CM – Countdown to the attack: In a simulation that mimics a nuclear conflict

Julian Borger, editor for world affairs, tries out a VR simulation that is supposed to model a real atomic exchange and reports on the terrifying result

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Presented by
Michael Safi with
Julian Borger; produced by
Alex Atack and
Axel Kacoutié; executive producers
Phil Maynard and
Mythili Rao

Mon 20 Dec 2021 03:00 GMT

Julian Borger, World Affairs Editor for the Guardian, recently took on a new title: President of the United States. He took on the new role while participating in a VR simulation developed by researchers from Princeton Universities, USA and Hamburg.

The project called Nuclear Biscuit in honor of the small card with the President’s launch authorization code, was developed on the basis of insights gained from interviews with former government officials about the possible consequences of a nuclear attack on the United States. It is intended to help lawmakers better understand the realities of nuclear armament.

In the world of a simulation, there appears to be an imminent nuclear threat that requires urgent action from the US president, Borger explains. He tells Michael Safi that in the role of Commander-in-Chief he was forced to make quick decisions that could potentially end millions of lives – while only having access to incomplete information.

Although it sounds like a game, It is difficult to underestimate the effects of simulation on the real world. In 1979 the world had come to nuclear war in minutes when a training tape simulating an attack was played on the monitors of the American nuclear system. More than 40 years later, the Cold War assumptions are way behind us – but continued nuclear proliferation makes the threat of mutual destruction all too real.

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