This presentation examines the history of U.S. Permissive Action Link (PAL) policies, looking at when the US has decided to share the technology with foreign countries and when it has not. I focus on how factors including the U.S.’s relationships with foreign countries, legal concerns, advances in technology, and the fear of nuclear accidents all play a role in determining when the U.S. shares information on PALs. By looking at past cases collectively, I hope to highlight which factors more consistently limit the U.S. ability to share this technology, and which fail to do so.
About the speaker: Anne Stickells is a PhD student in security studies with the Program on Science and Global Security, in Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. Prior to coming to Princeton, Anne worked at RAND as a research assistant, where a number of her projects were related to nuclear policy. Anne graduated from Stanford in 2015 with a BA in Science, Technology, and Society, and a minor in Creative Writing.