Project Sapphire was a successful covert operation that took place in 1994 and transferred highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Kazakhstan to the United States. At the time that Project Sapphire was undertaken, there was widespread concern that loose fissile material in the former Soviet states could spark a crisis. The project was a joint effort […]
Germany walks fine line on nuclear weapons
Senior Policy Director John Erath spoke with DW about the Russian threats to use nuclear weapons. “Clearly, we are at something of an inflection point,” John Erath, Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told DW. “One of the means Russia has chosen to accomplish its end is to make threats of […]
Evolving Threats, Un-evolving Solutions: Geo-Politicization of Export Control Policy
by Sophy Macartney* Export control regimes are one of the cornerstones of global non-proliferation efforts, aiming to keep potentially dangerous technologies out of the hands of possible aggressors. Since the Cold War, export control regimes have aimed for inclusiveness and avoided targeting specific states while including states with problematic export histories in hopes they would […]
No, We are not Going to War
By John Erath News feeds this week have featured a number of stories about the Commander of the Air Mobility Command, General Michael Minihan and his impression that there will be a U.S.-China war over Taiwan by 2025. While sensational, this view was quickly discounted by the Air Force and the Pentagon, although echoed by […]
Op-ed: ‘Old Think’ Is Driving U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
Senior Fellow John Isaacs wrote for The National Interest about the Pentagon’s counting problem, Cold War mentality, nuclear weapons and China. The dawn of the nuclear age changed every aspect of military calculations except for, unfortunately, the Pentagon’s counting skills. The United States continues to bear the consequences of this failure every day. With the […]