In early 2014, the ICBM community was rocked by a cheating scandal that has profoundly affected the way they train. In response to the scandal, Air Force Global Strike Command initiated the Force Improvement Program to improve training, evaluation, and morale in the nuclear community.
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analysis
The Cyber Threat to Nuclear Facilities
Stuxnet illustrated the art of the possible in the cyber-nuclear space. This malware defeated security systems, jumped iargaps (which disconnect networks from the internet) and, most importantly, caused physical consequences. Stuxnet’s aim was limited-break centrifuges. But what if hackers had more catastrophic ambitions?
analysis
Nuclear Semantics
Hot off the heels of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, the international community is once again abuzz with plans to secure nuclear materials and thwart the efforts of terrorists to acquire these materials. Chief among these efforts is securing nuclear and radiological materials. Are these efforts the same, though? The answer is a resounding “No.”
Conference
U.S. Nuclear Policy Post-2016 Conference
Critical questions regarding the future of the nuclear enterprise – fueled by rising global threats, questions about modernization, President Obama’s Prague legacy, and a looming nuclear posture review – will need to be addressed quickly by the next administration.
analysis
The DPRK and Dual-Use Policy
The third Kim likely hopes to use recent missile activity, and a rumored fifth nuclear test, as an attempt to shore up his image and demonstrate military power in advance of the celebration of his authority. And how has the international community responded? As usual: with sanctions.
analysis
Rad Science: Increasing knowledge without increasing fear
Having a better understanding of threats and knowing what to do in emergency situations allows people to make safer decisoins and makes them less likely to panic. Experts in the radiological emergency response field and agencies prepare to respond to radiological emergencies, but widespread and general knowledge on the topic could be improved.
Conference
PONI 2016 Capstone Conference
The final conference of the 2015-2016 PONI Conference Series will be held on April 12 at United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Offutt Air Force Base. The one-day conference will feature presentations from emerging nuclear experts covering topics such as modernization, unconventional threats, nonproliferation, and culture within the nuclear enterprise along with keynote addresses from senior Read More
Discussion
ISIS’ Hunt for WMDs: Navigating the Nuclear Underworld with C.J. Chivers
The Project on Nuclear Issues hosted a discussion with C.J. Chivers on nuclear smuggling in the Middle East. Chivers, a former marine and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigator with the New York Times, has reported from the front lines of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and more, analyzing conflicts and the weapons that fuel them. One of Chivers’ recent features, “The Doomsday Scam,” revealed how ISIS and other terrorist groups have pursued a fictional weapon-making substance known as red mercury. Chivers, who has been called “the greatest war reporter in a generation,” will share his unique insight about the possibilitiy of terrorist groups obtaining nuclear materials, where they could be bought, and how the international community should respond if a terrorist group were to acquire nuclear material, or some other weapon of mass destruction. The discussion was moderated by Rebecca Hersman, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues, and Senior Adviser, International Security Program, CSIS.
Conference
PONI 2015 Winter Conference
The third event in the 2015-2016 PONI Conference Series will be held December 9-10 at CSIS in Washington, DC. The two-day conference will feature presentations from emerging nuclear experts covering topics including U.S. nuclear policy and posture in the face of modernization and sequestration, non-state actors, nuclear security, escalation dyanmics, and perspectives on Russia and Europe. Read More
Discussion
Reliving History: A Retrospective on Trident
The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) hosted this exclusive panel discussion recounting the formation of the seminal UK Trident Program, featuring four former U.S. and UK national security policymakers present for its negotiation: the Honorable Frank Miller, Sir David Omand, the Honorable Walter B. Slocombe, and Sir Kevin Tebbit. Please watch below as we revisit this momentous chapter of the U.S. and UK’s nuclear partnership, from the Polaris A3 through the Trident II, and examine its implications for the two countries’ special relationship today.




