Laicie (Olson) Heeley is Director of Middle East and Defense Policy at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation where her work focuses primarily on weapons proliferation, defense analysis, and Iran.
Heeley's work has appeared in well-known newspapers, journals, and periodicals, and includes a co-authored chapter in the book, Getting to Zero: The Path to Nuclear Disarmament. She is a regular contributor to the Truman Project's Doctrine Blog, and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Stimson Center's Will and The Wallet.
Prior to joining the Center, Heeley held positions at Physicians for Social Responsibility, The Counter Terrorist Finance Organization, and Global Green USA. Heeley holds a B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington University and an M.A in International Relations from St. Mary’s University.
Laicie in the News
May 14, 2013
"The Pentagon didn’t take the time to plan in advance and now it seems like people are getting the brunt of it all,” Heeley says.
Apr 26, 2013
Mideast weapons proliferation expert Laicie Heeley tells Foreign Policy that most estimates for the actual sarin stockpile hover around "the high hundreds of tons, possibly over 1,000."
Apr 10, 2013
Laicie Heeley, at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said the plan would be "essentially dead on arrival" in Congress.
Apr 3, 2013
Senior policy analyst, Laicie Heeley, joins The Jeff Santos Show to discuss Iran and Middle East peace.
Recent Articles by Laicie
Apr 24, 2013
In 2012, the most recent year for which complete data is available, the U.S. approved $645.7 billion in defense budget authority (fiscal year 2013 dollars). This figure includes funding for the Pentagon base budget, Department of Energy-administered nuclear weapons activities, and the war in Afghanistan.
Apr 19, 2013
The rhetoric from North Korea has become increasingly hostile. Last Friday, April 12th, the country warned that “nuclear war is unavoidable” and declared that Tokyo would be its first target in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula. This statement is just the latest in an escalating war of words and rising tensions between North Korean officials and the U.S. Join Truman Project President, just back from Japan, Rachel Kleinfeld and an expert panel as they discuss the current situation in North Korea, how the situation differs from that of Iran, and how we can better understand Asian hard security and the nuclear challenge.
Featuring:
L. Gordon Flake, Executive Director, Mansfield Foundation
Laicie Heeley, Director of Middle East and Defense Policy, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Alexandra Toma, Founder, Fissile Materials Working Group & Center Board member
Apr 12, 2013
The Obama administration has requested a base budget of $526.6 billion for fiscal year 2014. This represents a mere $900 million decrease, or just under two tenths of a percentage point from the FY13 base budget approved by Congress prior to sequestration.
Apr 7, 2013
"Small steps have the power to diffuse the dangerously tense stalemate that has become the norm between Tehran and Washington. Now is the time to recognize and respond to this moment of opportunity or risk wasting a chance to stop an Iranian nuclear weapon and avoid another large-scale war in the Middle East," writes Laicie Heeley in The Fletcher Forum.
