Ideas

The Old Arguments About US Nukes in Europe Aren’t Working. Here’s A New Approach.

Stressing the humanitarian dimensions of the debate over tactical nukes may break a long stalemate.

Ideas

How the US and China Can Talk Each Other Out of a Nuclear Arms Race

By striving for strategic stability, Beijing and Washington can relieve the pressures of oneupmanship and the risk of accidental escalation.

Threats

How Bad Would A Radiological Terror Attack Be?

An interactive map shows a wide variation of outcomes for “nuclear terrorism.”

Ideas

China's Military Wants to Put Its Nukes on a Hair Trigger

If Barack Obama gets one thing done at the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, it should be dissuading Xi Jinping from doing this.

Ideas

Some Good Reading for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit

As the curtain prepares to rise on tomorrow's opening in Washington, take a moment to read the best from Defense One staff and contributors.

Ideas

Is That All There Is? Obama’s Disappointing Nuclear Legacy

The biggest roadblock to making the world safer from nuclear weapons turned out to be the president's own team.

Science & Tech

A Nuclear-Armed ISIS? It's Not That Farfetched, Expert Says

A Harvard researcher says the terror group might be closer to wreaking some sort of radioactive havoc than we think.

Ideas

It's Time for China to Turn Nuclear-Security Pledges into Reality

Beijing's made a good start, but must buckle down before terror groups exploit corruption to devastating effect.

Policy

America's Working on Its Next Nuclear Deal

The Obama Administration wants to alter a plutonium-disposal pact. What will Russia demand in return?

Ideas

Bernie Sanders Looks Pretty Darn Establishment on Nuclear Weapons

Sanders is no outside-the-margin liberal on keeping up America’s nuclear arsenal.

Ideas

Obama Is About To Launch A New Nuclear Arms Race. There’s a Better Way.

Despite his anti-nuclear words, the president is about to cave to the nuclear arms priesthood.

Threats

How to Tell The Difference Between a Nuclear Bomb Test and an Earthquake

The preliminary data suggests that the event in North Korea was not, in fact, the end of the world.

Ideas

Ronald Reagan’s Disarmament Dream

How the former president’s fantasy about space weapons ruined a plan to eliminate the entire U.S. and Soviet nuclear arsenals.

Ideas

Pakistan's Race to Build Tiny Nukes Is Going to Backfire

Islamabad’s tactical nuclear weapons don’t look so fun for any Pakistani who thinks through the math.

Threats

Russia: We Didn't Mean to Show Everyone Our Massive New Nuclear Torpedo

After airing images on two state-run TV stations, Putin's spokesman said in the future, authorities would 'undoubtedly take preventive measures so this does not happen again.'

Threats

How Al-Shabab Could Get Their Hands on a Nuclear Core

Kenya is facing a terrible dilemma: Run out of energy for its citizens, or risk terrorists seizing a nuclear power plant.

Ideas

Russia is Proving Why Nuclear-Tipped Cruise Missiles Are a Very Bad Idea

Those four cruise missiles that crashed in Iran could’ve been carrying nuclear warheads — which is why the US should ban them, not renew them.

Ideas

The Pope Is Lining Up to Ban Nuclear Weapons

Under Pope Francis the Catholic church is moving away from Cold War nuclear acceptance faster than Congress and the Obama administration.

Threats

US Spy Chief ‘Pretty Confident’ He’ll Know If Iran Cheats on Nuclear Deal

The intelligence community has created tools especially to keep tabs on Tehran, DNI Clapper says.