240131-F-TV976-2229

Tech. Sgt. Brandyn Nace (left), 377th Flight Test Missile Maintenance Squadron special weapons maintenance trainer, and Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lakey (right), 377 FTMMXS special weapons bay chief, inspect the Reentry System Aft Shroud at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Inspecting every aspect of a test Intercontinental Ballistic Missile ensures that it can hit precisely where it is aimed contributing to the efficiency of its nuclear deterrence mission.

Nuclear Ethics in the 21st Century

Published May 4, 2026
By 341MW

Re-evaluating ethical considerations surrounding the possession, threat of use, and potential use of nuclear weapons in the 21st century.

Bonnet, Yann, "The Atomic Bomb Was the Only Thing That Saved My Life: How US Museums Present the End of the Pacific War," SAASS thesis, 2025, 108 pgs.
- Bonnet tackles the ethical dimensions of nuclear weapons by demonstrating how deeply ingrained cultural myths actively suppress moral reflection on their use. He details how curators initially designed the Enola Gay exhibit to provoke thought on the moral dilemmas and human costs of the atomic bombings by including photographs of Japanese victims and questioning whether the strikes were strictly necessary. However, public backlash rooted in the "Greatest Generation" myth rejected this moral ambiguity, insisting on a binary "good versus evil" narrative that erased the ethical complexity of deploying weapons of mass destruction. To responsibly evaluate the potential use of nuclear weapons today, Bonnet recommends that modern museums and educational institutions present these historical ethical dilemmas dispassionately, allowing citizens and strategists to exercise critical thinking rather than relying on comforting, sanitized narratives.