US Nuclear Weapons Systems Facing Risk with Replacements
Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist for The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on topics from nuclear […] More
deterrence
What Does Another Nuclear Warhead Do?
OPINION — Should we all sleep easier because at last we have a low-yield nuclear warhead sitting atop a Trident D-5 sub-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) […] More
Soleimani and the True Measure of Deterrence
CONVERSATION STARTER — Few would argue that the January 3 drone strike that killed Iranian General and Quds Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani was a […] More
Staying the Course on Nuclear Modernization
This year, the Donald J. Trump administration will review the state of U.S. nuclear forces, the nation’s nuclear policy and posture, and how it fits […] More
The Latest
The Myth of Cyber Deterrence
Deterrence theory formed the foundation of the narratives and the strategies that shaped the Cold War, and many now seek to apply classical deterrence to […] More
The Evolution of Weapons of Mass Destruction
North Korea’s claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb earlier this month and allegations that ISIS used a mustard agent against Iraqi Kurds in August […] More
Non-State Actors
The global strategic environment is growing progressively complicated by an expanding and dynamic network of actors with common motivations and increased access to the technology […] More
Nation States
President Barack Obama spent much of his last State of the Union address dwelling on domestic issues, but he also pointedly reminded Americans that the […] More
Homegrown Terrorists
With the recent rise in domestic homegrown terrorist attacks, the fear of a domestic WMD attack is also rising. John Cohen, former Acting Under Secretary […] More