RUSSIA PREDICTABLY ESCALATES NUCLEAR RHETORIC; BIDEN ADMIN. SAYS RESEARCH SATELLITE LAUNCHED BEFORE WAR New reporting indicates that the Biden administration believes Russia launched a research spacecraft for an anti-satellite nuclear weapon shortly before invading Ukraine in 2022, though the satellite itself was not nuclear. This revelation comes on the heels of the administration’s increasing concerns that Russia […]
Front and Center
The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation publishes a monthly newsletter, Front and Center, including an update on nuclear arms control, national security, and nuclear weapons policy. You will also receive other national security updates occasionally, no more than once per week.
Front and Center: April 27, 2024
RUSSIA VETOES RESOLUTION BARRING SPACE WEAPONS AS CONGRESS FINALLY APPROVES UKRAINE AID On Thursday, the United States and Japan presented a resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) preventing nuclear weapons in space and reiterating obligations under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which was initially proposed by both the United States and Soviet Union and […]
Front and Center: March 17, 2024
BIDEN PLANNED FOR RUSSIAN NUCLEAR USE IN UKRAINE Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats have been a constant feature of the ongoing war in Ukraine. In addition to supporting democracy and Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Russia’s nuclear blackmail is a key reason why the international community should remain engaged. Normalizing nuclear threats as a foreign policy […]
Front and Center: February 17, 2024
SPACE NUKES OR NOT, THIS WAS IRRESPONSIBLE Vague statements earlier this week from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) about a highly classified report touched off speculation that Russia may be considering deployment of nuclear weapons in space. Other analysis speculates that Russia may either be experimenting with directed laser, or using nuclear-powered transport devices […]
Front and Center: December 18, 2023
THE LAST U.S. CHEMICAL WEAPON: AN ARMS CONTROL VICTORY This year, we — the United States, the world and supporters like you — got to celebrate a massive arms control victory: elimination of the last weapon in the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile. While there are many differences between chemical and nuclear weapons, we can apply […]