The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in the Military

The NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence is pleased to present a research paper titled “The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in Military” written by Centre’s Subject Matter Expert Mr. Lukas Trakimavičius.

This paper reviews existing nuclear propulsion systems and examines if the development of nuclear-powered vehicles and weapon delivery systems would benefit Western militaries. However, instead of focusing on the potential impact of this technology on strategic stability and nuclear deterrence, this article shifts its attention to the more technical, political and operational issues related to the development of nuclear propulsion systems.

The author accomplishes this task by providing a brief history of the use of nuclear propulsion in the military and reviewing the existing nuclear propulsion technologies and plans for future development. Then Mr. Trakimavičius reviews the potential pros and cons of developing new nuclear propulsion-based military vehicles and weapon delivery systems in the air, land and sea domains.

Link to the article: https://enseccoe.org/data/public/uploads/2021/10/d1_the-future-role-of-nuclear-propulsion-in-the-military.pdf