Nuclear security policy
This page lists resources about nuclear security policy, fellowships, and think tanks.
Nuclear security policy resources
This list is an introduction to the field. While we couldn’t include many great resources here, we encourage you to do your own research on particular topics of interest.
Introductory readings
- Nuclear Notebook and Status of World Nuclear Forces, Federation of American Scientists
- Nuclear Weapons, Our World in Data
- Career review: Nuclear weapons safety and security
Newsletters
- Nuclear Policy News, Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Proliferation News, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Books
- Negotiating the New START Treaty (2021)
- The Myth of the Nuclear Revolution: Power Politics in the Atomic Age (2020)
- Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis (2020)
- The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner (2017)
- Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety (2013)
- The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy (2009)
Podcasts
- Arms Control Wonk, Jeffrey Lewis
- Press the Button, Ploughshares Fund
- The 80,000 Hours Podcast has in-depth interviews with nuclear policy professionals like Jeffrey Lewis, Joan Rohlfing, Andy Weber, Daniel Ellsberg, Samantha Pitts-Kiefer, Bonnie Jenkins, Luisa Rodriguez, and David Denkenberger
- National Security Science podcast, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Online courses
- IAEA Learning Management System
- Nuclear Threat Initiative Education Center
- Deterrence in Southern Asia
- Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation Nuclear Security E-Learning Module
- EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course (modules 4 and 5 deal with nuclear weapons specifically, but the entire course could be useful)
Think tank reports and policy analysis
- Congressional Research Service reports (search term “nuclear”)
- Assessing the Dangers: Emerging Military Technologies and Nuclear (In)Stability (2023), Arms Control Association
- Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Operations (2023), Center for Naval Analyses
- U.S. Nuclear Policies for a Safer World (2021), Nuclear Threat Initiative
- Publication pages of think tanks listed below
Government strategies
- Nuclear Posture Review (2022), Department of War
- National Security Strategy (2022), White House
- Strategic Concept (2022), NATO (see also NATO’s nuclear deterrence policy and forces)
International organizations and treaties
Conferences and seminars
- Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference
- CSIS PONI Fall Conference
- Arms Control Association Annual Meetings
- ISODARCO Courses
- LLNL-NSSC Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation Workshop
- Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Bootcamp, UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
- Nuclear Nonproliferation, Safeguards, and Security in the 21st Century, Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Regular DC networking event: Gin & Atomics Happy Hour
Nuclear security policy fellowships
The following fellowship programs are especially relevant for biosecurity policy work (see also our full fellowship database for 50+ opportunities):
- Scoville Peace Fellowship – a 6-9 month full-time security policy fellowship with DC-based NGOs for early-career bachelor’s or master’s graduates.
- NNSA Graduate Fellowship (National Nuclear Security Administration) – a one-year, full-time nuclear security fellowship for graduate and postgraduate students or early-career individuals.
- Nuclear Scholars Initiative (Next Generation Nuclear Network, CSIS) – monthly workshops over six months at CSIS in Washington, DC with senior experts on nuclear weapons issues.
- PONI Mid-Career Cadre (Next Generation Nuclear Network, CSIS) – a 3-year part-time networking and professional development program for nuclear professionals.
- New Voices on Nuclear Weapons Fellowship (Federation of American Scientists) – a 4-month research fellowship for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Fellowship for Reducing Nuclear Weapons Risks (Council on Strategic Risks) – a 6-month part-time networking and research program on nuclear risk reduction.
- Nuclear Futures Fellowship (Ploughshares Fund) – a six-month part-time program with an in-person workshop in Washington DC.
- Kendall Fellowship (Union of Concerned Scientists) – a two-year full-time research fellowship for PhD-level scientists with technical/STEM backgrounds.
- Public Policy Fellowship (Nonproliferation Policy Education Center) – eleven lunchtime seminars designed to provide deeper understanding of civil and military nuclear policy.
- Martin J. Sherwin Fellowship (Wilson Center) – a 3-6 month residential fellowship for junior scholars in nuclear policy and history research.
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Managing the Atom Fellowship &
Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowship (Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School) – a 10-month academic research fellowship for doctoral students, post-doctoral scholars, and mid-career professionals. - Nuclear Security Fellowship (Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University) – an academic research fellowship for predoctoral and postdoctoral students and junior faculty.
- Arms Control Negotiation Academy – a 12-month professional development program with three week-long workshops.
- Editorial Fellows (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) – a 1-year program for authors working on nuclear risk, climate change, or disruptive technologies.
- Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons (UN Office for Disarmament Affairs) – an online learning program focused on eliminating nuclear weapons.
General science and technology policy fellowships that could be relevant to nuclear weapons policy:
- Horizon Fellowship (Horizon Institute for Public Service) – a 6-24 month full-time US emerging technology policy fellowship facilitating placements in government and think tanks.
- AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (American Association for the Advancement of Science) – a 12-month fellowship in DC across executive, judicial, legislative, or nonprofit tracks.
- TechCongress Congressional Innovation Fellowship (TechCongress) – a 10-12 month full-time fellowship involving placements in Congress.
- STPI Science Policy Fellowship (Institute for Defense Analyses) – a 24-month full-time fellowship supporting S&T policy-related tasks.
- Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program (National Academies) – a 12-week program for graduate students or recent PhD graduates.
- Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (Aspen Tech Policy Hub) – a full-time, paid, three-week program teaching science and technology professionals about policy.
Think tanks working on nuclear security policy
This list isn’t comprehensive, but we hope it’s a useful starting point if you’re interested in think tank work on nuclear security policy.
- Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): Nuclear
- Council on Strategic Risks (CSR): Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons
- RAND Corporation: Nuclear weapons and warfare
- Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation (CACNP): Nuclear weapons
- Federation for American Scientists (FAS): Nuclear weapons
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Nuclear Policy Program
- James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS): Nuclear
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Project on Nuclear Issues
- Brookings Institutions: Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative
- Stimson Center: Nonproliferation
- United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR): WMD program
- Ploughshares Fund
- Arms Control Association
- Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL): Center for Global Security Research
- Harvard University: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Nuclear Issues)
- European Leadership Network (ELN)
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
