Trilateral Dialogue on Nuclear Issues

"Track 2" participants from the United States, United Kingdom, and France seek to help build trilateral consensus on nuclear issues

Background on the Dialogues

Since 2009, the European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in partnership with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), has convened senior nuclear policy experts from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States (P3) to discuss nuclear deterrence, arms control and nonproliferation policy issues and to identify areas of consensus among the three countries.The majority of the experts are former U.S., UK, and French senior officials; the others are well-known academics in the field. Since the Dialogues’ inception, high-level officials from all three governments have also routinely joined the forum and participated in the discussions.

The Dialogues have been unique in bringing U.S., UK, and French representatives into a trilateral forum for discussing nuclear policy. The United States, United Kingdom, and France hold common values and principles directed toward a shared purpose of global peace and security, as well as an understanding of their respective roles as responsible stewards of the nuclear order. Their sustained engagement will thus, irrespective of political shifts in any of the three countries, remain unique in the context of international alliances and partnerships and essential into the foreseeable future. All signatories agree to this statement in their personal capacity, which may not represent the views of their respective organizations.

The meetings are cochaired by CSIS senior fellow Dr. Heather Williams and nonresident senior adviser Franklin Miller. This programming is made possible by the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

All Trilateral Dialogue on Nuclear Issues Content

Filter by

1 - 10 of 177 results

CSIS European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues

In 2022, the European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues convened senior nuclear policy experts from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States to discuss nuclear deterrence, arms control, and nonproliferation issues and identify areas of consensus among the P3.

Report by Heather Williams — March 20, 2023

Automating the OODA Loop in the Age of AI

Because of the confluence of several cognitive, geopolitical, and organizational factors, the line between machines analyzing and synthesizing (i.e., prediction) data that informs humans who make decisions (i.e., judgment) will become an increasingly blurred human-machine decision-making continuum.

Commentary — July 25, 2022

Part 2: How to Target Cancer and Security with Safe and Secure Radiation Technologies

Security and health have often been considered separate disciplines, but the rise in global terrorism has created an unintended intersection between both areas. Progress is being made by the international community in raising awareness of non-source-based technology options such as LINACs but there is more to be done in making non-source based technologies available to “cancer patients in LMICs and other geographically underserved regions.”

Commentary — July 21, 2022

Brazil Moves Closer to Developing a Nuclear-Powered Submarine

On June 6 of this year, the Brazilian government and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) started negotiations to allow the country to use nuclear fuel in its slow-burning submarine program. With this announcement, the administration of the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is taking steps to fulfill a long-standing attempt to develop a Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine.  

Commentary — July 13, 2022

Latin America Has Offered a Response to Nuclear Uncertainty since 55 Years Ago

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the treaty institutionalizing the first nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) in a densely populated area. The Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, commonly known as the Treaty of Tlatelolco, opened for signatures on February 14, 1967. It entered into force on April 22,…

Commentary — May 17, 2022

Pyongyang’s momentum: Moving its nuclear weapons and missile programs forward 

Despite economic hardships and total isolation, Pyongyang continues developing and modernizing its nuclear weapons program by expanding its capacity to produce fissile materials and grow its materials stockpile, as well as boosting the diversity of its short- to theatre-range delivery systems, and pursuing its newest ICBM.

Commentary — April 4, 2022

CSIS European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues

In 2021, the European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues convened senior nuclear policy experts from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States to discuss nuclear deterrence, arms control, and nonproliferation issues and identify areas of consensus among the P3.

Report by Rebecca Hersman — March 31, 2022

Integrated Arms Control in an Era of Strategic Competition

Can contemporary arms control keep pace with the rapid rate of change in both geopolitics and technology? This study examines the implication and prospects for the future of arms control in a highly competitive security environment in which challenges from advanced technologies and diminished state control over processes of verification become increasingly prominent features, even as the scope and modalities of arms control grow more complex and multifaceted.

Commentary — January 25, 2022