July 23, 2019

Spotlight Seminar: Crisis Stability, Escalation, and Social Media

At the July Spotlight Seminar, Dr. Heather Williams will give a talk on the dynamics of crisis stability in the social media age.

July 23, 2019

Systems-based Approach to Biodefense Policy Analysis

In this article, co-authored by Dr. Diane DiEuliis, the authors describe a systems-based analysis of the US biosecurity and biodefense policy landscape to analyze functional relationships between policies. They identify 2 approaches in US policy for countering biological threats: prevention of theft, diversion, or deliberate malicious use of biological technologies, and development of capabilities and knowledge to assess, detect, monitor, respond to, and attribute biological threats.

July 23, 2019

Book Review: The End of Strategic Stability?: Nuclear Weapons and the Challenge of Regional Rivalries

In this book review, published in Strategic Studies Quarterly, Dr. Justin Anderson argues that Rubin and Stulberg's volume will leave readers better informed about how Great Powers and regional actors believe nuclear weapons either undergird or undermine strategic stability.

July 23, 2019

The INF Treaty: A Spectacular, Inflexible, Time-bound Success

This article discusses the changing dynamics that led first Moscow and then Washington to reevaluate the merit of the INF Treaty. It concludes that the treaty's relative rigidity may play a key role in its undoing and suggests that future arms control negotiations develop more flexible and resilient mechanisms of review, dispute resolution, and verification.

May 22, 2019

Honey, I Shrunk the Lab: Emerging Microfluidics Technology and its Implications for Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Weapons

Emerging microfluidics technology has significant extant and potential implications for chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons threats. In E&C Research Paper no. 5, Cyrus Jabbari and Philipp Bleek argue that policymakers concerned about CBRN threats have an opportunity to get ahead of, or at least less behind, some of these developments.

March 18, 2019

2019 Annual Symposium Countering WMD at 25: A Changing World

Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction’s annual symposium, Countering WMD at 25: A Changing World took place on 19-20 June 2019 at NDU, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

Feb. 14, 2019

2019 Missile Defense Review Policy Seminar

Feb. 21, 2019 — CSWMD hosted a policy discussion of the 2019 Missile Defense Review on 21 February.

Feb. 4, 2019

Podcast: Syria and Chemical Weapons

CSWMD's Pat Terrell, with former Assistant Secretary Tom Countryman, discusses the 2013-2014 operation to remove and destroy Syria’s stock of chemical weapons.

Dec. 3, 2018

Deterrence in the 21st Century: Integrating Nuclear and Conventional Force

In this article, published in Strategic Studies Quarterly, Robert Peters, Justin Anderson, and Harrison Menke advocate better integration between nuclear deterrence strategies and nuclear deterrence operations with US conventional defense policy, strategy, and planning processes.

Dec. 3, 2018

Biotechnology for the Battlefield: In Need of a Strategy

In her article, published on War on the Rocks, CSWMD Senior Research Fellow Dr. Diane DiEuliis discusses the need for a more cohesive strategy to harness the potential uses of biotechnology on the battlefield.

Nov. 29, 2018

NATO Nuclear Policy Symposium 2018

On November 29, 2018, the National Defense University hosted the first day of the 3-day 2018 North Atlantic Treaty Organization Nuclear Policy Symposium. The theme of the conference is "NATO Nuclear Deterrence: Next Steps in the Adaptation Process." Learn more and view pictures from the event here.

Oct. 25, 2018

WMD in the Digital Age: Understanding the Impact of Emerging Technologies

In E&C Research Paper no. 4, Dr. Bajema explores three broad trends associated with emerging technologies that are fundamentally altering the WMD context, changing the threat space, and undermining the traditional tool box for countering WMD: digitization, convergence, and democratization.

July 30, 2018

Alternative North Korean Nuclear Futures

Dr. Shane Smith takes stock of what we know about North Korea's nuclear motivations, capabilities, and ambitions.

July 30, 2018

North Korea's Strategic Culture and Its Evolving Nuclear Strategy

Dr. Shane Smith assesses how North Korea's peculiar strategic culture might impact its decisions over nuclear doctrine and command and control arrangements.

July 12, 2018

2018 Annual Symposium: "Weapons of Mass Destruction: Weapons of Intimidation, Coercion, and War"

The 2018 Symposium focused on the evolving role of WMD within the geopolitical strategies, defense policies, and military plans of potential U.S. adversaries.

