2022 Nuclear Posture Review Resources Page

The Biden Administration is expected to release its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) in the coming days. The NPR lays out a U.S. administration’s approach to nuclear weapons policy, based on an extensive internal policy review.

Typically, the NPR describes the purpose of nuclear weapons, how the United States will or will not use or threaten to use them, how many and what types of nuclear weapons are required to meet U.S. strategy, and how they fit in to the rest of the government’s military and foreign policy planning. Most NPRs also discuss the role the United States will play in preventing nuclear proliferation and reducing nuclear risks globally.

This page contains NTI resources and recommendations relevant to the NPR and U.S. nuclear policy and posture.

NTI has policy experts available for members of the news media covering the NPR release, including Lynn Rusten, Steve Andreasen, Mark Melamed and James McKeon.  To arrange an interview, please contact Cathy Gwin at [email protected] or 202-270-5942.

Explainers and Reports

• The Nuclear Posture Review: What It Is and Why It Matters. (NTI Atomic Pulse blog authored by Christopher Colletta, January 2022)
• Reducing Nuclear Risks: An Urgent Agenda for 2021 and Beyond (NTI report, October 2020)
• U.S. Nuclear Modernization: Security & Policy Implications of Integrating Digital Technology (NTI report co-authored by Erin Dumbacher and Page Stoutland, December 2020)
• Nuclear Weapons in the New Cyber Age (NTI report co-authored by Page Stoutland and Samantha Neakrase, September 2018)
• U.S. Nuclear Policies for a Safer World (NTI Report, June 2021)
  • Strengthening the Foundation for Nuclear Stability (By Ernest Moniz and Sam Nunn, June 2021)
  • Reducing the Risk of Nuclear Use by Increasing Leadership Decision Time (By Steve Andreasen, June 2021)
  • Declaratory Policy: Advancing Sole Purpose (By Steve Andreasen, June 2021)
  • Next Steps on Strategic Stability and Arms Control With Russia (By Lynn Rusten, June 2021)
  • Reducing U.S. and Russian Non-Strategic and Forward-Deployed Nuclear Weapons (By Steve Andreasen, June 2021)
  • The Offense-Defense Relationship (By Steve Andreasen, June 2021)
  • Engaging China to Reduce Nuclear Risks (By Mark Melamed and James McKeon, June 2021)
  • Multilateral Steps to Reduce Nuclear Risks (By Mark Melamed, June 2021)

Op-Eds

• Biden Should Do More to Prevent the Accidental Launch of Nuclear Weapons. Here’s How. (The Washington Post, By Ernest J. Moniz and Sam Nunn, November 2021)
• Reducing the Role of Nuclear Weapons Will Make America Safer (The National Interest, By Lynn Rusten, October 2021)
• The Return of Doomsday (Foreign Affairs, By Ernest J. Moniz and Sam Nunn, September 2019)
• Sleepwalking Toward the Nuclear Precipice (Foreign Affairs, By Ernest J. Moniz and Sam Nunn, December 2020)
• Building on George Shultz’s Vision of a World Without Nukes (The Wall Street Journal, By Sam Nunn, William J. Perry, and Henry A. Kissinger, March 2021)

Statements

• Statement on P5 Statement on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races (Ernest J. Moniz and Sam Nunn, January 2022)
• Statement on the Biden-Putin Summit (Ernest J. Moniz and Sam Nunn, June 2021)
• Advancing Strategic Stability in the Euro-Atlantic Region (Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group Statement, June 2021)