If Biden Reviews Nuclear Weapons Plans, Focus on New & Low-Yield Weapons

By Christine Parthemore Over the past week, there has been a flurry of news reporting that President-elect Biden will likely review U.S. nuclear weapons programs with the aim of reducing some of the excess of current plans. Articles consistently start…

A Climate Security Plan for America Part 1: Demonstrate Leadership

By John Conger Part 1 of 4 in the Climate Security Plan for America Blog Series In late 2019, the Center for Climate and Security-led Climate Security Advisory Group, a group of senior U.S. national security and military experts, including…

EVENT: Climate Change – A Core National Security Priority in the Incoming Administration, Dec 15

Planning for the First Hundred Days and Beyond Date: Dec 15, 2-4pm (Eastern Time) Update (12/16/2020): See a recording of the virtual event below https://youtu.be/XHUkfNJvBkY In this virtual event hosted by the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), an institute of…

How to Prioritize Climate Change in U.S. National Security

By Kate Guy From the outset of Joe Biden’s run for the American presidency, he pledged to look at national security with fresh eyes. Evolving systemic threats like climate change, often relegated to the portfolios of environmental experts and science…

A Very Strong Signal: 5 Key Takeaways on John Kerry’s Climate Envoy Role and Seat on the National Security Council

By John Conger, Francesco Femia and Caitlin Werrell On Monday, President-Elect Biden announced several members of his national security team.  They included Anthony Blinken as Secretary of State, Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, Avril Haines as Director of…

Pandemics and Bioweapons: A Path for the Biden Administration

Parthemore and Weber, LA Times, Nov 12, 2020 By Christine Parthemore and Andy Weber The COVID-19 pandemic continues to prove that infectious diseases can devastate the United States and the world---killing and sickening millions, disrupting lives, crippling economies, and significantly…

Nuclear Weapons & US Alliances in the Next Administration

The author Christine Parthemore, Rear Admiral John Gower, CB OBE and the Hon. Andy Weber of CSR, and others, are pictured here outside the United Nations in New York after an event on nuclear-armed cruise missiles, October 2016.  By Christine…

BRIEFER: Connecting Nuclear and Climate Policy in the Biden Administration

Over the past four years, the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) has operated a working group to examine the convergence of two of the world’s greatest challenges: nuclear threats and climate change. Whether countries significantly expand reliance on nuclear energy…

What Would a Climate-Focused Defense Budget Look Like?

By John Conger Every Administration makes changes to the draft budget they receive before it is submitted to Congress, and there’s every reason to expect that to be the case with a President Biden.  The budget is supposed to be…

Smart Steps on Nuclear Weapons for the Biden Administration

By Christine Parthemore and Andy Weber Just as the administration of President-elect Joseph Biden will need to take urgent action to control the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and proactively address the security risks of climate change, it will need to take…