July 9, 2018

The Digitization of Biology: Understanding the New Risks and Implications for Governance

In research paper no. 3, Dr. Natasha Bajema, Dr. Diane DiEuliis, Mr. Charles Lutes and Mr. Yong-Bee Lim explore the implications of the digitization of biology, identify new risks and challenges for governance.

June 25, 2018

Roadmap for Implementing Biosecurity and Biodefense Policy in the United States

This past year, Dr. Diane DiEuliis, in partnership with Gryphon Scientific and Parsons, undertook an ambitious, systems-based analysis of biosecurity and biodefense policy in the United States. Here you can find the full report, an executive summary of the report, and the resultant Roadmap for U.S biodefense policy.

June 6, 2018

WMD Education Consortium Workshop

The Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, National Defense University hosted a CWMD Education Community Consortium (ECC) workshop on 6 June 2018.

May 24, 2018

Education Resource Catalog

Fort McNair — Catalog of professional and educational opportunities for federal government employees and non-government individuals spanning a wide range of WMD-related topics.

May 22, 2018

Book Review: The Darkest Sides of Politics, II: State Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Religious Extremism, and Organized Crime

Fort McNair — In this companion to his first volume on Postwar Facism, Covert Operations, and Terrorism, Jeffrey Bale explores the influence of some of the world’s most pressing security concerns through a review of global case studies on weapons of mass destruction (WMD), violent extremism, and organized crime.

May 16, 2018

Book Review: The Politics of Weapons Inspections: Assessing WMD Monitoring and Verification Regimes

Fort McNair — Nathan E. Busch and Joseph F. Pilat in their book The Politics of Weapons Inspections: Assessing WMD Monitoring and Verification Regimes draw attention to the important role that politics can play within weapons of mass destruction (WMD) verification, but the title promises more than the authors deliver.

May 15, 2018

Book Review: Dirty War: Rhodesia and Chemical Biological Warfare 1975-1980

Fort McNair — In this book review, Dr. Seth Carus writes that Glenn Cross’s Dirty War: Rhodesia and Chemical Biological Warfare 1975–1980 is a welcome addition to the small, but growing scholarly literature on the history of chemical and biological warfare.

May 14, 2018

Playing With Fire

Listen as CSWMD's Mr. Patrick Terrell and Mr. Robert J. Peters speak to the National Defense University's Defense Matters podcast about North Korea's increased rhetoric, capabilities escalate the probability of armed conflict & how it affects American allies in the region. The views expressed in the podcast are those of the individual and not the organization.

May 10, 2018

Iran's Strategic Culture: Implications for Nuclear Policy

Fort Lesley J McNair — This book chapter, published in Crossing Nuclear Thresholds: Leveraging Sociocultural Insights into Nuclear Decisionmaking assesses the principal drivers of Iran's strategic culture and their broader implications for the country's nuclear decisionmaking processes.

April 19, 2018

Spotlight Seminar: Weapons of Mass Decentralization: Exploring Blockchain Technology

Date: February 15, 2018

April 17, 2018

Nuclear Posture Review Rollout

Date: February 16, 2018

April 9, 2018

Emergence and Convergence: Research Paper Series

National Defense University — The E&C research paper series will explore specific topics highlighting the impact of additive manufacturing, advanced robotics, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology on the WMD space as well as potential governance challenges and solutions.

April 9, 2018

The Age of Commercial Drones: Implications for National Security and Weapons of Mass Destruction

In Emergence and Convergence research paper no. 1, Mr. Kenneth Turner explores the rise of commercial drones and its implications for CWMD.

April 9, 2018

The Future of Defense Innovation: Removing the Silos between the Warfighters and Innovators

Dr. Natasha Bajema explores the challenges of defense innovation under the current defense acquisition system.

April 4, 2018

Emergence and Convergence: Risk Assessment Survey

Fort Lesley J McNair — In its multi-year study entitled Emergence and Convergence, the WMD Center is exploring the risks, opportunities, and governance challenges for countering WMD introduced by a diverse range of emerging technologies.

April 4, 2018

Biodata Risks and Synthetic Biology: A Critical Juncture

Intrinsic to growing ability to apply classical engineering to biological systems is the mounting ‘digitization of biology’, as the genetic code and its related metadata (including translated proteins, associated functions, herein referred to as “biodata”) are amassed in order to engineer biology for specific purposes. There are three unique risks categories associated with the digitization of biology: 1) pathogen risks; 2) manufacturing risks, and 3) risks to individual privacy that can allow human harms.

