Speaker: General C. Robert Kehler Presider: Franklin C. Miller
General C. Robert Kehler discusses the future of U.S. strategic nuclear forces, as well as U.S. Strategic Command's broader mission to deter and detect attacks against the U.S. and its allies, prepare for emerging threats around the world, and defend the nation as directed.
Author: Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF National Interest
Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says the question of what constitutes missile-defense interim capability will loom large over the NATO Summit, but the issue for NATO remains whether they can muster the political, diplomatic, economic, and technical will to bring a ballistic-missile defense capability on line.
Patrick Disney points out the need for change in U.S. policy towards Iran, as miscommunication and confusion motivate further expansion of the country's nuclear program.
The Obama administration's Nuclear Posture Review charts new positions on potential targets of U.S. atomic weapons, preventing proliferation, and developing new weapons, says CFR's Michael Levi.
Following a post-Cold War erosion of senior level attention to nuclear weapons stewardship, the Air Force general charged with protecting the U.S. nuclear arsenal says his service is finally regaining its strategic focus.
In this First Take, CFR's James M. Lindsay says President Obama's decision to alter missile defense plans in Eastern Europe makes sense from a military standpoint but he faces challenges in selling the strategy to Americans.
CFR's Charles A. Kupchan says President Obama's summit meetings have advanced relations with Russia and consensus with industrialized states on climate change but that difficult work is ahead on both fronts.
Scott A. Snyder testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment; and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade. His testimony addresses North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests and Six-Party talks.
Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent defense analyst in Moscow, is pessimistic about a Russia-U.S. rapprochement in part because of enduring concerns about U.S. missile defense system plans.
Charles A. Kupchan, CFR senior fellow for Europe studies, says Obama's "popularity and the departure of President Bush" create a "window of opportunity to improve relations between the United States and Russia and between the United States and the European Union.
As tensions between Russia and the West mount over the military conflict in Georgia, some analysts worry about the collapse of arms control agreements.
Spector, a nuclear nonproliferation expert, discusses the merits of the U.S.-India nuclear agreement and its prospects for passage during the Bush administration.
Stephen Sestanovich, CFR’s top Russia expert, says the informal summit at Kennebunkport, Maine, restored nuclear issues as “the core of the relationship.”
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.