Nuclear Weapons and the Gendered Division of Labor

• In Event: Gendered Labor and War

Abstract

A nuclear enterprise includes not just warheads, delivery systems, and physical infrastructure but also people – to design, develop, manufacture, and maintain the weapons, as well as to plan, strategize, and determine their use. States that acquire nuclear weapons must decide how to structure not only their nuclear arsenals, but also the associated workforce. Yet, the integration of nuclear capabilities introduces a body of professional expertise and specialized knowledge that militaries may have had no previous experience with, lacking traditional indicators of success and recognition. This paper argues that how the nuclear workforce is structured can influence a military’s ability to recruit, train, and retain necessary talent. Historically, when roles associated with a military innovation do not require traditional warfighting characteristics they have been feminized, with limited opportunities for reward and ascension. I conduct a broad analysis of indicators of nuclear workforce performance and compare the evolution of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and bomber forces within US Strategic Air Command. Preliminary findings indicate that while bomber forces were able to ascend the professional hierarchy, missile operators and maintainers struggled to do so. I find that organizational cultures and civil-military relations play an important role in how nuclear personnel are characterized and managed.

Authors

• Kendrick Kuo, Naval War College

• Shira Eini Pindyck, Naval War College