Jan. 23, 2018

Negotiating a Nuclear "Code of Conduct"

The NPT five lack shared norms of nuclear behavior. Pursuing a nuclear code of conduct could resolve that and help increase both dialogue and stability.

Nov. 17, 2017

Nuclear Terrorism - Imminent Threat?

Terrorism experts and analysts have debated this for years, and no consensus exists as to why the world has not seen terrorists succeed at perpetrating a nuclear attack. Despite the seeming inevitability of a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon, terrorists may be substantially less likely to conduct such an attack than most analysts and policymakers expect.

Nov. 3, 2017

Biosecurity Implications for the Synthesis of Horsepox, an Orthopoxvirus

This article examines the biosecurity and biodefense implications resulting from the recent creation of horsepox virus, a noncirculating (extinct) species of orthopoxvirus. Here we examine the technical aspects of the horsepox virus synthesis and conclude that orthopox synthesis experiments currently remain technically challenging—and will continue to be so, even once this work is published in the scientific literature.

Oct. 19, 2017

Competitive Symposium 2017

Washington, DC — The Competitive Symposium held on 2-3 March 2017 is a new initiative of the WMD Center designed to leverage the three components of the Center’s mandate together with our WMD expertise on staff and growing cadre of next-generation military and civilian leaders with knowledge of the WMD threat—the Program for Emerging Leaders (PEL) and the Countering WMD Graduate Fellows Program.

Oct. 3, 2017

Options for Synthetic DNA Order Screening, Revisited

DNA synthesis is a valuable research tool in the design of new biological products for medicine and manufacturing, and the ability to chemically synthesize long tracts of DNA has allowed for the development of influenza vaccines and diagnostic tests.

Aug. 30, 2017

North Korean Collapse: Weapons of Mass Destruction Use and Proliferation Challenges

38 North — Among all the challenges associated with a North Korean collapse, the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or movement of WMD out of the country will have the largest strategic implications.

Aug. 29, 2017

Exploring the Requirements of Integrated Strategic Deterrence

The workshop sought to gain a deeper understanding of how a more integrated approach to capabilities, operational concepts and plans could deliver a stronger deterrence posture to meet the challenges posed by advanced nuclear-armed adversaries in future regional crisis and conflict.

Aug. 7, 2017

A Short History of Biological Warfare: From Pre-History to the 21st Century

This short monograph reviews the history of biological warfare (BW) from prehistory to the present. It covers what we know about the practice of BW and briefly describes the programs that developed BW weapons based on the best available research.

July 31, 2017

A New Approach to Eliminating North Korean Weapons of Mass Destruction is Needed

Preventing the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against the United States and its allies has long been a paramount security objective for Washington with increased urgency since 9/11.

July 10, 2017

The Proliferation Security Initiative in 2017: U.S. Interagency Perspectives

In 2003, President George W. Bush unveiled the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in a speech in Krakow, Poland.

May 12, 2017

Peril and Promise: Emerging Technologies and WMD

Emerging technologies are transforming life, industry, and the global economy in positive ways, but they also have significant potential for subversion by states and nonstate actors. National security experts, lawmakers, and policymakers have become increasingly concerned about the interactions among a number of emerging technologies that could alter and increase the threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

April 14, 2017

The Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense Program: An Enabler of the Third Offset Strategy

In the current era of rapidly emerging technologies, adversaries are not only rediscovering chemical and biological weapons; they are also displaying an increased propensity to employ them to cause strategic instability among deployed forces or nations undergoing conflict. The United States's investments in its Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) can be a critical enabler of the third offset strategy, which is a DOD initiative that seeks to maximize force capability to offset emerging threats.

March 20, 2017

March Issue, Arms Control Today: "Deter and Downsize: A Paradigm Shift for Nuclear Arms Control"

The nuclear triad approach to nuclear arms control deserves recognition for playing an important role in limiting and ultimately contributing to the reduction of their respective deployed nuclear forces, but it is unable to address the nuclear competition within the present geostrategic environment, where multiple states view nuclear forces as critically important to their long-term security. If nuclear arms control is to play a key role in preventing friction between nuclear powers and reducing nuclear risks in the 21st century, there needs to be a shift in focus and an expansion in participants.

