Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityPeace vs. Guarantee for Continued LifeByZachary Averett and CSIS PONIPublished Aug 2, 2016Is the balance between world security and the guarantee of continued life on this planet a possible scenario? Even if it’s not, perhaps the lesser of both evils is the right choice in this conundrum.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityTowards Improving the United Nations Nonproliferation MandateBySarah Shirazyan and CSIS PONIPublished Jun 27, 2016The successful implementation of UN Resolution 1540 depends on the committee’s ability to create an environment where member states can develop a sense of local ownership for the resolution.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityIf We Were Them, Would We Be Deterred?ByJames L. Gutierrez and CSIS PONIPublished May 26, 2016The success of deterrence has become increasingly difficult to measure. While nuclear weapons are still successfully used every day to deter some adversaries the question remains are all adversaries deterred by our nuclear forces?
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityLosing the Nuclear EdgeByAshley Green and CSIS PONIPublished May 25, 2016The need to recruit and retain scientists and engineers remains a common theme among U.S. government agencies. The nuclear enterprise is no exception. Throughout the Department of Energy and Department of Defense, the colloquially named “gray beards” provide the technical expertise.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityThe Importance of Intrinsic Motivators for Missile Combat CrewsByThomas Keim and CSIS PONIPublished May 17, 2016In 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.
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.
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityThe Cost of Modernization: Can we Afford to Replicate the Triad?ByLiz Whitfield and CSIS PONIPublished Oct 2, 2014All three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad are aging and will need large-scale, expensive modernization in the coming decades if they are to be maintained. This has prompted a discussion about the continued necessity of the nuclear triad in the post-Cold War era. Is maintaining the triad worth the money?
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityNASA, the Navy and Nukes: Solid Rocket Fuel and the Future of the Trident MissileByLindsay Miller and CSIS PONIPublished Jun 24, 2014Because both the space shuttles and the U.S. Trident D5 SLBMs rely on solid propellant fuels, NASA’s decisions about its space programs have repercussions in the defense industry. In 2017, NASA plans to launch the first mission of the new Space Launch System (SLS). In 2016, NASA will decide how exactly the SLS will be propelled.