Held virtually with colleagues from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, this conference will feature two days of presentations from rising experts covering topics such as nuclear modernization policy and strategies, arms control, proliferation challenges, and deterrence. On day three, participants will have the unique opportunity to participate in an online wargame responding to escalation, created and facilitated by PONI. All participants must pre-register to attend.
The PONI Conference Series is unique in its emphasis on incorporating rising experts and young professionals in the nuclear field. The Conference Series draws emerging thought leaders from across the nuclear enterprise and policy community and provides them with a visible platform for sharing their new thinking on a range of nuclear issues.
All comments made at the conference are off-the-record.
2020 PONI VIRTUAL SUMMER CONFERENCE DRAFT AGENDA
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY
June 22-24, 2020
Zoom Details Forthcoming, All Times EST
Day One: Monday, June 22
2:15 CONFERENCE WELCOME
Rebecca Hersman, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Adviser, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
2:30 OPENING REMARKS
Dr. Brad Roberts, Director of the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California
2:45 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
3:00 PANEL 1: ARMS CONTROL ACROSS THE POND(S)
Panel Moderator: Zachary Davis, CGSR Fellow
The TPNW’s Impact on Norm Dynamics in Multilateral Disarmament
Jannis Kappelmann, Carlo Schmid Fellow, World Food Program
China and U.S. Allies in a Post-INF Pacific
Kirk Lancaster, Research Associate, Council on Foreign Relations
French Nuclear Weapons and the EU: The Undoing of NATO?
Rachel Carre, Brigham Young University
The Future of US Ballistic Missile Defense Strategy Against China
Ryan Cheney, Brigham Young University
4:30 CAREER MENTORING HAPPY HOUR
An informal conversation on career trajectories with PONI Mid-Career Cadre Members and PONI alumni working in different sectors
Day Two: Tuesday, June 23
1:00 PANEL 2: TWO STEPS AHEAD, ONE STEP BACK: MODERN CHALLENGES OF TECHNOLOGY
Panel Moderator: Anna Peczeli, LLNL CGSR Post-Doctoral Fellow
The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Data and Virtual Reality Simulations
Shahrukh Nasim, Project Manager, Department of Energy
Under the Nuclear Shadow: Situational Awareness Technology and Crisis Decisionmaking
Reja Younis, Program Manager and Research Associate, Project on Nuclear Issues
Social Media and Strategic Nuclear Weapons: The Russian Case
Trisha Wyman, Naval Postgraduate School, LLNL
2:30 BREAK
2:45 PANEL 3: NUCLEAR DETERRENCE TODAY
Panel Moderator: Dr. Damon Coletta, Co-Editor Space and Defense Journal
The Impact of Left-of-Launch (LOL) Missile Defeat on Nuclear Deterrence and Brinksmanship
Benjamin Bahney and Braden Soper, LLNL CGSR
Madman Diplomacy and Deterrence Failure
Henry Gilchrist, US Air Force Academy
Special Operations Forces and Deterrence
Major Jonathan Fagins, U.S. Army Special Forces Officer, LLNL
4:15 CLOSING REMARKS
Eric Brewer, Deputy Director Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
4:30 END OF DAY TWO
Day Three: Wednesday, June 24
1:00 “ON THE NUCLEAR BRINK” WARGAME
A simulation responding to escalation created and facilitated by PONI
2:30 WARGAME DEBRIEF
3:00 END OF DAY THREE