Project on Nuclear Issues

Founded in 2003, PONI is the premier networked community of next generation professionals prepared to meet the nuclear challenges of the future

PONI programs provide inclusive, diverse, and creative opportunities for emerging experts to learn about nuclear issues and engage thoughtfully with the nuclear community. PONI also conducts cutting-edge research and analysis on three main topic areas: deterrence and escalation, risk reduction and arms control, and disarmament.

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Next Generation Nuclear Network

CSIS launched the Project on Nuclear Issues in 2003 to develop the next generation of policy, technical and operational nuclear professionals through outreach, mentorship, research and debate.

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Integrated Arms Control in an Era of Strategic Competition

January 25, 2022 | Rebecca Hersman, Suzanne Claeys and Heather Williams

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.

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Featured Event

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2023 Winter Conference

Please join the Project on Nuclear Issues for our February 2023 Winter Conference, hosted in Honolulu.

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Featured Project: Deterrence 101

Deterrence 101 is a collection of three thirty-minute long videos that explore core deterrence theory. Each video describes basic deterrence concepts, roots these ideas in a historical timeline, and features interviews with leading nuclear policy experts.

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Toward a More Proliferated World?

Nuclear proliferation pressures are increasing at a time when traditional U.S. counterproliferation measures face new challenges. This CSIS/CNAS joint report explores seven geopolitical trends shaping these factors and provides pragmatic recommendations to alter course.

Report by Eric Brewer , Ilan Goldenberg , Joseph Rodgers , Maxwell Simon , and Kaleigh Thomas — September 2, 2020

Photo: Official U.S. Navy Page/Flickr (United States government work)

NC3: Challenges Facing the Future System

This brief is the first in the PONI Deep Dive Debrief series that explores emerging or contentious nuclear challenges. It focuses on emerging political, informational, and fiscal risks to U.S. nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) architecture.

Brief by Suzanne Claeys , Eric Brewer , and Rebecca Hersman — July 9, 2020

Photo: U.S. Pacific Fleet/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Will U.S. Sanctions Snapback Force Iran Out of the NPT?

The United States is prepared to "snapback" sanctions on Iran, but Tehran has warned that move could push it out of the NPT, paving Iran’s way for nuclear weapons. How like is it that Iran abandons the treaty, and what should the United States do if it happens?

Commentary by Eric Brewer — May 15, 2020

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

On the Horizon Vol. 2: A Collection of Papers from the Next Generation

In this report, the 2019 PONI Nuclear Scholars touched upon a variety of nuclear security issues ranging from the future of arms-control treaties, the role of AI and cyber resilience in nuclear security, to regional dynamics as it pertains to nuclear weapons.

Report by Rebecca Hersman — April 9, 2020

Photo: U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SENIOR AIRMAN SERGIO A. GAMBOA

Under The Nuclear Shadow: Situational Awareness Technology and Crisis Decisionmaking

Information dominance has been essential to ensuring U.S. military effectiveness, sustaining the credibility and assurance of military alliances, and stabilizing or reducing the risks of miscalculation or collateral damage. But can there be too much of a good thing?

Report by Reja Younis , Rebecca Hersman , Bryce Farabaugh , Bethany Goldblum , and Andrew Reddie — March 18, 2020

PHOTO: TYRONE FERNANDEZ FROM PEXELS

Decisionmaking and Technology Under the Nuclear Shadow

Please join the Project on Nuclear Issues at CSIS on February 18th for a half-day conference, “Decision-making and Technology Under the Nuclear Shadow.” 

Event by Dr. Robert Jervis , Dr. Peter W. Singer , Avril Haines , Kathleen H. Hicks , Eric Brewer , and Rebecca Hersman — February 18, 2020

Photo: US Air Force

Iran’s Recent Nuclear Announcement in the Context of Rising Regional Tensions

On January 5—amidst quickly escalating tensions between the United States and Iran—Tehran announced its latest steps to walk back its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal. CSIS’s Eric Brewer analyzes the rationale behind Iran’s strategy and what is likely to happen next.

Critical Questions by Eric Brewer — January 6, 2020

Photo: ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

PONI 2019 Winter Conference

The PONI Conference Series, is unique in its emphasis on featuring rising experts and young professionals in the nuclear field.

Event by Eric Brewer , Rebecca Hersman , Ellen M Lord , and Rose Gottemoeller — December 11, 2019