2010 PONI Fall Conference

The CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) held its Fall Conference at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston, United Kingdom. We were excited to return to AWE after a tremendously successful event there in 2008. The conference, gave us the opportunity to engage colleagues in the UK and from across Europe, and marked the third conference of the 2010 series, consisting of three regional conferences, leading up to our year-end Capstone Conference at Offutt Air Force Base (home to U.S. Strategic Command) in Omaha, Nebraska. The Fall Conference featured panel presentations addressing the following topics:

• Meeting Nonproliferation Challenges
• Perspectives on Extended Deterrence and Assurance
• Nuclear Aspects of Terrorism and Counterterrorism
• Mapping New Directions for the Nuclear Enterprise
• Thinking Ahead and Strategic Stability

It also featured keynote remarks by Peter Sankey, Director of Strategic Technologies; Daryl Landeg, Chief Scientist, Atomic Weapons Establishment; Prof. John Simpson, Mountbatten Centre for International Studies, University of Southampton on Trident: Beyond CASD and Strategic Stability; The Rt Hon Lord David Owen CH, Former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Mr. Steve Henry, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters, Ministry of Defence on The Way Forward From the Nuclear Posture Review.

The 1½-day event began early on September 21 and concluded after lunch on September 22. A reception and dinner were hosted followed by conclusions of panel discussions on day one. Lord David Owen delivered the keynote address over dinner. A tour of the ORION laser facility was also available to conference attendees.

Click here to view the presentation slides from the conference.