PONI 2026 Fall Conference

The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) will host its 2026 Fall Conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on November 17. The conference theme is "The Nuclear Order Under Strain: Deterrence, Nonproliferation, and the Contest for the Future."

The 2026 NPT Review Conference ended without consensus, and with New START's expiration, the United States and Russia are without a binding arms control treaty. At the same time, pressures on the nuclear order are mounting on multiple fronts—Iran's nuclear program, Russia's nuclear coercion in Ukraine, and the accelerating buildup among nuclear-weapon states.

Nuclear competition is intensifying even as the mechanisms for managing it have lapsed, leaving open questions about how states will maintain stability. The conference will examine what arms control might look like without the frameworks that sustained it, the future of the nonproliferation regime, and the evolution of deterrence and restraint in a multipolar environment.

The conference will be in-person only and held on a not-for-attribution basis. To attend, click the "Register" button below. The agenda is forthcoming. 

Why Attend?  

The PONI Conference Series is unique in its focus on rising experts and young professionals in the nuclear field. Our conferences give rising professionals an opportunity to present their research and receive feedback from a wide range of experts and stakeholders. They are also a chance to build connections with academics, national lab representatives, military officials, policymakers, and industry representatives across the nuclear enterprise.

This event is made possible through the generous support of the National Nuclear Security Administration and U.S. national nuclear laboratories.