Feb. 6, 2024

Presentation: “Russian and Other (Dis)information Undermining WMD Arms Control: Considerations for NATO”

DOPSR Cleared talking points of presentation "Russian and Other (Dis)information Undermining WMD Arms Control: Considerations for NATO” given to the NATO Committe by Sarah Jacobs Gamberini & Justin Anderson on Proliferation at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium.

Feb. 16, 2023

Private-sector research could pose a pandemic risk. Here’s what to do about it

Despite the increasing amounts of privately funded life science research, there is very little government regulation over private sector activities that might generate enhanced potential pandemic pathogens – germs that might not only trigger a pandemic, but that have been engineered to make them more virulent or more transmissible. This article discusses mechanisms, both legally binding and voluntary, that can broaden the reach of these oversight policies to cover all relevant work, not just the government-funded part of it.

Jan. 4, 2023

Turkey’s Future in NATO: Asset or Liability?

Recent disputes with other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), engagement with Russia, and domestic democratic-backsliding call into question the value Turkey brings to the NATO alliance. In this article, Mr. Paul J. David-Justus examines the history of Turkey’s membership in NATO, the challenges Turkish domestic and foreign policy pose to the alliance’s objectives, the advantages and liabilities it brings to the alliance, and the options regarding the future of Turkey’s role in NATO.

Sept. 16, 2022

North Korean Nuclear Command and Control: Alternatives and Implications

This study examines alternative approaches North Korea could take for command and control of its nuclear forces (NC2) as it makes critical choices on the type of nuclear strategy and posture it wishes to adopt. The report helps fill an important analytical gap in current assessments of North Korea, examines implications of North Korea’s choices for U.S. and South Korean deterrence strategies and defense planning, and helps shed light on the most recent announcements made by North Korea concerning its nuclear forces.

Oct. 20, 2021

Future Directions for Great Power Nuclear Arms Control: Policy Options and National Security Implications

With New START expiring in 2026, this Occasional Paper by 2020 National Defense University-U.S. Strategic Command Scholar Lt T. Justin Bronder, USAF, provides an assessment of several possible nuclear arms control/risk reduction approaches for the United States to consider. The author evaluates each approach for its possible impact on U.S.-Russia strategic stability, extended deterrence, budget costs, and other key factors, and recommends that in the near-term the United States engage other major nuclear powers in talks on new risk reduction and confidence-building measures.

June 28, 2021

Toward Nuclear and WMD Fluency in Professional Military Education

This article is one of the first products of CSWMD’s first WMD Educators Forum, which provided a venue for dialog and served as an accelerator for teaching methods and learning outcomes for WMD across the DoD. The article draws on recent experience in creating benchmarks for education on nuclear capabilities and concepts, and suggests how this can be done for other critical aspects of the WMD challenge.

April 5, 2021

Book Review: China’s Crisis of Success

In the latest from the Air University Press Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Mr. Paul David-Albert reviews William Overholt’s book, "China’s Crisis of Success" (2018). According to David-Albert, Overholt’s research proves useful as a road map of China’s rapid economic development from 1979–2010, the transitions China’s economy must undergo to continue growing, and the political challenges Pres. Xi Jinping faces going forward.

Feb. 1, 2021

The Future of Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Update

In an update to their 2014 paper on the future of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), John P. Caves, Jr., and W. Seth Carus assess and offer policy considerations on the significant geopolitical and technological developments shaping the future of WMD since 2014.

Nov. 10, 2020

Security Implications of Emerging Biotechnologies

June 2016 — On April 26th, 2016, the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CSWMD) at National Defense University held a workshop to explore “Security Implications of Emerging Biotechnologies.” Participants from government, NGOs and academia discussed opportunities and challenges of a new era of biotechnology.

Sept. 17, 2020

Vice Chairman Discusses Weapons of Mass Destruction at Symposium

On 17 September, 2020 from 0800-0900 EST, General John E. Hyten, USAF, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed a number of strategic security issues related to nuclear weapons, WMD, and advanced technology during CSWMD's virtual Annual Symposium. The session was moderated by Paul Bernstein, Distinguished Policy Fellow, CSWMD.