Ballistic Missile Youth Group Kickoff Meeting

28 June 2023

Online

FRS created a Youth Group to develop expertise on missile-related issues and raise knowledge about the Code by ensuring that representatives from the younger generation involved in disarmament and non-proliferation issues worldwide are familiar with the specificities of missile dissemination.

Seventeen fellows have been selected and will take part in a programme of activities running from June 2023 to June 2025. This programme will include two main workshops in Paris and in Vienna.

Fellows are invited to contribute through the preparation of a report that will be published online at the end of the programme. This paper will be prepared in small groups focused on a special topic linked to missile proliferation. Informal exchanges and virtual activities will be strongly encouraged.

The Youth Group was officially launched on 28 June 2023.

Issue Briefs

The HCoC and South Asia

India’s and Pakistan’s ballistic missiles are mostly designed as delivery vehicles for their nuclear weapons. While intrinsically linked to their national security, ballistic missiles also have regional security implications for South Asia. Non-proliferation and arms control efforts have so far been aimed at the bilateral level. Subscription to other instruments including the HCoC remains low in the region, although India joined the HCoC in 2016.

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Research Papers

The Growing Appeal of Missiles: Current Drivers Behind Ballistic Missile Acquisition and Development

This paper recalls the state of ballistic missile proliferation at the time of the adoption of the Code, before delving into the genesis of the Code and especially the various reports and meetings that promoted the adoption of a supply-side multilateral instrument. It describes the conferences and diplomatic efforts that led to the Code in 2002. It also explains why the Code ended up the way it is today with modest ambitions but concrete outcomes.

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Research Papers

Harnessing Transparency Potential for Missile Non-Proliferation

Information is key for non-proliferation efforts. But the times when information was the exclusive purview of governments are over. Affordable, commercial and open-source monitoring capabilities empower states and societies alike, while challenging the ability of governments to preserve secrecy. Technological democratisation means that information is practically becoming a public good. And it allows for unprecedented transparency.

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