Feb. 24, 2017

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Negotiations: A Case Study

On July 16, 1945, the United States conducted the world’s first nuclear explosive test in Alamagordo, New Mexico.

Feb. 1, 2017

CSWMD Academic Catalog 2017

CSWMD academic programs fall into three different categories: professional development programs, NDUand other JPME courses, and public offerings. Professional development programs are available only to thosewho meet the minimum requirements laid out for each program, apply to the program and are accepted. JPMEcourses are available only to students

Nov. 3, 2016

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Challenges for the New Administration

The 2015 National Security Strategy identifies the proliferation and/or use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) among the top strategic risks to the Nation’s interests. This paper examines four pressing WMD challenges for the next U.S. administration. First, the prospects of a direct clash between the United States and a nuclear-armed adversary

Sept. 25, 2016

Why the U.S.-Israel Military Aid Package Matters

After months of tense and drawn-out negotiations, on September 14 the United States and Israel signed the largest U.S. military aid package given to any country, amounting to $3.8 billion annually. The new aid package reaffirms the United States’ unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. But the culmination of the aid deal, set to come into

Sept. 1, 2016

Law of War Considerations In Fielding Nuclear Forces

The status of nuclear weapons within international law was a subject of intense debate during last fall’s UN General Assembly First Committee session. State supporters of the humanitarian initiative on nuclear weapons pressed for resolutions asserting the illegality of nuclear weapons and sought to build support for the near-term negotiation of a

July 19, 2016

WMD Center Presents at the Timbie Forum

The James Timbie Forum on Arms Control and Nonproliferation (#timbieforum) is an annual conference organized by the State Department that seeks to both engage the Washington DC policy community on these issues and encourage students and young professionals to consider careers in related fields. Formerly known as “Generation Prague,” the name of the

July 18, 2016

The Soviet Biological Weapons Program and Its Legacy in Today’s Russia

In its first Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Case Study, the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CSWMD) at the National Defense University examined President Richard M. Nixon’s decision, on November 25, 1969, to terminate the U.S. offensive biological weapons program.1  This occasional paper seeks to explain why the Soviet

July 7, 2016

Maintaining Strategic Stability in a Changing Security Environment

Date: Thursday, July 21, 2016
Time: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

May 17, 2016

PEL Summer Immersion

Date: June 6-10, 2016 The Summer Immersion for the Program for Emerging Leaders (PEL) will be held at NDU, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC. This event is by invitation only.

May 11, 2016

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Challenges for the Next Administration

On 11-12 May, 2016 the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CSWMD) held its annual symposium, titled Weapons of Mass Destruction: Challenges for the Next Administration. Approximately 300 attendees were in attendance as WMD expert panels presented their views on key WMD challenges facing the next U.S. administration. The two day

May 11, 2016

Limited and Lawful Hammers

The article by Gro Nystuen and Kjolv Egeland in Arms Control Today titled, “A ‘Legal Gap’? Nuclear Weapons Under International Law” begins by citing language from the “Conclusion” of the Final Document of the 2010 NPT RevCon, noting it “referred for the first time in [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)] history to the ‘catastrophic humanitarian

April 19, 2016

The Emerging Global Security Environment

What trends will define the global security environment through the second decade of the 21st century? A fair question, to be sure, but not one that the United States grapples with very easily. As a democratic society, America’s time horizons tend to be short. Washington’s natural proclivity is to connect judgments about trends and policy choices

April 7, 2016

Crisis in the Levant: The Problem of Continued Use of Chemical Weapons

Date: Thursday, April 7, 2016 Time: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Despite the successful destruction of Syria’s declared chemical weapons stockpile in 2014, the continued use of toxic chemicals as weapons of war in Syria and Iraq underscores the threat of persistent small-scale chemical warfare still facing the international community.

March 25, 2016

WMD Education Conference

The Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction will be holding a WMD Education Conference. The conference will be held on Wednesday, 30 March, from 0730-1600 at NDU, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC.

