Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityCalling North Korea’s BluffByShane PraiswaterPublished Jun 20, 2018An Air Force weapons officer works “from the target back” to propose a radical new policy.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityHypersonic Hysteria: Examining the Hypersonic HammerByAndrew ReddiePublished Jun 13, 2018There are substantial questions for policy-makers to answer as the United State weighs the inclusion of hypersonic weapons to its arsenal. This analysis considers the best case for and potential drawbacks of U.S. investment in hypersonics.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityNuclear Weapons and the Just War TraditionByMatthew Lytwyn and CSIS PONIPublished May 16, 2018While critics of nuclear arms often describe them as indiscriminate weapons that would be used to target civilian population centers, U.S. nuclear planning is deliberately aligned with the moral values that govern the U.S. way of war.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityWhy Moscow Might Not Reveal an “Escalate to De-Escalate” StrategyByAlex Velez-GreenPublished May 8, 2018Concealing an “escalate to de-escalate” strategy could allow Russia to complicate U.S. and NATO policymaking more than revealing it and the absence of a formal doctrine might not prevent Moscow from attempting to “escalate to de-escalate” in a confrontation.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunitySLCM’s Role in Deterring Regional AdversariesByAnthony MascaroPublished May 2, 2018Once the U.S. bomber force is vulnerable to a first strike by a regional adversary, the United States will find it increasingly difficult to deter that state. The most probable solution to this impending strategic dilemma would be to develop a nuclear-tipped SLCM.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityStrategies of Limited Nuclear WarByShane PraiswaterPublished Feb 8, 2018What dictates escalation choices? For U.S. adversaries, the foremost concern may not be the security of the state or even the contested objective, but the security of the regime itself.
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 / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityNegotiating a Nuclear “Code of Conduct”ByJustin AndersonPublished Jan 17, 2018The NPT nuclear five lack shared norms of nuclear behavior. Pursuing a nuclear code of conduct could resolve that and help increase both dialogue and stability.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityFulfilling the Central and Enduring Role of U.S. Nuclear WeaponsByVincent Manzo and CSIS PONIPublished Oct 30, 2017Any decision stemming from the Nuclear Posture Review that risks derailing political support for modernization could, at the end of the day, weaken deterrence if the result is insufficient funding for the current plan.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityPreparedness of U.S. Forces for a Limited Nuclear ConflictBySam WilsonPublished Oct 24, 2017Given the potential for a conflict with a nuclear adversary, our ability to ensure that our general-purpose forces have the appropriate expertise and equipment to plan and operate in nuclear conditions would seem to be a critical requirement.