The Challenge of Russia’s Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons: Western Air Supremacy as One Russian Justification for NSNW

December 2021 No Comments

Authors: Roy Boone (National Strategic Research Institute, University of Nebraska); David Rehbein (National Strategic Research Institute, University of Nebraska); John Swegle (National Strategic Research Institute, University of Nebraska); Christopher Yeaw (National Strategic Research Institute, University of Nebraska) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure.” For more information […]

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The Escalatory Attraction of Limited Nuclear Employment For Great Power Competitors of the United States

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Authors: Christopher Yeaw (National Strategic Research Institute, University of Nebraska) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure.” For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication Preview The United States has entered into a dangerously new era in which, for the first time in our nation’s history, […]

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Challenges to 21st Century Deterrence (Part II)

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Speakers: Lt Gen (Ret) Robert Elder, PhD (George Mason University); James Siebens (Defense Strategy & Planning Program, Stimson Center); Dr. Christopher Yeaw (National Strategic Research Institute, University of Nebraska) Date: 9 December 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a panel discussion with Lt Gen (Ret) Robert Elder, PhD (George Mason University), Mr. James A. Siebens […]

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Invited Perspective: Anticipating the Effects of Emerging Technologies on Nuclear Deterrence

November 2021 No Comments

Author: Melanie Sisson (Brookings Institution) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure.” For more information regarding this project, please click here. Invited Perspective Preview The effectiveness of nuclear deterrence depends upon mutual confidence in second-strike capabilities – for nuclear deterrence to work, nuclear-armed competitors must all believe that […]

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The Role of Nuclear-Conventional Intermingling on State Decision-making and the Risk of Inadvertent Escalation

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Authors: Benjamin Bahney (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]) and Dr. Anna Péczeli (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure.” For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication Preview Questions Addressed Framing the Problem In practice, there are three main forms of […]

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Challenges to 21st Century Deterrence (Part I)

November 2021 No Comments

Speakers: Benjamin W. Bahney (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]); Dr. Anna Péczeli (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]); and Dr. Melanie Sisson (Brookings Institute) Date: 30 November 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a panel discussion with Mr. Benjamin W. Bahney (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]), Dr. Anna Péczeli (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]), and Dr. […]

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Deterrence and Defense Strategy: Old Lessons and New Contexts

October 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Malkasian, C. (CNA) Date: 3 November 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Carter Malkasian (CNA) as part of its SMA STRATCOM Academic Alliance Speaker Session. New academic studies focusing on multipolar nuclear deterrence are necessary to understand how posturing and brinksmanship by actors can deter a potential conflict or lead […]

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Deterring Iran in the Gray Zone: Insights from Four Decades of Conflict

September 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Eisenstadt, M. (Kahn Fellow & Director of Military and Security Studies Program, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Date: 30 September 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Mr. Michael Eisenstadt (The Washington Institute), as part of its SMA STRATCOM Academic Alliance Speaker Series. Iran has been increasing its gray zone […]

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The Challenges of Multipolar Deterrence: Theory and Evidence

September 2021 No Comments

Speaker: Dr. Vipin Narang (Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Date: 29 September 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Vipin Narang (Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology), as part of its SMA STRATCOM Risk of Strategic Deterrence […]

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A Resilient Cyber Policy for the Indo-Pacific

September 2021 No Comments

Speakers: Dr. Brandon Williams (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) Date: 21 September 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Brandon Kirk Williams (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), as part of its SMA STRATCOM Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure Speaker Series. When deciding how to best confront China’s regional cyber capabilities, the US should first assess […]

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