Advancing Nuclear “Fail-Safe”
Strengthening “fail-safe” procedures to avoid a nuclear blunder
About
With increasing tensions among major nuclear powers, regional proliferation, and instability in various parts of the world, the risk that a nuclear weapon will be used – by accident, miscalculation or intention – is dangerously high and on the rise.
The Global Nuclear Policy Program (GNPP) focuses on reducing and ultimately eliminating that risk. The program works with governments, partner organizations, and leaders around the world to develop policies, leadership, and the global capacity—human and institutional—to reduce reliance on nuclear weapons, prevent their spread, and ultimately end them as a threat to the world. This includes:
- Promoting nuclear policies that reduce the role, number, and risk of use of nuclear weapons
- Encouraging and facilitating international cooperation to reduce nuclear risks, including bilateral U.S.-Russia arms control and dialogue, U.S.-China engagement on nuclear risks and strategic issues, and multilateral disarmament and nonproliferation efforts including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
- Engaging Congress to foster bipartisan awareness and support for policies that can reduce the risk of use of nuclear weapons
- Conducting research and analysis aimed at developing and implementing practical, innovative approaches to reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons.
Projects
Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG)
Testing ideas and developing proposals for improving security in areas of existential common interest
Framework for a Secure Nuclear Future
Creating a new framework for a secure nuclear future without nuclear weapons
Regional Leadership Networks to Reduce Nuclear Risk
Building political will for a safer world
Strengthening the Global Nuclear Order
Updating the global nuclear risk-reduction and nonproliferation architecture for today’s threat environment
Program Staff
News & Analysis
NTI CEO Christine Wormuth on Opportunities to Strengthen Security Through Cooperation at the Trump-Xi Summit
The Summit can produce outcomes that strengthen U.S. national security and reduce global nuclear and biological risks
Recommendations to Strengthen NWFZs in a Changing Security Environment
Amplifying Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Leadership: Recommendations to Strengthen NWFZs in a Changing Security Environment
Nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZs) are one of the most successful and enduring elements of the global effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Practical steps exist that could strengthen NWFZ resilience, reinvigorate engagement within and between them, and create opportunities for leadership.
NTI Advances Dialogue on U.S.-China Nuclear Risk Reduction
NTI convened a roundtable on April 2 with 25 experts and officials to examine the challenges and opportunities for advancing dialogue between the U.S. and China. The discussion featured Dr. Tianjiao Jiang, a Chinese expert on nuclear and emerging technology policy, who spoke on “Issues and Obstacles for U.S.-China Engagement on Nuclear and AI Dialogue.”
NTI and SIIS Advance Dialogue on U.S.-China Strategic Stability and Nuclear Risks
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) launched a new initiative to develop recommendations and proposals for reducing the risk of unnecessary action-reaction dynamics and misinterpretations in the U.S.-China nuclear relationship.
NTI at the Munich Security Conference: Advancing a Safer Future
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) joined world leaders and policymakers at the 2026 Munich Security Conference (MSC), where NTI President and CEO Christine E. Wormuth and colleagues hosted events focused on reducing nuclear, biological, and emerging technology threats imperiling humanity.