Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

10/20/2026

When a country gives up or loses a nuclear weapons program, what actually disappears?

When military strikes damage physical nuclear infrastructure or target individual personnel, the expertise behind the program doesn’t simply vanish. In a new blog post, Center Intern Rana Agahi explains how reducing proliferation risk is not only about dismantling weapons and facilities, but also about giving scientists a reason and an opportunity to use their expertise elsewhere.

🔗Click the blog here: https://ow.ly/qofP50ZZt6v

10/08/2026

Dr. Heidi Peltier, Senior Researcher at the Costs of War Project at Brown University, breaks down the staggering financial toll of post-9/11 military engagements and the mounting economic strain of current conflicts, during our annual conference last month. While excessive defense spending is often justified in the name of security, massive military expenditures detract from critical domestic priorities that promote social wellbeing.

In the latest episode of Nukes of Hazard, we dive into our second panel discussion from this year's annual conference, themed "$1 Trillion and Counting: The Pentagon Budget Squeezing Our Real Security." This discussion featured Dr. Peltier, as well as Dr. Miriam Pemberton from the Institute for Policy Studies, Bill Hartung from the Project on Government Oversight and was moderated by Dr. Tess Bridgeman, co-editor-in-chief at Just Security and a member of our board of directors. They examine the hidden economic impacts of endless defense spending on endless wars and highlight human-centered alternatives that would actually strengthen our society and national security.

🔗Check out the episode now: https://ow.ly/1gs950ZW2RT

You can also check out previous episodes covering the conference's first panel on missile defense and space weapons.

10/03/2026

"National security is a shared responsibility, requiring joint efforts and mutual respect."

Executive war powers require real congressional partnership, direct oversight and shared accountability. As Executive Director and former Congressman John Tierney noted from the House floor in the wake of the horrific September 11 attacks, national security depends on co-equal branches acting in concert.

September marked 25 years since Rep. Tierney stood on the House floor and urged his colleagues to narrow the scope of the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Afghanistan in September 2001. It was rejected 420-1 and the AUMF has been used to exert military action against terrorists in more than 20 countries — many of which had nothing to do with the attacks — for more than 20 years. It has still not been repealed.

Check out the link to hear his reflections on these events 25 years later in a recent podcast episode. 🔗
https://ow.ly/Oh9P50ZU1Ox

09/28/2026

National security analyst & author Joe Cirincione discussed the fallacy of national missile defense from a historical perspective during our annual conference earlier this month.

This year's theme, "$1.5 Trillion and Counting: The Pentagon Budget Squeezing Our Real Security," featured panels on the future of missile defense & space weapons and the true costs of the current war with Iran.

In the latest episode of Nukes of Hazard, we share the first panel discussion featuring Andrew Facini, Joe Cirincione, Dr. Laura Grego and Clayton Swopes. They discuss specific missile defense concepts from the past and present, like Brilliant Pebbles and the Golden Dome, and point toward solutions that would actually benefit our national security -- namely, diplomacy!

Check out the episode at the following link 🔗: https://ow.ly/jNxR50ZSlxc

You can also listen to the audience Q&A session in a forthcoming BONUS episode and be sure to keep an eye out for episodes dedicated to the conference's second panel on the true costs of the Iran war.

09/18/2026

In remembrance of the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, our staff members provided reflections on where they were that fateful morning and how the events of that day have shaped their lives in the 25 years since.

While Program Manager Emma Sandifer was only 3 years old at the time, she shares her perceptions about how the expressed values of empathy and compassion shaped her upbringing and how much that messaging contrasted with the reality of how other people acted in the years following the attacks. For her, understanding the difference between emotional responses and calculated military engagements drove her to a career in national security.

🔗 Check out the link below to read all of the staff essays.
https://ow.ly/FYWV50ZOHlx

09/17/2026

In remembrance of the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, our staff members provided reflections on where they were that fateful morning and how the events of that day have shaped their lives in the 25 years since.

