Nuclear Weapons & Global Security
Our scientists and policy experts work to reduce some of the biggest security threats facing the world today, including the risks posed by nuclear weapons, nuclear terrorism, and space weapons. We work with scientists around the globe to increase international understanding of these issues and to foster and strengthen efforts to increase international security.
Features
All Things Nuclear - Insights on Science and Security (Blog)
Verification of New START (July 2010)
DOE Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (July 2010)
The Obama Administration’s New Nuclear Policy (April 2010)
Obama Administration Sets New Course for Post-Cold War Nuclear Weapons Policy (April 2010)
New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Factsheet (March 2010)
Successes
Recent successes in Nuclear Weapons & Global Security include:
- Joint letter from prominent scientists urging the Obama administration to issue a directive that the United States will not deploy any part of the proposed U.S. missile defense system in Europe before it is proven effective under real-world operating conditions
- Statement signed by prominent physicists, including 23 Nobel Prize winners, supported our recommendations on an eventual ban on all nuclear weapons
- Generated national media attention with ad on reducing nuclear weapons
- UCS analysis helped persuade Congress to eliminate funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, scale back plan to rebuild U.S. nuclear weapons complex, and to make deep cuts in budget for proposed Global Nuclear Energy Partnership program
- Educated policy makers about how a "test bed" for space weapons could lead to new arms race in space and convinced Congress to deny funding for program
- Celebrated twentieth anniversary of our international summer symposium which educates young scientists around the world on arms control and security issues.
- Continued to educate policy makers, military officers, the media, and public about China's space program
Analysis
Toward True Security: Ten Steps The Next President Should Take to Transform U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
A new report co-written by UCS staff and board members, and other independent experts (February 13, 2008)
The Physics of Space Security: A Reference Manual, a UCS-authored report, published in May 2005 by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS).
Technical Realities: An Analysis of the U.S. National Missle Defense System
The ballistic missile defense system that the United States will deploy later this year will have no demonstrated defensive capability and will be ineffective against a real attack by long-range ballistic missiles.
Campaigns
A Safer World STARTs With This Simple Step
On April 8, 2010, President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a new agreement to reduce each country's vast arsenals of nuclear weapons. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is a modest, but critical first step in a renewed global effort to reduce the grave risks posed by nuclear weapons and to chart a path to a safer world.
Your senators need to hear from you! They need to know that Americans haven't forgotten about this critical issue and support efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear weapons. Let your senators know that a safer world STARTs with this simple step-encourage them to ratify START today.
Resources
UCS Satellite Database
A free, searchable, easy-to-use database of more than 900 active satellites with detailed information about each. (Updated October 2009)
Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator animation
See why a nuclear "bunker buster" would not contain radioactive fallout and could instead kill millions of civilians.
Countermeasures animation
This animation shows how the proposed missile defense system can be defeated by simple countermeasures. (RealVideo)
