Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser

Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser is a gripping, deeply-researched look into the nuclear weapons system and their potential to affect mankind.

Schlosser, who is known for his fast-paced, thoroughly researched nonfiction, dives into detailed accounts of the world’s nuclear weapons systems and that of the United States. He examines the inner workings of the National Command Authorities and reveals the potential for tragedy that still exists despite decades of increased safety.

Schlosser’s research looks across time and includes a number of interviews with retired generals, rocket scientists, and other key figures who have experienced the system firsthand. He begins with an examination of the Cuban Missile Crisis and how the world brushed the thinnest of margins between nuclear disaster and peace. The fact that the world survived the crisis, he argues, is the result of heroic, last-minute maneuvering and a willingness to negotiate—hardly a feat of technological sophistication.

He follows this up with a detailed examination of the Damascus incident, a non-nuclear explosion in Arkansas in 1980. This event, as Schlosser points out, is what brought the danger of carelessness and negligence to the fore. His examination of the incident places the blame squarely on the instability of the weapon, rather than on ill-planned operational procedures.

Schlosser also looks at the efforts to build an Air Force that was capable of controlling these deadly weapons for the American government, as well as the changes and innovations that have been made over the years in attempt to make the system safer. New technologies have been developed in the name of safety, but Schlosser still roams the corridors of power to identify the human element that still remains the system’s biggest variable.

He travels to missile silos, interviews former technicians, and visits the Air Force’s Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting headquarters to highlight the deception of security that exists in the nuclear age. When placed alongside the terrifying powers these weapons possess, Schlosser draws attention to the fragility of the system and the longevity of the threats it poses.

Tying together the dangers of the nuclear age and the the complacency of those in charge of its maintenance, Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety is an unsettling exploration of the balance between human activity, technological capability, and the unchecked power of these weapons. Schlosser’s research is remarkable and timely as the ever-increasing power of nuclear weapons poses an ever-increasing risk to us all.