Explore our tech briefs
The Security Tech Brief report series focuses on the role specific technologies play within the four research areas of the Centre for International Security: Grand strategy, nuclear policy, states and non-state actors as well as digital technology and security. These reports offer a comprehensive literature review for each technology, synthesizing publicly available information into one piece.
-
Exporting Chinese Surveillance Technology - The Western Balkans and Chinese Surveillance Technology
In recent years, the People's Republic of China has begun exporting surveillance technology it uses domestically to countries abroad through strategic policies (such as the Belt and Road Initiative) and via Chinese companies(such as Huawei) particularly in the Western Balkans.
View the full report in a PDF format here.
-
The Vulnerability of Subsea Internet Cables
About 95% of intercontinental internet traffic, including most government and military communication, travels through approximately 450 privately-owned, garden-hose-sized subsea fiber-optic cables that crisscross the world's oceans. This reports examines and evaluates the potential threat(s) to the international subsea cable network.
View the full report in a PDF format here.
-
The Russian 'Burevestnik' (Skyfall) System
Burevestnik is a ground-launched nuclear-armed cruise missile, powered by a nuclear reactor and currently in development by the Russian military. If deployed, the system would be the world's first nuclear-powered missile. Experts doubt that the system will be deployed any time soon with estimates ranging from later this decade to never.
View the full report in a PDF format here.
-
Poseidon is a submarine-launched uninhabited underwater vehicle (UUV) currently under development by the Russian military with a projected deployment in 2027. It is powered by a compact nuclear reactor and will likely be armed with a 2-megaton nuclear warhead, although both a larger nuclear or a conventional warhead are possible.
View the full report in a PDF format here.
