Reducing Nuclear Dangers
Over the last three decades, the Forum has been at the forefront of the nuclear debate by providing creative yet practical recommendations to tackle the concrete steps necessary to achieve the greater goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Its work remains rigorously nonpartisan and responsive to new developments in the ever-evolving challenges to global security.
When the Forum was founded in 1982, its main focus included reducing nuclear dangers. At that time, the Cold War was still raging, and there were approximately 60,000 nuclear weapons world-wide—a majority of which are U.S. and Soviet bombs and missiles.
Today, after a series of treaties and voluntary reductions, the number of weapons has been reduced by more than one-third, but the danger persists. Russia and the United States still have, by far, the largest nuclear arsenals in the world–enough weapons of mass destruction to destroy the planet several times over.
As the United States and Russia continue to rely on obsolete nuclear strategies, they remain dependent on nuclear weapons. Until this impasse is addressed, the future reduction in levels of nuclear weapons will face extraordinary difficulties and could result in the full collapse of codified global arms control, leaving us all more vulnerable to those seeking to obtain and develop weapons of mass destruction.
Research. The Forum produces innovative and thorough research that assesses the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and offers real-world suggestions to reduce or eliminate those dangers. Its findings have been published in articles, reports, and books, some of which have advised the work of the United Nations and policymakers. The Forum has also long advocated for the UN’s use of targeted sanctions and incentives to reduce nuclear dangers in proliferating states, citing the successful cases of South Africa and Libya—both of which abandoned nuclear ambitions as a result of sanctions and incentives from the UN.
Outreach. The Forum’s research is not only used to advise policymakers, it is also used to help raise public awareness of threats posed by nuclear weapons. We have collaborated with senior military officers and other experts to stimulate discussions in local communities all across the country on important and timely issues facing the security of our country. These officials and experts include individuals such as retired General Lee Butler who served as commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command and commander in chief of the United States Strategic Command, where he was in charge of the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal. We have also engaged with community leaders, policy experts, and civic leaders to expand the reach of our message and to encourage the U.S. and other governments to reduce their reliance on nuclear weapons.
CURRENT INITIATIVES
Today, the Forum is working with Russian nuclear experts to develop innovative proposals for breaking the nuclear weapons reductions deadlock by shifting the focus of the United States and Russia from offensive to defensive postures. We are exploring paths toward a new strategy that could accommodate deep reductions in offensive weapons, the development of more cooperative and effective missile defense, and multilateral nuclear arms controls on strategic and tactical weapons. If the global nuclear powers could embrace such a shift, the center of gravity for nuclear strategy could evolve from offense to defense.
