"It shouldn't be hard to arm a nuke. It should be hard to get access to it.
If you stole one any competant EE could rewire the whole thing to do what he needs anyway. Those inclined to steal a nuke would have this know-how; they wouldn't be your average bank robber or shoe-bomber terrorist.
Posted by: Savik at November 21, 2007 2:34 PM"
Maybe back in the day a competent EE could rewire, but the modern arming mechanisms are ultra-sophisticated.
ultr-sophisticated, but still any locking mechanism on nuke can be overcomed by sufficiently motivated adversary. And anyone who can steal the nuke is sufficiently motivated, no matter how ultra-sophisticated your lock is.
Edit: and overcoming any kind of locking mechanism on nuke is certainly cheaper than building one yourself. What most people seem to forget is that problem with building nuclear weapons lies with logistics, not technical expertise.
Agreed. All the locking mechanisms and codes are to prevent accidental and non-authorized triggering. After that you have to depend on guys with guns for security.
"It shouldn't be hard to arm a nuke. It should be hard to get access to it.
If you stole one any competant EE could rewire the whole thing to do what he needs anyway. Those inclined to steal a nuke would have this know-how; they wouldn't be your average bank robber or shoe-bomber terrorist.
Posted by: Savik at November 21, 2007 2:34 PM"
Maybe back in the day a competent EE could rewire, but the modern arming mechanisms are ultra-sophisticated.