By Geoff Wilson and John Isaacs Admiral Charles Richard, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, painted a dire picture of the nuclear threats the United States faces from abroad, and claimed that they could only be met by renewing the U.S. commitment to nuclear dominance over the coming century. In his two days of testimony […]
New START by the Numbers
After coming perilously close to losing all constraints on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals, the New START treaty was extended through 2026. But as the United States and Russia modernize their arsenals, the threat of a new nuclear arms race underscores the need for continued cooperation.
Op-Ed: Biden Should Sink This Proposed Nuclear Weapon
Research Analyst Monica Montgomery co-authored an op-ed in Defense One making the case against a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile. “President Joe Biden’s first real test of his commitment to reducing the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy and trimming the bloated nuclear weapons budget is imminent. The administration released an initial topline version of its […]
Fact sheet: U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense
Ballistic missile defense systems seek to defend a given area from attack by locating and tracking an incoming ballistic missile and then launching an interceptor to destroy the missile before it can reach its target. All U.S. interceptors are made up of a booster rocket and a kill vehicle. While most interceptors are “hit-to-kill,” meaning […]
The U.S. Nuclear Inventory
At its peak, the United States had more than 31,000 nuclear weapons in its stockpile. Now, thanks to various arms control agreements and unilateral reductions, the United States has a total inventory of around 5,800 nuclear warheads.
