Managing U.S. Nuclear Operations in the 21st Century

Managing U.S. Nuclear Operations in the 21st Century (Brookings Institution Press) addresses such questions as: How are U.S. nuclear war plans developed? Are U.S. command and control systems vulnerable to attack?

The event will be HYBRID, with directions and the Zoom link included in your registration confirmation. The event will begin with a panel featuring the four chapter authors, followed by comments from the three co-editors, before concluding with an audience Q&A. Light refreshments will be served.

This event is brought to you by the Book Launch Series, the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies, and the Security Policy Studies program.

About the Co-Editors

Charles Glaser is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. He was the Founding Director of the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies from 2009-2019, and is now the co-Director. Previously, Glaser was the Emmett Dedmon Professor of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. His books include Rational Theory of International Politics (2010) and Analyzing Strategic Nuclear Policy (1990). In 2018 he was awarded the International Studies Association, Security Studies Section, Distinguished Scholar Award. In 2021 he was awarded the National Academy of Sciences’ William and Katherine Estes Award for behavioral research toward the prevention of nuclear war. He holds both an MA in Physics and an MPP from Harvard University, in addition to a Ph.D. from the Kennedy School of Government.

Austin Long is Deputy Director for Strategic Stability in the Joint Staff J5 (Strategy, Plans, and Policy), and has taught as an Associate Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. His current portfolio includes nuclear, space, missile defense, cyber, information integration, and arms control issues. He received his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.

Brian Radzinsky is a senior research fellow at the Center for Global Search Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His work focuses on strategic assessments, nuclear deterrence, emerging technologies, and regional security dynamics. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the George Washington University.

About the Participating Authors

M. Elaine Bunn is a consultant on strategic issues, and a non-resident fellow at CSIS’ Project on Nuclear Issues, NDU’s Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the Royal United Services Institute. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy from 2013 to 2017. Previously, she worked in international security policy at NDU’s Institute for National Strategic Studies (2000-2013) and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (1980-2000).

Dr. John R. Harvey is a physicist with over 40 years of experience working on nuclear weapons and related issues, first at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, then at Stanford University and in senior positions in the Departments of Defense and Energy. He has also served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, and after retirement from government service, he consults with, among others, the Defense Science Board, Institute for Defense Analysis, Strategic Command’s NC3 Advisory Panel and NNSA’s Defense Programs Advisory Committee.

Gen. C. Robert Kehler retired from the United States Air Force in 2014. In his last assignment, he commanded United States Strategic Command, where he was directly responsible to the Secretary of Defense and President for nuclear deterrence, global strike, space, and cyberspace operations. He previously commanded the Air Force Space Command (predecessor to the United States Space Force), and has received numerous military awards. He holds two master’s degrees, and is a graduate of executive development programs at Carnegie-Mellon, Syracuse, and Harvard Universities. He continues to serve as a Senior Fellow of the National Defense University, private consultant, and corporate director.

The honorable Frank Miller is a principal at the Scowcroft Group in Washington, DC. He dealt extensively with nuclear policy and nuclear arms control issues during his 31-year government career, which included senior positions in the Defense Department and on the NSC staff. He was directly in charge of US nuclear deterrence and targeting policy from 1985 to 2001, and also chaired NATO’s senior nuclear policy committee, the High-Level Group. He holds an MPA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.

About the Dean

Alyssa Ayres is the Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Her work focuses primarily on India’s role in the world and on U.S. relations with South Asia in the larger Indo-Pacific, and she has published Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World (Oxford University Press, 2018). Before joining the Elliott School, she was a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia under the Obama administration. She holds a Ph.D. in South Asian Languages and Literatures from the University of Chicago.