WEDNESDAY YACHTING LUNCHEON
Hosted by Ron Young
March 13, 2024
Do Arms Control and Nuclear Deterrence Share an Uncertain Future?
Brad Roberts, PhD, Director, Center for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Nuclear deterrence has been a cornerstone of U.S. defense since the end of World War II, protecting America and our allies by threatening unacceptable damage to any country that might attack us, even with nuclear weapons. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been able to focus on reducing the role and number of nuclear weapons and strengthening nonproliferation. However, global changes are currently afoot. Will Russia’s current modernization of its nuclear arsenal and China’s buildup of strategic nuclear forces threaten the viability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, including the extended deterrence America provides to its allies? Is arms control still possible? Will new technologies, like homeland missile defense, replace nuclear deterrence?
