Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

14/06/2026

"President Trump could announce that a portion of US nuclear missiles would be taken off alert: Surely not all of them need to be ready for immediate launch. He could commit that the United States would never use nuclear weapons first unless its very survival or that of one of its treaty allies were at stake. The president could commit that the United States would never deploy nuclear or hypersonic missiles within minutes of flight time from Moscow or Beijing to avoid making the warning time even shorter than it already is. He could offer to let Chinese or Russian experts monitor US weapons-maintenance experiments to confirm US compliance with the nuclear test ban. He could commit that all US nuclear enrichment and plutonium reprocessing activities be available for international inspection to confirm they were not being used to make new material for nuclear weapons.

None of those steps would endanger US security. On the contrary. If reciprocated, each of them would significantly improve national security. And they might be a first step toward new arms restraints that could replace New START."

Matthew Bunn writes about the lessons we can learn from JFK in a new piece for the Bulletin. Read more in "Beyond ‘Pax Americana’: How JFK’s lessons on unilateral nuclear restraint show that Trump should do more."

In 1963, John F. Kennedy proved that informal, one-sided moves could successfully defuse tensions with hostile adversaries. Today, as a multipolar arms race looms, JFK's blueprint offers a vital roadmap for a president who wants to avoid catastrophic miscalculation.

13/06/2026

“'It’s very zeitgeisty to assume right now that it’s really important not to talk about climate, or that Democrats have paid a political cost for talking about climate,' said Matto Mildenberger, a professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. But there’s no hard evidence that discussing climate change hurts Democrats in elections, Mildenberger and other experts told Grist. If anything, it rewards candidates with a modest boost among voters, studies and surveys show."

Kate Yoder writes on the politics of climate change in a new piece published at the Bulletin through our partnership with Climate Desk.

“Climate hushing” is one reason why so many politicians who oppose Trump administration policies have been going silent on climate change. But polling shows that the president’s agenda—blocking the construction of wind farms, scrubbing public information about global warming from government ...

13/06/2026

Are Cold War transparency policies appropriate in European and Chinese relations?

Author Francesca Giovannini argues that Europe must shift its approach to international military transparency by considering Chinese history and customs, in order to strengthen affairs between Europe and China, stating, “[...] the tools developed during the US-Soviet experience cannot simply be replicated in the Chinese context.”

This article is part of a series that brought together European and Chinese experts to write parallel and co-drafted articles examining key dimensions of contemporary strategic stability.

The road toward transparency about nuclear weapons—both within the Western political tradition and during the Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union—was long, gradual, and deeply contingent. The tools developed during the US-Soviet experience cannot simply be replicated in the Chinese context. T...

12/06/2026

In a multipolar, post-New START world are multilateral arms treaties even possible?

Russian security expert Dmitry Stefanovich shares his thoughts on what a new approach to nuclear negotiations might look like.

The future of arms control in a multipolar, post-New START world: Are multilateral arms treaties even possible?

11/06/2026

In 1963, John F. Kennedy proved that informal, one-sided moves could successfully defuse tensions with hostile adversaries. Today, as a multipolar arms race looms, JFK's blueprint offers a vital roadmap for a president who wants to avoid catastrophic miscalculation.

Matthew Bunn writes about the lessons we can learn from JFK in a new piece for the Bulletin. Read more in "Beyond ‘Pax Americana’: How JFK’s lessons on unilateral nuclear restraint show that Trump should do more."

In 1963, John F. Kennedy proved that informal, one-sided moves could successfully defuse tensions with hostile adversaries. Today, as a multipolar arms race looms, JFK's blueprint offers a vital roadmap for a president who wants to avoid catastrophic miscalculation.

10/06/2026

The Bulletin is honored to welcome nuclear proliferation and arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis and nuclear risk and disruptive technologies expert Herbert Lin to its Science and Security Board. As board members, they will provide their perspective on nuclear issues and technological threats, represent the nonprofit at public events, and participate in setting the time on the Doomsday Clock

The Bulletin is honored to welcome nuclear proliferation and arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis and nuclear risk and disruptive technologies expert Herbert Lin to its Science and Security Board (SASB). As SASB members, they will provide their perspective on nuclear issues and technological threats, r...

10/06/2026

"These changes to France’s nuclear doctrine mark a revolution. But not a revolution that questions the transatlantic security. One that reinforces it."

Etienne Marcuz, a senior analyst on strategic armaments and an associate fellow at the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), writes for the Bulletin on President Macron's new concept of 'dissuasion avancée' in French nuclear policy.

Read more in "How France’s new nuclear doctrine strengthens NATO," by Erienne Marcruz published on June 9th.

President Macron's new concept of 'dissuasion avancée' marks a revolution in French nuclear policy. With this, Paris seeks to complement—not replace—US extended deterrence.

09/06/2026

The Trump administration often suppresses or destroys data that Trump finds objectionable or inconvenient, write Richard Aslin, Nigel Goldenfeld, Daniel M. Kammen, and Lynn Nadel.

Preserving data that the government has collected and should keep collecting "is essential to maintaining the role of science in our society—and to keeping you and your family safe."

Without data about what has happened in the past, and is happening in the present, we are committed to navigating a perilous and uncertain future while flying blind.

08/06/2026

While promising they are on the road to artificial general intelligence, AI developers are continually morphing the definitions they use, writes Bulletin technology editor Sara Goudarzi.

"An honest look at where the industry stands with regard to achieving artificial general intelligence—however that’s defined—shows a vast and perhaps permanent gulf between machine and human intelligence."

Silicon Valley’s pursuit of human-level AI remains elusive, but its power to reshape society is already here.

07/06/2026

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