Have you ever wondered about the disclosure of new technology and scientific achievements? Sometimes the disclosure occurs the day of a significant break through. Other times, news of the achievement seems to fly under the radar until the new technology is combined with an old technology and appears on the shelves at Wal-Mart. However, sometimes disclosure occurs for strategic reasons, be it for economic or political reasons.

Take the iPhone for example. Rumors about the device were floating around the web for a while, but no one could put their finger on what the device would actually look like, let alone what capabilities it had. When Steve Jobs unveiled the ‘magical’ new gadget, he claimed it would “revolutionize the industry.” Combining existing technology with new software and ingenuity, this technological breakthrough took the world by storm. In the process, it took a large bite out of the market long dominated by the Blackberry. This opened a whole new market in the way the iPod did six years earlier.

Another example would be the MOAB bomb. If you remember back to 2003, the Air Force tested the Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (also referred to as the “Mother Of All Bombs”). The test was filmed and released to the media to show the success of the largest non-nuclear bomb ever created by the United States. The timing of this media event, however, occurred at the same time the United States and our allies were preparing to return to Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein. The disclosure of this technological achievement was viewed as a publicity stunt and to be used as psychological warfare against Iraq as part of the “shock and awe” rhetoric.

Let us fast forward to two weeks ago. While not a disclosure of a new technology by North Korea, the isolated nation surprised the world with another nuclear test with very little warning. While there were rumors that the nation might had enough material to create a second weapon, it wasn’t widely known that they had a functional system to test. This test came at a time when rumors over the health of Kim Jong Il and potential posturing by the North Korean military to show some muscle in case Kim can no longer lead. The test wiped out years of work under the six-party talks and put the region on edge, including North Korea’s only “friends” in China and Russia.

In what might be viewed as a game of one-upmanship, the United States unveiled the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California. I say unveiled since the general public (and the world) really didn’t know what was happening in the large complex at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This facility focuses 192 amplified lasers onto a single point, recreating the conditions that exist within a star. While the system is touted as a way to study high-temperature fusion, the news articles mention that it is also a way for the nation to test the viability of their aging nuclear weapon stockpile – without the need of underground testing (unlike North Korea did a week earlier).

Is the disclosure of this facility based upon a new technological breakthrough, or was it the result of North Korea’s aggression? I do not know, but the timing of the disclosure is convenient. After all, the terminology used by the media to describe the new technology as “the world’s most powerful laser,” and that can fuse weapons-grade nuclear material, does sound more impressive than an underground nuclear detonation with a yield as small as a device developed 65 years ago

In the mean time, I hope that the NIF can in fact lead to a new source of energy. The potential for actually generating more energy than you consume to create it is the Holy Grail, especially if the technology is “green.” This would not only sharply cut the trade deficit by reducing the amount of oil with have to import, it would also take strategic-resource power away from the Middle East – especially Iran.

Related articles:
Wikipedia – “GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb”
BBC News – “Apple’s ‘magical’ iPhone unveiled”
Associated Press – “World’s strongest laser unveiled at California lab”
Gearlog – “World’s Strongest Laser Debuts in California Lab”
TG Daily – “Scientists to simulate supernovas with world’s largest laser”
NTI: Global Security Newswire – “Energy Department Unveils Nuclear-Weapon Research Laser”
Los Angeles Times – “U.S., U.N. condemn North Korea nuclear test”
Reuters – “Russia and Japan want serious response to N. Korea”
The New York Times – “Gates Says North Korea May Test Another Missile”

Bookmark and Share

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!