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HTK Series
A public discussion series with Heather Williams, Tom Karako, and Kari Bingen offering real-time context and commentary on national security developments and strategic forces issues
Project on Nuclear Issues
Founded in 2003, PONI is the premier networked community of next generation professionals prepared to meet the nuclear challenges of the future
PONI programs provide creative opportunities for emerging experts from a wide range of backgrounds to learn about nuclear issues and engage thoughtfully with the nuclear community. PONI also conducts cutting-edge research and analysis on three main topic areas: deterrence and escalation, risk reduction and arms control, and disarmament.
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Next Generation Nuclear Network
CSIS launched the Project on Nuclear Issues in 2003 to develop the next generation of policy, technical and operational nuclear professionals through outreach, mentorship, research and debate.
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- Diya Ashtakala
- Research Associate, Project on Nuclear Issues
- 202.741.3878
- [email protected]
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Upcoming Events
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Game On: Opportunities for Euro-Atlantic Strategic Stability and Arms Control
Europe is likely to remain a theater of instability despite pressure for a peace settlement in Ukraine. As the United States shifts toward the Indo-Pacific and Russia continues to pursue its territorial ambitions, what might arms control look like after the war in Ukraine?
Report by Heather Williams, Nicholas Adamopoulos, Lachlan MacKenzie, and Catherine Murphy — April 21, 2025
Featured Event
Report Launch: The Future of Arms Control and Euro-Atlantic Strategic Stability
Presented by
Project on Nuclear Issues
April 25, 2025 • 9:00 – 10:00 am EDT
Featured Project: Deterrence 101
Deterrence 101 is a collection of three thirty-minute long videos that explore core deterrence theory. Each video describes basic deterrence concepts, roots these ideas in a historical timeline, and features interviews with leading nuclear policy experts.
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Options for the United States to Resolve the Iran Nuclear Challenge
The nuclear issue is likely to determine not only when the war ends, but also how it ends, and who can claim “victory.” Per Trump’s speech, there are at least three nuclear off-ramps to help the administration retreat from the conflict and avoid a costly war.
Commentary by Heather Williams and Joseph Rodgers — April 2, 2026
Future of U.S.-Europe Relations: A Discussion with Dr. Lawrence Freedman
Join us for a discussion on the future of the transatlantic partnership.
Event — March 26, 2026
Trump May Seize Iran’s Nuclear Stockpile: Why Airstrikes Alone Aren’t Enough
Air strikes are not sufficient to neutralize Iran’s nuclear threat. Post Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is weighing options to secure the remaining stockpile, with the Department of Defense moving assets into the region to enable a potential seizure operation.
Commentary by Joseph Rodgers — March 13, 2026
Trump’s New Nuclear Architecture for Modernization and Arms Control
The Trump administration recently announced a new architecture for nuclear policy, which includes an enduring commitment to nuclear modernization and arms control. The United States can expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal and work toward nuclear risk reduction measures.
Brief by Heather Williams and Nicholas Adamopoulos — March 13, 2026
Epic Fury: The Campaign Against Iran’s Missile & Nuclear Infrastructure
Please join the CSIS Defense and Security Department for a conversation on the strategic implications of Operation Epic Fury.
Event — March 5, 2026
Epic Fury: The Campaign Against Iran’s Missile & Nuclear Infrastructure
CSIS's Heather Williams, Tom Karako, and Kari Bingen discuss Operation Epic Fury and its implicatons for U.S. strategic forces.
Transcript — March 5, 2026
Operation Epic Fury and the Remnants of Iran’s Nuclear Program
Following stalled nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion move beyond previous discrete counterproliferation operations to promote regime change from within.
Critical Questions by Joseph Rodgers and Bailey Schiff — February 28, 2026
Audio Briefs
Operation Epic Fury and the Remnants of Iran’s Nuclear Program
An audio version of "Operation Epic Fury and the Remnants of Iran’s Nuclear Program," a new Critical Questions by CSIS's Joseph Rodgers and Bailey Schiff. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.
Podcast Episode by Joseph Rodgers and Bailey Schiff — February 28, 2026
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Satellite Imagery Analysis of China’s Alleged 2020 Nuclear Test at Lop Nur
New claims of supercritical testing at Lop Nur suggest China is improving the science that supports its nuclear arsenal. The United States should proceed carefully to avoid a renewed era of unrestrained nuclear testing.
Commentary by Joseph Rodgers and Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. — February 13, 2026
CSIS European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues
The U.S.-UK-French Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues have convened senior nuclear policy experts from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States since 2009 to discuss nuclear deterrence, arms control, and nonproliferation policy issues.
Report by Heather Williams — February 11, 2026
