PONI 2018 Fall Conference

October 10 – 11, 2018

Important notes:

  • This event will take place offsite at the Air Force Academy from October 10th at 9:00 a.m. to October 11th at 6:00 p.m. (MDT).
  • Due to base access, foreign nationals interested in attending will need to register early and will receive additional communication.


Please contact Simone Williams at swilliams@csis.org with any questions.

This event is the second conference in the 2018-2019 PONI Conference Series. We are thrilled to partner with the U.S. Air Force Academy to host the conference on October 10-11 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

The two-day conference will feature presentations from emerging nuclear experts covering topics such as emerging technology, nuclear policy and strategies, arms control and proliferation challenges, and deterrence.

The PONI Conference Series, now in its fifteenth year, is unique in its emphasis on featuring rising experts and young professionals in the nuclear field. The Conference Series draws emerging thought leaders from across the nuclear enterprise and policy community and provides them with a visible platform for sharing their new thinking on a range of nuclear issues.

We have a hotel block at the Drury Inn Hotel, 1170 InterQuest Parkway. If you would like to stay at the hotel you can do individual reservation. Individual Call-In reservations can be made by reserving online, www.druryhotels.com, then enter Group number of 2352760.  Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-325-0720 and refer to the Group number of 2352760. 

Individual reservations must be cancelled prior to 12:00 p.m. on the confirmed date of arrival in order to avoid a fee equal to one night’s room rate plus tax. We require a valid credit card and photo ID to be presented at check in. Check In Time: 3:00 p.m. Check Out Time: 11:00 a.m. Arrangements may be made for baggage storage with the Hotel’s front desk staff. The cutoff date for the room block in the hotel is Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

Draft Agenda*

*Please note this is not a final and some items are subject to change

October 10-11, 2018
Day One: Wednesday, October 10
8:00       Shuttle Departs from Hotel to USAFA

8:45       Conference Check-in

9:00       Conference Welcome
Rebecca Hersman, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Adviser, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
 
9:15       Opening Remarks
Speaker TBD
 
9:30       Emerging Technology and Strategic Stability     
Panel Moderator TBD
 
Preserving Strategic Stability During the Fourth Revolution
Erin Connolly, Program Assistant, Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation
 
No Free Launch? Strategic Implications of Command & Control Disruption
Brian Radzinsky, PhD Candidate, George Washington University  
 
The Survivable Second Strike? Emerging Technology and the Undersea Threat Environment
Meyer Thalheimer, PhD Candidate, Columbia University  
 
Increasing Autonomy in the Operation and Maintenance of ICBMs
Jennifer Rogers, Senior System Architect, Northrop Grumman
 
11:00     Break 

11:15     A Mystery Inside an Enigma: Deciphering Russian Nuclear Policy
Panel Moderator:
Colonel Russell S. Williford, PhD, Director, Squadron Revitalization, Air Force Strategic Integration Group
 
Russian Hypersonic Weapons Development: Motivations and Arms Control Implications
Julia Diamond, Research Assistant, Federation of American Scientists
 
       Crime and Punishment: Tailored Responses to Russian Arms Control Violations
Arthur Tellis, Staff Assistant, Cybersecurity and Strategic Forces Subcommittees, U.S. Senate 
       
The Challenges and Implications of Ambiguity in Russian Nuclear Policy and Posture
Maggie Tennis, Research Assistant, Brooking Institution
 
Nonproliferation: A (Limited) Russian Interest         
Cameron Trainer, Research Associate, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies     
    
12:45     Lunch & Keynote Talk
Speaker TBD
 
3:10       Nuclear Deterrence: Change and Continuity   
Panel Moderator TBD
 
The Resilience of Nuclear Policy Through Administrations
Jillian Maloney, former Nuclear Policy Graduate Fellow, National Nuclear Security Administration  
 
U.S. Missile Defense and the Looming Challenge of U.S. – China Nuclear Stability  
Eric Gomez, Policy Analyst, Cato Institute  
 
Space-Based Missile Defense – Who Will Shoot First?
Rachel Webb, Policy Analyst, SAIC    
 
4:45       Reception at Patriot Club

5:45       End of Day One/Shuttle Returns to Hotel

Day Two: Thursday, October 11
7:30       Shuttle Departs from Hotel to USAFA

8:00       Welcome by AFSPC Leader (TBD) 

8:15       AFSPC Mission Briefing and Conversation on Missile Warning and Space Operations
       
8:30       Emerging Technology Interactive Exercise
              The exercise will examine how the introduction of situational awareness enhancing technology might impact relations on the Korean Peninsula.

12:15     Lunch and Keynote (USAFA)
Maj. Gen. Harencak (retired) Former Commander Air Force Recruitment
 
1:30       Depart for Museum

2:00       Tour of Museum

3:30       Depart for USAFA

4:00       End of Conference

 
This event is made possible by support from Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Department of Defense, and Air Force Global Strike Command.

Rebecca Hersman