March 17, 2016

Spotlight Seminar: Assessing the New Joint Concept for Preventing the Use and Transfer of WMD

On March 24th, 2016 the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CSWMD) held a spotlight seminar titled "Assessing the New Joint Concept for Preventing the Use and Transfer of WMD". The seminar covered the increasing uncertainty in the current and forecasted security environment that is likely to heighten WMD dangers in both scope and

March 16, 2016

Applying Jus in Bello to the Nuclear Deterrent

On December 7, 2015, the UN General Assembly passed A/RES/70/50, titled “Ethical imperatives for a nuclear-weapon-free-world,” by a vote of 132-36. Co-sponsored by Austria and several other states central to the “Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons” movement, the resolution charges that any use of nuclear weapons would inherently violate the

March 16, 2016

Countering Russia’s Strategy for Regional Coercion and War

On January 19-20, The Center for the Study ofWeapons of Mass Destruction (CSWMD) conducted a workshop on "CounteringRussia's Strategy for Regional Coercion and War" at National DefenseUniversity.  The workshop was jointly convened by CSWMD, a component ofNDU’s Institute for National Strategic Studies, and the Center for GlobalSecurity Research at

March 10, 2016

Making Russia Think Twice About Nuclear Threats

On September 11, 2013, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, writing in The New York Times, issued “A Plea for Caution From Russia.” Putin sought to communicate directly with the American people, warning against U.S. and Western unilateral military action in Syria — in response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons against its own citizens —

March 9, 2016

Countering Russia’s Strategy for Regional Coercion and War

Much of the discussion since the 2014 Ukraine crisis began has focused on how Russia could exploit a local or regional political crisis (real or manufactured) tolaunch a military action that would result in a rapid fait accompli against one of the Baltic states (or elsewhere in eastern Europe), forcing NATO to weigh the costs and risks of a

Feb. 4, 2016

After the Iran Deal: The Future of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime

On February 4th, 2016 the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CSWMD) hosted a Spotlight Seminar featuring Assistant Secretary of State Thomas M. Countryman. The seminar, "After the Iran Deal: The Future of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime," covered the nuclear agreement with Iran as principally a nonproliferation accord that, if

Jan. 20, 2016

Countering Russia's Strategy for Regional Coercion and War

On January 19-20, The Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CSWMD) conducted a workshop on "Countering Russia's Strategy for Regional Coercion and War" at National Defense University.  The workshop was jointly convened by CSWMD, a component of NDU’s Institute for National Strategic Studies, and the Center for Global Security Research

Nov. 22, 2015

Implications for US Extended Deterrence and Assurance in East Asia

North Korea’s burgeoning nuclear program is placing greater demands on US extended deterrence and also raising questions in Seoul and Tokyo about the robustness of US commitments. These challenges are likely to grow over the coming years, as North Korea appears poised to expand the quantity, quality and diversity of weapons systems in its arsenal

Nov. 4, 2015

Countering WMD: A Changing Landscape?

The symposium was held on 13-14 May 2015 at NDU, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. This year's symposium examined whether and how current assumptions about the WMD threat and response changed in light of recent experience, changes in the security environment, and the spread of technology. Participants and speakers explored developments such

Nov. 4, 2015

Biosecurity in Southeast Asia: Regional Perspectives and U.S. Policy

Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Time: 12:30 PM –2:00 PM

You are cordially invited to the National Defense University (NDU) Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction’s Spotlight Seminar at NDU’s Lincoln Hall, Room 1105.

Nov. 3, 2015

In Good Health? The Biological Weapons Convention and the “Medicalization” of Security

Since the 1990s, the group of stakeholders working to combat biological weapons (BW) proliferation has broadened to include new actors who have not traditionally focused on security issues, including organizations from the public health sector, researchers in the life sciences, and the biosafety community. This has had significant benefits for the

Oct. 8, 2015

Deterrence Imperatives: Capabilities and Education

On 8 October 2015, National Defense University hosted a deterrence seminar featuring ADM Cecil Haney, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, as keynote presenter.

Aug. 20, 2015

Putin's Russia and U.S. Defense Strategy

The workshop addressed two questions bearing on the development of U.S. and NATO strategy toward Russia.

Aug. 12, 2015

Iran Debates the IAEA Roadmap

The Rouhani administration is insisting on the confidentiality of its 'roadmap' with the IAEA in order to quell domestic criticism of the JCPOA and bolster the nuclear program's security.

