2008 PONI Capstone Conference - U.S. Strategic Command

The PONI Capstone Conference was again hosted by U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, NE on December 2nd. As during previous years, the best presentations were selected from the preceding regional conferences for delivery at STRATCOM. Accordingly, the panel topics followed from the major themes that ran throughout 2008: nuclear forensics, maintaining confidence in the nuclear stockpile, deterrence strategy and force requirements, and defining the nuclear mission for the future. Following the presentations, the ensuing exchanges between the presenters and the distinguished group of attendees probed some of the difficult questions surrounding nuclear weapons and attendant challenge of creating a clear nuclear weapons vision for the future. PONI would like to thank STRATCOM Deputy Commander Carl Mauney for hosting the conference and delivering remarks over dinner. We were also honored to have Professor Mark Welland, the Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Ministry of Defence, present at the conference and address attendees over lunch.