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 creative opportunities for emerging experts from a wide range of backgrounds 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.

Photo: CSIS

Photo: CSIS

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Photo: TAO-CHUAN YEH/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: TAO-CHUAN YEH/AFP via Getty Images

Report Launch: Project Atom 2025

December 10, 2025 • 9:00 am – 2:00 pm EST
In Person
Webcast
Hosted by Project on Nuclear Issues

Featured Project

Photo: Airman 1st Class Jack Rodriguez

Photo: Airman 1st Class Jack Rodriguez

HTK Series

A public discussion series with Heather Williams, Tom Karako, and Kari Bingen offering real-time context and commentary on national security developments and strategic forces issues

Featured Analysis

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Photo: iLab/CSIS

Game On: Opportunities for Euro-Atlantic Strategic Stability and Arms Control

Europe is likely to remain a theater of instability despite pressure for a peace settlement in Ukraine. As the United States shifts toward the Indo-Pacific and Russia continues to pursue its territorial ambitions, what might arms control look like after the war in Ukraine?

Report by Heather Williams, Nicholas Adamopoulos, Lachlan MacKenzie, and Catherine Murphy — April 21, 2025

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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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U.S. Bombs Iran: What Comes Next?

Join CSIS Directors Heather Williams, Kari Bingen, and Tom Karako for a discussion on the future of Iran's nuclear program.

Event — June 27, 2025

The Truth of the Matter

Did U.S. Strikes Prevent an Iranian Bomb—or Provoke One?

CSIS’s Heather Williams, director of the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues, joins the podcast to discuss the uncertain status of Iran’s nuclear program following Operation Midnight Hammer and what we should be watching for next.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Heather Williams — June 27, 2025

CSIS the truth of the matter
Audio Briefs

The Fallout Factor in Targeting Iran’s Nuclear Program

An audio version of “⁠The Fallout Factor in Targeting Iran’s Nuclear Program⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Doreen Horschig and Bailey Schiff. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Doreen Horschig and Bailey Schiff — June 23, 2025

Audio Briefs

The Fallout Factor in Targeting Iran’s Nuclear Program

Operation Midnight Hammer may mark the ceiling that conventional force can achieve against Iran’s nuclear program without triggering fallout. For Israel, this means future operations will likely involve sites that are more fortified or environmentally risky, or both.

Commentary by Doreen Horschig and Bailey Schiff — June 23, 2025

Audio Briefs

Iran and the Changing Character of the Nonproliferation Regime

An audio version of “⁠Iran and the Changing Character of the Nonproliferation Regime⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Joseph Rodgers. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Joseph Rodgers — June 20, 2025

Audio Briefs

Iran and the Changing Character of the Nonproliferation Regime

Rising tensions with Iran expose a volatile shift in the nonproliferation regime. As the regime’s normative power wanes, proliferation risks will rise, and military counterproliferation efforts will be more likely.

Commentary by Joseph Rodgers — June 20, 2025

Audio Briefs

Options for Targeting Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Facility

An audio version of “⁠Options for Targeting Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Facility⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Heather Williams. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Heather Williams — June 18, 2025

Audio Briefs

Options for Targeting Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Facility

There are five main options for targeting Iran’s Fordow facility: the GBU-57, sustained Israeli strikes, sabotage, nuclear weapons, and diplomacy. Each varies in its potential impact on Iran’s nuclear program and carries distinct risks of escalation and response.

Commentary by Heather Williams — June 18, 2025