Aug. 1, 2015

North Korea's Evolving Nuclear Strategy

Over the past two decades, North Korea’s nuclear program has grown from a proliferation problem to a military threat to its neighbors and the United States. The country is now estimated to possess enough fissile material to build anywhere from six to about thirty nuclear weapons, depending largely on how much highly enriched uranium it has

July 1, 2015

The History of Biological Weapons Use: What We Know and What We Don’t

This article critically reviews the literature on the history of biological warfare, bioterrorism, and biocrimes. The first serious effort to review this entire history, made in 1969, had numerous limitations. In recent decades, several authors have filled many of the gaps in our understanding of the past use of biological agents (including both

June 13, 2015

Rethinking Deterrence and Assurance

The meeting assessed:  How NATO partners view threats after Ukraine, and the extent to which the Alliance is suited to meet them;   The likely trajectory of Russian force posture and conventional/nuclear strategy, and the balance between long running trends and post-Ukraine ones;  The implications of hybrid and ambiguous warfare for

April 14, 2015

The WMD Challenges Posed by a Collapse of North Korea

North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) pose a number of challenges, particularly how to find and secure those weapons if the regime collapses. This paper will look briefly at 1) North Korea’s nuclear, chemical and biological programs; 2) activities coalition forces might conduct in a collapse scenario; and 3) challenges posed by an

June 13, 2014

Background on the 'Possible Military Dimensions' of Iran's Nuclear Program

As senior officials from Iran and the P5+1 -- China, France, Russia, Britain, and the United States, plus Germany -- prepare for another round of nuclear talks in Vienna on June 16-20, one major issue that cannot be left unresolved regards the suspected military aspects of Iran's nuclear program. The so-called possible military dimensions (PMD) are

June 1, 2014

The Future of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Their Nature and Role in 2030

The longstanding efforts of the international community writ large to exclude weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from international competition and conflict could be undermined in 2030. The proliferation of these weapons is likely to be harder to prevent and thus potentially more prevalent. Nuclear weapons are likely to play a more significant role

May 20, 2014

Political Chasm Deepens Over Nuke Program

Iran’s political elite has become increasingly divided over the course of nuclear negotiations with the world’s six major powers, which began last fall. The current debate appears to fall into three camps: Nuclear Supporters: This faction reportedly includes Revolutionary Guards officials, personnel from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran

Feb. 1, 2014

Leadership Divided? The Domestic Politics of Iran's Nuclear Debate

The implementation of the Joint Plan of Action (JPA) between Iran and the P5+1 has raised hopes that the agreement will mark a first step toward a long-term, comprehensive solution to international concerns about Iran's nuclear program. Although Ayatollah Khamenei has publicly endorsed the efforts of President Hassan Rouhani's nuclear negotiating

Dec. 1, 2012

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Decision to Find Iran in Non-Compliance, 2002-2006

On August 14, 2002, at a press conference in Washington, DC, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an exiled Iranian opposition group, drew worldwide attention when it publicly accused Iran of clandestinely developing nuclear weapons. Alireza Jafarzadeh, then-U.S. media spokesperson for the NCRI, described two “top secret” nuclear

Oct. 1, 2012

Star Wars Rebooted: Global Missile Defense in 2017

At present and for the near future, missile defense (MD) is not in peril of dismemberment. Indeed, the level of political consensus on the need for a missile defense runs high, as demonstrated by the Obama administration since 2009.1 But there probably will be questions about the most appropriate policy and technical options going forward when the

Sept. 1, 2012

The Presidential Nuclear Initiatives of 1991-1992

On the morning of September 28, 1991, then-Colonel Frank Klotz witnessed an historic moment at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. As he and other senior officers from the base bomber and missile units watched, the crews for the B-1 strategic bombers that had been on alert that day climbed into their cockpits, started the planes, and taxied

June 1, 2012

Proliferation Security Initiative: Origins and Evolution

Failure as a Policy Catalyst On December 9, 2002, the United States and Spanish navies cooperated to interdict a North Korean vessel, the So San, in the Arabian Sea.1 The operation initially appeared to be an unqualified success, a textbook example of interdiction to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), related materials, or

June 1, 2012

Proliferation Risks of Civilian Nuclear Power Programs

The risks of nuclear proliferation—the further spread of nuclear weapons and weapons-usable material, technology, and expertise—derive in part from the technical characteristics of the nuclear fuel cycle and the national and international management of fuel cycle activities. Civilian nuclear power plants themselves are not considered a high

Jan. 1, 2012

Defining "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (Revised)

This revised Occasional Paper explores the issue of defining weapons of mass destruction with a focus on summarizing how the term has been used in disarmament negotiations, U.S. national security policy, Soviet and Russian military doctrine, and American political discourse. The paper identifies alternative definitions for WMD, addresses some of the key policy issues associated with different definitions, and proposes a definition appropriate for the Department of Defense.