Research Analyst Conor Donlevy was only 1 year old at the time and does not have any clear memories of the morning itself. However, he provides a reflection on what it was like to come of age in a world shaped by the response to that day and the ensuing "forever wars" that would follow.

🔗 Check out the link below to read all of the staff essays.
https://ow.ly/FYWV50ZOHlx

09/16/2026

In remembrance of the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, our staff members provided reflections on where they were that fateful morning and how the events of that day have shaped their lives in the 25 years since.

Communications Director Anna Schumann was 15 years old on September 11, 2001. In her essay, she reflects on how the events of that day provided a catalyst for her journey from childhood into adulthood. Among her lessons learned in the 25 years since is the importance of analyzing all available information before making a decision to enter into armed conflict, for fears of potentially beginning a "forever war."

🔗 Check out the link below to read all of the staff essays.

https://ow.ly/AsMm50ZOi1M

09/15/2026

The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation’s 2026 annual conference will dive into the critical question: How should Pentagon spending, including for nuclear weapons, best be structured to provide actual security?
Our first panel, moderated by Andrew Facini of the Council on Strategic Risks, will discuss the “Costs of False Security: The Fallacy of National Missile Defense, the Golden Dome, and Nuclear Weapons in Space”. It will feature insights from Clayton Swope of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Laura Grego from the Union of Concerned Scientists, and national security analyst Joe Cirincione.

Our second panel, moderated by Tess Bridgeman, will dive into the true costs of war with special focus on the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. It will feature insights from Miriam Pemberton of the Institute for Policy Studies, Heidi Peltier of the Brown University Cost of War Project, and political scientist Bill Hartung.
Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17) will provide keynote remarks and guide our thinking as we engage this important discussion.

09/15/2026

25 years ago, our Executive Director, John Tierney, stood on the House floor and urged his colleagues to narrow the scope of the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Afghanistan following the horrific September 11 attacks. Among other things, he wanted the Bush administration to report back to Congress every 60 days with an update on the status of the effort to apprehend? bring to justice? Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

It was rejected 420-1.

For more than 20 years, the AUMF has been used to exert military action against terrorists in more than 20 countries with little connection to the September 11 attacks. It has still not been repealed.

🔗Follow this link to hear his reflections on these events 25 years later.

25 years ago, on September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States via four hijacked airplanes destined for New York and Washington, D.C., killing 2,977 people and leaving thousands more with

09/11/2026

Our Executive Director was in his fourth year in Congress. Our youngest staff member was one year old.

Of all the lessons to take from the horrific September 11 attacks and the U.S. response to those attacks — about Congress’s lack of action to prevent the wars from becoming the debacles they did; about the human and financial costs of war; about a Pentagon budget that continues growing with no accountability — the most important lessons are about people. About us, as Americans and as humans.

Almost everyone who was alive during the attacks has a story about where they were, what they were doing and what they were thinking as they learned the first plane hitting the World Trade Center was not an accident. Many of us have thought about the events of that day ever since. And many of us who work in national security had our lives and careers shaped by that day, directly or indirectly, and sometimes in ways we may not have even realized.

Our staff members each wrote essays reflecting on what September 11 means to them, 25 years later. Three of our staff members were near the attacks — one in the Pentagon, one in the Capitol and one just across the street from the Capitol. The rest were spread out across the country and in Europe. Each of their stories is worth reading.

Our youngest thoughtfully ponder what it means to “never forget” something you don’t remember and to question why their assumptions about the world don’t align with those of the adults around them. Others reflect on consuming the wars via pop culture and counterculture and a feeling of overnight adulthood. And those who were in D.C. that day reflect on the chaos, terror and gratitude they felt.

When you read their stories, consider the lessons the United States should have learned over the past 25 years and ask yourself if the country has learned them.

Twenty-five years ago, on September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States via four hijacked airplanes destined for New York and Washington, D.C., killing 2,977 people and leaving thousands more with lasting physical and mental scars. The United States immediately went to war in Afghanistan...