satellite imagery to study global nuclear arsenals 👇
https://fas.org/publication/hot-launch-yoga-cobra-pose-reveals-nuke-repose/

As extreme temperatures rise, so do American household energy bills. An alarming 16% (20.9 million) of U.S. households are behind on their energy bills and at an increased risk of utility shut-offs.

Read more about energy justice and keeping disadvantaged populations cool in a heating world here ➡ https://fas.org/publication/energy-justice-keeping-cool/

It's not just phone tapping and infiltration: it's increasingly easy to track someone’s whereabouts, communications, and inner thoughts based on browser history, all without leaving an office.

What can civil society do to fight back against the growing trend of widespread digital surveillance?

A Roadmap for Organizations Fighting Digital Surveillance Digital privacy is at risk. What can civil society do to fight back against the growing trend of widespread digital surveillance?

Highlighting and addressing potential bias in AI-enabled systems is critical for uncovering assumptions that may deceive users into believing that a nuclear war can be won and for maintaining the well-established ethical principle that a nuclear war should never be fought.

Read the full article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

👉https://thebulletin.org/2024/07/humans-should-teach-ai-how-to-avoid-nuclear-war-while-they-still-can/

In order to maximize the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation’s impact, the board and staff should think big from the start, identify unique high-leverage opportunities to complement DOE’s work, and systematically build the capacity to realize them.

In a new memo, David M. Hart lays out how FESI can

↕ align with DOE’s energy mission
🤝 serve as catalyst and incubator of initiatives that drive public-private technology partnerships
🏃‍♂️ develop lean and highly-networked operational capabilities that enable it to perform these functions well

Read more below

Putting FESI on a Maximum Impact Path The establishment of the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) was a vital first step, but its value depends on what happens next.

One might assume that U.S. nuclear strategy and force structure are determined through serious deliberations among high-ranking officials in decorated uniforms considering adversary capabilities and targeting requirements.

But most of the time, business interests and politics play a large role in shaping nuclear force structure than military strategy, writes FAS Senior Research Associate Mackenzie Knight ⤵

Firing nuclear missiles from the pork barrel Money and political influence play an outsized role in US military force posture, like the $141 billion Sentinel

OSHA's proposed heat rule aims to protect approximately 36 million workers in indoor and outdoor settings from heat-related illnesses and fatalities. It can't do so without substantial investments to bridge the gap between policy and practice.

Here's how the public and private sectors can prioritize infrastructure investments to create a comprehensive, well-resourced system for heat safety.

OSHA’s Extreme Heat Standard Will Save Lives Extreme heat costs the U.S. economy $100 billion annually. Proper implementation of OSHA's extreme heat measures would save money and lives.

Since our founding years, FAS has worked for maximum responsible disclosure of nuclear weapons information in the interest of international security and democratic values. Here is a (very brief) history of those efforts.

Read more ➡ https://fas.org/publication/united-states-discloses-nuclear-warhead-numbers-restores-nuclear-transparency/

Establishing the Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute would ensure that companies of all sizes – as well as other interested parties – continue to have a voice in the development of relevant standards and guidelines.

Read the full letter ⤵
https://fas.org/publication/fas-ansi-nist/

With this weekend’s announcement, the Biden Administration has restored the nuclear stockpile transparency that was created by the Obama administration, halted by the Trump administration, revived by Biden administration in its first year, but then halted again for the past three years.

Read more ➡️ https://fas.org/publication/united-states-discloses-nuclear-warhead-numbers-restores-nuclear-transparency/

The Federation of American Scientists applauds the United States for declassifying the number of nuclear warheads in its military stockpile and the number of retired and dismantled warheads. The decision is consistent with America’s stated commitment to nuclear transparency, and FAS calls on all other nuclear states to follow this important precedent.

Read more ⤵

United States Discloses Nuclear Warhead Numbers; Restores Nuclear Transparency - Federation of American Scientists [UPDATED VERSION] The Federation of American Scientists applauds the United States for declassifying the number of nuclear warheads in its military stockpile and the number of retired and dismantled warheads. The decision is consistent with America’s stated commitment to nuclear transparency, and ...

Given the gravity of these high-risk, increasingly probable scenarios facing the United States, it is imperative for the federal government to take a leadership role in assessing and directing planning and readiness capabilities to respond to this evolving disaster.