Dec. 1, 2011

U.S. Ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention

On October 1, 1990, two months after Iraq’s surprise invasion and annexation of Kuwait had put the United States and other members of the international community on a collision course with the Saddam Hussein regime, President George H.W. Bush spoke to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York. He described Iraq’s brutal aggression

Oct. 1, 2010

Future Foreign Perceptions of Chemical Weapons Utility

It is inherently speculative to address future foreign perceptions of chemical weapons (CW) utility. This is not only because it concerns things that may be, rather than things that already are, but also because those who might be considering or already pursuing CW capabilities for the future will not be openly sharing their views. Classified

Aug. 3, 2010

Nuclear safety in Iran, post-Fukushima

Although the Fukushima disaster has stalled the ambitions of some developing countries to deploy new power reactors, the Japanese crisis has not seriously affected the expansion of Iran's nuclear energy program. Among the 45 countries that are actively considering plans to build their first power reactors, Iran is farthest along in the process and

April 1, 2010

The Origins of Nunn-Lugar and Cooperative Threat Reduction

In a 1999 interview, Ashton Carter, a key figure in helping to create and implement the threat reduction program initiated by Senators Sam Nunn (D–GA) and Richard Lugar (R–IN), recalled four visits between 1994 and 1996 to an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) base in Pervomaysk, Ukraine. Planted in the soil of this base were the most

March 11, 2010

Countering WMD in the 2010 QDR

Coming from the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), I probably will not surprise you by talking about the WMD aspects of this year’s Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). Specifically, I will focus on its countering WMD aspects—that is, how the Department of Defense (DOD) thinks about and prepares to prevent, defend against, and

Jan. 1, 2010

Avoiding a Crisis of Confidence in the U.S. Nuclear Deterrent

The United States needs to modernize and ensure the long-term reliability and responsiveness of its aging nuclear deterrent force and nuclear weapons infrastructure. It cannot otherwise safely reduce its nuclear weapons, responsibly ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, confidently deter and contain challenges from rising or resurgent

Jan. 1, 2010

U.S. Withdrawal from the Antiballistic Missile Treaty

As President George W. Bush made these remarks in a speech at the National Defense University (NDU) on May 1, 2001, National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation, and Homeland Defense Robert Joseph listened attentively. Within just 4 months of taking office, President Bush was articulating one of

Oct. 1, 2009

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

This Occasional Paper traces the general evolution of the countering WMD enterprise in the Clinton and Bush administrations and anticipates some of the major WMD challenges that lie ahead.

Oct. 1, 2009

President Nixon’s Decision to Renounce the U.S. Offensive Biological Weapons Program

The nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union was a prominent feature of the Cold War. A lesser known but equally dangerous element of the superpower competition involved biological weapons (BW), living microorganisms that cause fatal or incapacitating diseases in humans, animals, or plants. By the late 1960s, the United

July 1, 2009

Aligning Disarmament to Nuclear Dangers: Off to a Hasty START?

Confronted by a daunting array of nuclear threats, and having pledged to reinvigorate the application of disarmament tools to address these dangers, the Obama administration has decided to focus its initial efforts on negotiating a new bilateral agreement with Russia to replace the Cold War–era Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which expires

June 1, 2009

Are We Prepared? Four WMD Crises That Could Transform U.S. Security

This report, written by the staff of the National Defense University Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction in the fall of 2008 and the early winter of 2009, was conceived initially as a transition paper for the new administration following the 2008 American Presidential election. This report presents four weapons of mass destruction

May 1, 2008

International Partnerships to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction

This Occasional Paper examines the role, manifestations, and challenges of international cooperation to combat the weapons of mass destruction threat and poses important questions for future leaders to address in moving international cooperation forward in this area.

Jan. 1, 2008

Combating WMD Threats

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)—and the specter of these weapons falling into the hands of terrorists—defines what may well be America’s gravest strategic challenge in the years ahead. At a time when partisan debate over national security has become more commonplace, no one seriously disputes the stakes in this case.1While

April 1, 2007

The Future Nuclear Landscape

This Occasional Paper examines aspects of the contemporary and emerging international security environment that the authors believe will define the future nuclear landscape and identifies some associated priorities for policymakers.