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Aims & Scope

Philosophy

IJNS’ philosophy is to incentivize novel and impactful scientific work in areas of nuclear security that tangibly contribute to global nuclear security. The journal is built upon what it views as the three foundational pillars of nuclear security:

  1. Physical Security IJNS goes beyond the traditional "guns, gates, and guards" model to include novel threat types such as UAVs
  2. Cyber Security The accelerating threat-space of cyber warfare is posing a unique challenge in the face of non-traditional warfare.
  3. Social Security Countering insider threats, non-state actors, and extremist ideologies continues to be a primary focus of IJNS.

Within and between these three pillars lies a “Grey Nexus”, an intersectional region in which nuclear security concerns may manifest and amplify. As such, the journal is multidisciplinary in scope and encourages contributing authors to consider how their research is relevant throughout the Grey Nexus. By encouraging authors to consider these interconnected perspectives, IJNS promotes systematic, integrated, and comprehensive solutions to both established and emerging global nuclear security challenges.

Scope

The journal encourages diversity in theoretical foundations, research methods, and approaches, asking contributors to analyze and include implications for policy and practice. It invites submissions in the following areas:

  • Science and Technology: Discoveries and developments in science and technology that impact nuclear security. These include relevant developments in cyber-security, forensic chemistry, and radiochemistry, as well as new operational systems, new understandings of the threat space, and novel methods of discerning or discovering threats.
  • Operational and Intelligence Capabilities: Initiatives in improving operational capabilities (military and civilian) as well as intelligence systems that bear on nuclear security. This includes descriptions and analyses of security issues involving the detection, manipulation, transportation, and guarding of nuclear materials, as well as studies in counterterrorism, extremist ideology, global policing, insurgencies, irregular warfare, radicalization, risk management, violent crimes regarding nuclear materials or facilties, failing/fragile states, transnational crime, etc.
  • Policy, Law, and Diplomacy: Studies of political initiatives and processes, and legal developments that impact proliferation or nonproliferation, export control, monitoring/verification, physical, cyber, or social safety, and other issues relevant to nuclear security.
  • Education and Training: Reports and scholarly investigations on pedagogical initiatives for nuclear security, as well as programs for professional development and training (“continuing education”).
  • Human Reliability: Science and technology for risk mitigation in the areas of insider threats, human assurance, and human performance risk factors. Modern studies and advances in psychological screening, credibility assessment technologies, techniques, investigations, monitoring, etc., as well as retrospective analyses of historical cases in espionage and crimes related to nuclear security.
  • Real-World Missions: Reports and analyses of engagements with counterterrorist operations, nuclear smuggling interdictions, espionage prevention, inspections, investigations, materials recovery operations, law enforcement initiatives, etc.
  • Networking, Partnering, Engagement, Promotion: National, regional, and international initiatives promoting cooperation in nuclear security among government agencies, universities, centers, institutes, sponsors, donors, political figures, etc.—as well as events and outreach affecting public opinion and awareness related to nuclear security.