Redundancy as a Design Principle and an Operating Principle

摘要

In an era of increased concern over terrorist attacks on nuclear installations and other targets, policy makers must address questions such as: "Will more (nuclear) security forces produce more (nuclear) security?" As Scott Sagan (this issue) points out, stationing more guards at every vulnerable point seems like a simple and effective solution based on the engineering principle of redundancy, but carries additional risks that could make us less secure overall. Sagan articulates three problems with redundancy as a strategy: common-mode failures such as insider threats from the guards themselves, diffusion of responsibility that produces relaxed vigilance, and overcompensation or expanding the mission in the belief that there is more than adequate protective capability.