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 conference was changed in 2016 to honor Dr. James Timbie, a physicist who provided scientific and policy expertise on arms control and nonproliferation negotiations from the Cold War through the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The State Department invited the Center for the Study of WMD (CSWMD) to help organize the 2016 conference; in addition to assisting in the development of the event’s agenda, the Center took the lead on a panel titled “Deterrence and Arms Control.” Dr. Justin Anderson, CSWMD Research Fellow, chaired the panel, which featured presentations by Dr. Rupal Mehta (University of Nebraska) and Dr. Heather Williams (King’s College London), and policy commentary by Mr. Vince Manzo (Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy (OSD/P)) and Maj Miriam Krieger (USAF). The panelists highlighted the increasing complexity of nuclear and conventional deterrence in an era of increasing competition across multiple strategic domains, while also stating that this may present opportunities for new types of arms control arrangements as major powers seek to reduce the risk of potential future crises or conflicts.
