Threats

Pompeo Announces Open Skies Withdrawal

As Trump scraps a third security accord, his arms-control negotiator says the U.S. and Russia will talk about a new one.

Ideas

On Arms Control, Little Reason for Optimism

Officials in Moscow and Beijing will read Mr. Billingslea’s interview and see nothing to give them reason to negotiate.

Ideas

Trump’s Nuclear Policy Has Failed

Recognizing that blunders and bad ideas have undermined stability and security is the first step toward recovery.

Ideas

The Coronavirus Teaches Us Not to Let Trump Press the Nuclear Button

Some of the president’s poor decisions on COVID-19, like proposing to reopen the nation by Easter, have been reversed. But a presidential decision to start nuclear war cannot be.

Threats

America’s Allies Are Becoming a Nuclear-Proliferation Threat

Some of the United States' oldest allies are considering the once-unthinkable: building their own nuclear weapons.

Ideas

Don’t Let On-Site Inspections Go Extinct

In-person visits to foreign military bases and weapons facilities improve national security in more ways than meet the eye.

Policy

A New Nuclear Warhead? STRATCOM Chief Can’t Answer Yes or No

The W93 has been the focus of questions since it appeared in the 2021 budget proposal.

Policy

Esper Plays Nuclear War: Russia Nukes Europe, US Fires Back

The defense secretary took part in a classified drill at U.S. Strategic Command this week.

Ideas

The US Doesn’t Need a New New START

There is no reason to believe that withdrawing from the current one would improve U.S. security.

Ideas

Trump’s Bid to Go Big on Nuclear Arms Looks Like a Fizzle

Russia has no interest in negotiating from scratch. China has no interest in negotiating at all.

Ideas

2020 Dems Need To Get Up To Speed on Nuclear Weapons. Fast.

Front-runners have displayed key misunderstandings, while other candidates have shied away from the topic.

Ideas

How Quickly Could Iran Get a Nuclear Bomb?

A former National Nuclear Security Administration coordinator explains breakout time — and why it’s getting shorter.

Ideas

Progress, Peril, Hope: The Nuclear Decade in Review

U.S. policies that restrained and shrank atomic arsenals have been abandoned. Yet there are hopeful trends as well.

Ideas

Inside the Collapse of Trump’s Korea Policy

When it comes to America’s last-ditch effort to prevent North Korea from becoming a nuclear power, timing has been everything. Now time’s running out.

Ideas

The Trump Administration’s ‘Denuclearization’ Is A Road to Nowhere

U.S. policy will remain stuck as long as the administration continues to convince itself that the North’s nuclear dismantlement can be achieved on Washington’s timeline.

Business

Boeing Declines to Bid for ICBM, Leaving Northrop the Sole Contestant

As bidding deadline passes, Air Force must decide whether to accept a sole-source situation.

Ideas

Democrats Retreat on Nuclear Policy

The 2020 authorization bill fails to check Trump’s worst impulses.

Ideas

A New Nuclear Deal? Start with New START

Russia is ready to extend this critical treaty, but Trump isn’t taking “yes” for an answer.

Ideas

Trump Just Ghosted NATO, But Here’s What He Said That Matters

The president was on a roll until he surrendered a final chance to lay out his concerns and priorities.