weapons
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CSR Receives Major Grant to Address the Rising Risks of Nuclear Conflict
Part of the impetus to launch the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) was our concern that catastrophic risks were rising. The global security environment is experiencing monumental strains, including from the weakening of long-held norms, clear violations of the rules-based international order as exemplified by Russia’s most recent invasion of a sovereign Ukraine, mounting strains…
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The Deeply Dangerous Spread of Russian Disinformation on Biological Weapons
On Friday, March 11, the U.N. Security Council met at the request of Russia to discuss unsubstantiated and spurious claims that the United States is supporting biological and chemical weapons laboratories in Ukraine—the latest action in a long-running Russian disinformation campaign aimed to sow confusion and undermine trust in the United States and partner nations.…
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BRIEFER: Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats – Part 2
By Chris Fall, Yong-Bee Lim, and Christine Parthemore The COVID-19 crisis has forcefully demonstrated both the seriousness of the threat posed by natural and anthropogenic biological risks and the incredible strides gained in modern biotechnology to address these risks, such as with the novel RNA-based vaccines developed to help halt the pandemic. In this context,…
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BRIEFER: Weapons of Mass Agility: A New Threat Framework for Mass Effects in the 21st Century
By Natasha E. Bajema The threat posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMD) continues to serve as a key concept for shaping U.S. national security strategy. For many decades, policymakers and experts alike have assumed that malicious actors will seek WMD for their potential to cause mass casualties and destruction. And yet, the historical record…
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11 Questions the U.S. Senate Should Ask the Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense
By Bill Beaver, Yong-Bee Lim, Christine Parthemore, Christine Parthemore and Andy Weber On April 23rd, 2021, the Biden administration released a list of nominees for positions in national security. Of particular note amongst the impressive list of nominees is Deborah G. Rosenblum for the position of the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense…
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6 Key Takeaways from the Biden Administration’s Budget Request & Interim National Security Strategic Guidance
By Yong-Bee Lim and Bill Beaver It is now clear that the Biden administration intends to go big against the greatest global threats we face, a natural response to the devastation of the continuing pandemic, the climate crisis, and other trends. This is an area of significant risk and opportunity for the United States and…
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BRIEFER – Definitions Matter: The Role of WMD in Shaping U.S. National Security Strategy
By Natasha E. Bajema To develop its national security strategy, the U.S. government typically formulates a set of agreed definitions and concepts about the current threat environment to help delineate top priorities. Once established, these impose clarity on mission spaces, shape the delegation of tasks and operations, justify budgets and the distribution of resources and…