Read more 👉 https://fas.org/publication/the-blackouts-during-the-texas-heatwave-were-preventable-heres-why/

Team FAS responds to Pentagon green-lighting continuation of $140B Sentinel ICBM program despite cost overruns.

Follow FAS on Twitter for more x.com/scientistsorg

Pakistan has made significant progress toward equipping its JF-17s with the capability to eventually supplement – and possibly replace – the nuclear strike role of the aging Mirage III/Vs.

Read more below ✈️🚀🇵🇰⤵️

Photo Depicts Potential Nuclear Mission for Pakistan’s JF-17 Aircraft Researchers have many questions about the modernization of Pakistan’s nuclear-capable aircraft and associated air-launched cruise missiles.

For a generation, Chevron deference has encouraged federal agencies to draw – and act – upon the science community’s expertise. The decision creates uncertainty about how federal action will be reliably informed by science and technology expertise moving forward and raises the specter of greater federal inaction, which is not the answer for the myriad challenges we face as a country.

Read the full FAS statement below 👇
https://fas.org/publication/fas-chevron-june-2024/

Privacy laws are only effective if they include civil rights protections that ensure personal data is processed safely and fairly regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, or other protected characteristics.

Read our full statement below
https://fas.org/publication/american-privacy-rights-act-apra-online-civil-rights/

The climate blindspot in nuclear weapons policy: a thread

With the U.S. shattering over a thousand temperature records last year, the crisis of heat-related illnesses in the agricultural sector is intensifying.

We need comprehensive heat safety regulations to safeguard food production and protect farmworkers.

Protecting Agricultural Workers in a Changing Climate Comprehensive heat safety standards are essential to protect farmworkers and ensure sustainability and resilience of agricultural operations.

Scientists regularly call for public engagement opportunities to discuss cutting-edge research, but many of these calls go unnoticed or answered.

For scientists seeking public input, we've published this handy guide to find the deliberation and participation mechanisms best suited for your needs.

📘 A Scientists' Guide to Public Deliberation

A Scientists' Guide to Public Deliberation Public deliberation can lead to more transparency, accountability to the public, and the emergence of ideas that would otherwise go unnoticed.

From Nuclear Information Project Research Associate Ellie: sometimes tracking developments in nuclear armed countries gets kind of weird.

Trying to sum up a varied and impressive career can be an impossible task – especially when that career is still going strong. But as Dr. Rosina Bierbaum steps down from her position as Vice Chair of FAS’s Board of Directors, we sat down to find out more about how her science career began, and to glean just a few pearls of wisdom that she’s picked up during her time at the forefront of science policy in this country.

Read the full interview ⤵

“I knew FAS is a group that really seeks to do good” As Rosina Bierbaum steps down from FAS’s Board of Directors, we sat down to find out more about how her science career began, and her time at the forefront of science policy.

New START has proven useful in keeping a lid on Russian and American deployed nuclear strategic forces, but the treat is set to expire. Without a follow up in place, the U.S. and Russia could both increase their deployed arsenals the day it expires.

Learn more: https://fas.org/publication/nuclear-weapons-2024/

No single program or intervention will work for all jurisdictions, so data-driven implementation and research efforts will be required for each community to adequately combat firearm-related crime.

Troubleshooting Gun Crimes: Prevention To Reduce Firearm-Related Violence The Biden-Harris Administration should fund actionable, evidence-based programs for law enforcement, crime laboratories, community organizations, disaster response, and robust data surveillance systems.

Across the country in small towns and large cities, rural communities and the suburbs, millions of young people are missing school at astounding rates. They’re doing it with such frequency that educators are now tracking “chronic absenteeism.”

Learn more about how education policymakers should approach solutions to lost education days below.
https://fas.org/publication/chronic-absenteeism/

🚨Our 2024 Nuclear Notebook on U.S. Forces is out.

We estimate:
3,708 warheads (1,770 deployed & 1,938 reserved)
+ 1,336 retired warheads awaiting dismantlement
= Total inventory ~5,044 warheads

☢️ 1770 deployed warheads for ICBMs, SLBMs, bombers, & tactical bombs in Europe.

United States nuclear weapons, 2024 The United States has embarked on a wide-ranging nuclear modernization program. We estimate that its maintains a stockpile of approximately 3,708 warheads.