March was a busy month for APLN, with the launch of our new Talking Nuclear interview series, where we sit down with veteran diplomats from our network to reflect on the evolving nature of global nuclear risk. In our inaugural episode, APLN Senior Research Adviser Manpreet Sethi was joined by Sujata Mehta, former Indian Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, to contrast the Cold War era with today’s complex trifecta of nuclear, climate, and technological threats. In the second episode, Carlos Sorreta, the Philippines’ Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, provided a vital Southeast Asian perspective on the deteriorating state of global nuclear diplomacy and the lessons to be drawn from past successes.

As part of our newly launched research program on disruptive technologies, we published a commentary by Sahar Khan examining how AI integration in the Indian and Pakistani militaries necessitates new guardrails to manage escalation. Suon Choi explored how South Korea’s rapid integration of AI into its military is transforming the Korean Peninsula, while Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi assessed Japan’s defense planning, warning that technology must not outpace structural reforms and accountability.

Beyond the military application of technology, the region is also grappling with the complexities of the civil nuclear fuel cycle. In a policy brief, Alvin Chew analysed South Korea’s burgeoning role as a premier nuclear exporter in Southeast Asia and argues that Seoul should leverage its partnership with Washington to form a joint nuclear consortium to ensure a stable and IAEA-safeguarded supply chain of enriched uranium.

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In the opening episode of our new Talking Nuclear interview series, APLN Senior Research Adviser Manpreet Sethi is joined by Sujata Mehta, former Indian Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Reflecting on her experience as a young diplomat during the Cold War, Sujata Mehta contrasts the “East–West” fault line of the 1980s with today’s far more complex landscape, one marked by multiple nuclear-armed states and a troubling decline in dialogue. She also draws attention to a growing “trifecta” of risk: the convergence of nuclear threats, climate change, and disruptive technologies such as AI. Particularly concerning is the absence of clear guardrails or expert oversight in managing these emerging challenges.

In the second episode of our new Talking Nuclear interview series, APLN Senior Research Adviser Manpreet Sethi is joined by Ambassador Carlos Sorreta, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations in Geneva, and a longstanding APLN network member, to discuss the deteriorating state of global nuclear diplomacy and the challenges facing international legal frameworks. Ambassador Sorreta offers a Southeast Asian and ASEAN perspective on nuclear diplomacy and also discusses what past diplomatic successes can teach current efforts.

Sahar Khan analyses how the integration of AI into the Indian and Pakistani militaries has altered the regional security environment, increasing the need for credible ‘guardrails’ to reduce escalation risks and recognize mutual vulnerabilities. She argues that both countries should publicly reaffirm that nuclear launch authority remains under meaningful human control, tailor crisis communication for AI-driven incidents, and establish informal understandings not to target nuclear command-and-control (NC2) infrastructure with cyber operations.

As South Korea rapidly moves from debating the role of AI to deploying it in practice, Suon Choi examines the pressures driving this shift and warns that while AI could strengthen deterrence against North Korea’s conventional and nuclear threats, it may also introduce new risks by accelerating decision-making and increasing the potential for misinterpretation. She recommends that South Korea and the United States discuss bilateral AI safeguards, ensure military AI systems are designed to de-escalate tensions rather than intensify them, and leverage Seoul’s position as a global AI leader to promote international standards that could indirectly pressure the DPRK to adopt basic safety norms.

Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi examines how AI is shaping Japan’s defence planning and operational risk management, focusing on the strategic operationalisation within the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and its broader regional implications. While AI is an essential enabler, it must not drive defence readiness; a purely technology-centric approach risks creating critical gaps in military capabilities without structural and procedural reforms. Furthermore, the proliferation of AI-enabled systems among Asia-Pacific countries threatens to exacerbate regional tensions. Given the constraints on military transparency, establishing shared norms for accountability and oversight is critical to mitigating inadvertent escalation and ensuring long-term strategic stability.

As Southeast Asian countries transition to nuclear energy, Alvin Chew explores South Korea’s strategic role as a leading nuclear exporter in the region, with a focus on its engagements with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. He argues that Seoul should leverage its nuclear partnership with the United States to form a joint nuclear consortium, ensuring a stable and IAEA-safeguarded supply chain of enriched uranium. This would strengthen South Korea’s competitiveness in the Southeast Asia market while providing maximum transparency to the international community.