The Nuclear Posture Review


DateTuesday, December 18, 2007
LocationSenate Russell, Room 385

Dr. Janne Nolan, professor of International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, New America Foundation, will join us for a discussion on the Nuclear Posture Review.  In 2009, the United States will undertake another congressionally-mandated Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) to reevaluate the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy.  Previous reviews completed in 1994 and 2001 involved the Department of Defense and several appointed commissions, whose collective report became a guide for the budget and operation of the nuclear weapons community. The review includes policy, doctrine, force structure, operations, safety and security and arms control. The intent is to match the design of strategic forces with policy, but this can often be undermined by operational realties. Given this tension, is a wholesale review of U.S. nuclear policy even possible?  What is the likely outcome of the NPR in 2009?