Hot Off the Press: PONI STRATCOM Journal

By Chris Jones

After a great deal of thankless work from PONI coordinator Mark Jansson, Anna Newby, and Andrew St. Denis, the 2009 PONI STRATCOM journal has been released. Each year, PONI puts together a journal that features papers based on the briefings given at annual capstone conference held at Strategic Command. The electronic copy of the journal can be found here (PDF) and the table of contents here (PDF). Pages 105-124 also feature a paper from yours truly about the implication of missile defense developments over the past year for the U.S.-China strategic relationship.  My basic argument:

The Obama administration’s major changes to missile defense restructure the program to focus upon regional and theater missile threats. This recalibration is also consistent with the U.S. position that missile defense is not intended to undermine the ability of Russia or China to deter threats to their respective homelands or vital interests. Yet the increased regional capabilities provided by the new system have significant consequences for Northeast Asia that will create apprehension in Beijing. The mobile and movable theater missile defense assets prioritized by the administration could play a substantial role in regional contingency scenarios involving China. To reduce the degree to which the missile defense in Northeast Asia undermines strategic stability between the United States and China, the countries should commit to high-level strategic dialogues that can help foster confidence in the relationship.

Over the next couple of months, stay tuned for the publication of the 2010 Nuclear Scholars journal.