Greg Koblentz, member of the Center’s Scientists Working Group of Chemical and Biological Threats, spoke with Politico about the possible use of chemical weapons in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Experts and officials said tracking pharmaceutical-based agents and gathering intelligence about their development, particularly for offensive purposes, has become increasingly difficult. The substances used to develop […]
Hiding in Plain Sight: India and Pakistan’s Global Environmental Threat
By Cate Warden* We only hear about the relationship between nuclear-armed states India and Pakistan in abrupt times of crisis, such as when India accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan in March of 2022. The escalation dominates headlines for a few days, and then no one outside of the region itself hears about India and […]
Front and Center: November 19, 2022
RUSSIAN RETREAT AND A TRAGEDY IN POLAND Russian troops withdrew from the city of Kherson and territory along the Dnipro River, demonstrating that they could not withstand the strong defenses put up by Ukrainian forces. Senior Policy Director John Erath argues in a new op-ed in The National Interest that Russia’s failed invasion is proof that nuclear weapons […]
Fact Sheet: Preventing a Dirty Bomb: Why Radiological Security Matters
Though not nearly as powerful as a nuclear weapon, a so-called dirty bomb, a type of Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD), may yield fear and panic, contaminate property, and offer a powerful psychological weapon. It is often used as an area of denial device against civilian populations that may spread radioactive material within a range of […]
Fact Sheet: Thermonuclear Weapons
Thermonuclear weapons, sometimes referred to as Hydrogen, or “H-bombs,” utilize both atomic fission and nuclear fusion to create an explosion. The combination of these two processes releases massive amounts of energy, hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than an atomic bomb. Origins Development of the hydrogen bomb dates to the 1940s during The Manhattan […]