Analysis / CommentaryCSIS European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues, 2019 Consensus StatementByRebecca HersmanPublished Mar 13, 2020The European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues have convened senior nuclear policy experts from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States (P3) for the past eleven years to discuss nuclear deterrence, arms control, and nonproliferation policy issues and identify areas of consensus among the three countries.
Analysis / CommentaryWhen is More Actually Less? Situational Awareness and Nuclear RisksByRebecca Hersman and Bernadette StadlerPublished Aug 2, 2019As increasingly capable and provocative situational awareness tools come into play, the very act of improving situational awareness may intensify escalation cycles in unanticipated ways, particularly among nuclear-armed states.
Analysis / CommentaryThe Deterrence and Assurance ConversationByRebecca HersmanPublished Jul 22, 2019As we survey the world today, we find the nuclear landscape to be more uncertain and precarious than it has been at any time since the end of the Cold War.
Analysis / CommentaryContinuity Is Not Consensus: The Future Nuclear Posture ReviewByRebecca HersmanPublished Oct 22, 2018The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, preceded by wide debate, is enjoying a honeymoon of sorts. Domestically, it received strong support and close to full funding while internationally, it has received strong support from allies. However, controversy over the NPR may be just around the corner. There needs to be strong bipartisan commitment to nuclear infrastructure and delivery system modernization as well as arms control.
Analysis / CommentaryRestoring RestraintByRebecca HersmanPublished Jun 19, 2018In 2012, a 20-year moratorium on state employment of chemical weapons use was broken. Since then, there have been more than 200 uses, against civilians, military targets, and political enemies.
Analysis / Next Gen Community, ReportProject on Nuclear Issues Annual Journal – 2017ByMark CancianPublished Feb 21, 2018A Collection of Papers from the 2017 Nuclear Scholars Initiative and PONI Conference Series
Analysis / CommentaryNuclear Posture Review: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the SameByRebecca HersmanPublished Feb 6, 2018Last week, the Trump administration formally released its review of U.S. nuclear weapons policy—which is nearly identical to the version leaked to the Huffington Post in early January. Judging by reactions over what amounts to the longest rollout in Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) history, there is something in it for everyone.
Analysis / Next Gen Community, ReportProject on Nuclear IssuesByMark Cancian and CSIS PONIPublished Oct 4, 2017A Collection of Papers from the 2016 Nuclear Scholars Initiative and PONI Conference Series
Analysis / ReportAn Evolving Narrative: A Report on the Role and Value of U.S. Nuclear Weapons, 1989-TodayByRebecca HersmanPublished Oct 15, 2016This study aims to create a dialogue with the nation’s nuclear personnel about the rationales for the U.S. nuclear arsenal that already exist—some of which have been stated at the highest levels of leadership—to ask what the nuclear forces actually hear, what works and what does not, and what motivates them on a daily basis.
Analysis / CommentaryNuclear Deterrence in a Disordered WorldByRebecca HersmanPublished Nov 16, 2015Whoever takes office in January 2017 is likely to inherit a nuclear landscape of greater risk, complexity, and challenge than any time since the collapse of the former Soviet Union.