Project on Nuclear Issues

The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) aims to build and sustain a networked community of young nuclear experts from the military, national laboratories, industry, academia, and policy communities.

About the Project on Nuclear Issues

Addressing the complex array of nuclear weapons challenges will require a solid foundation of expertise across numerous sectors. Because most of these challenges are long-term, the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) aims to build and sustain a vibrant community of young nuclear experts from the military, national laboratories, industry, academia, and the policy community. To that end, PONI maintains an enterprise-wide membership base, hosts four major conferences and several smaller events each year, maintains an online blog, holds live debates on critical nuclear weapons issues, runs a six-month academic program for young experts, organizes bilateral exchanges involving young experts from the U.S. and abroad, oversees a working group of top young professionals, and distributes bi-weekly news and event announcements to members.

The project has three primary objectives. First, PONI aims to build and sustain a networked community of young nuclear experts from across the nuclear enterprise, including in the laboratories, military, industry, academia, and policy world. Second, the project seeks to help develop the next generation of leaders with both the necessary subject matter expertise and the professional skills to be effective in shaping and implementing policy. Third, PONI works to mobilize the wide-ranging nuclear expertise within its membership ranks to generate new ideas and advance the public debate on all issues concerning nuclear weapons.

There are over 1,100 PONI members and affiliated programs in the UK and France. Membership is open to anyone working in the nuclear field or studying nuclear weapons issues. Members receive a biweekly newsletter containing updates on activities, invitations to events and information on job opportunities in the field. Visit the PONI Membership page to the left for more information about the community, including the PONI chapters in the UK and France, or click here to go directly to the application.

Follow Our Work

PONI Debates the Issues Blog
This blog pushes the nuclear debate forward with daily posts, original contributions by members, and guest commentary from senior experts.
Conference Series
Each year PONI hosts four conferences that bring together people from across the nuclear enterprise to discuss a range of nuclear issues.
Live Debate Series
The debate series, an extension of the PDI blog, features top experts debating controversial nuclear issues one-on-one.
Nuclear Scholars Initiative
Brings a select group of graduate students and young professionals to CSIS for a program consisting of six daylong workshops with senior experts from the field.
Nuclear Notes
A semi-annual publication that features analyses of current issues and which aims to provide innovative solutions to nuclear policy challenges.
The Next Generation Working Group
Informing and influencing the next steps in U.S.-Russia arms control.
International Outreach
PONI formally involves the U.S., UK and France and is undertaking efforts to engage young nuclear experts in other countries around the world.
Nuclear Careers
Listing of employment opportunities and resources for jobseekers interested in nuclear science and policy.
U.S.-UK Nuclear Cooperation After 50 Years
CSIS commemorated the 50th anniversary of nuclear cooperation between the U.S. and U.K. with a volume of selected essays and oral histories.
Nuclear Policy News
The PONI Debates the Issues "Nuclear Policy News" features a daily compilation of nuclear news organized by subject.
Reference Desk
The PONI Reference Desk is dedicated to keeping an informative and up to date catalogue of relevant nuclear information.
The START Ratification Debate Guide
An overview of the New START ratification debate, arguments for and against.
Comprehensive Framework for Integrating the Nuclear Debate
This project provides interested parties with a searchable database of all the major nuclear reports of the last 18 months based on a taxonomy created by the project to capture the key relationships between various aspects of nuclear policy.

Multimedia

More Multimedia

Blog

Nuclear Policy News - February 3, 2012
Feb 3, 2012
TOP NEWS

North Korea opens door to talks with South Korea

AFP

Panetta believes Israel may strike Iran this spring: reports

Reuters

Putin Slams U.S. Missile Shield Ahead of Munich Security Talks

RIA

Obama’s Turn on Nuclear Weapons

Joseph Cirincione

Foreign Affairs
Review - "New Start at One Year"
Feb 2, 2012

By David Slungaard

This past Tuesday, the American Security Project hosted an event featuring speaker Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller. The discussion, “New START: A Year Later- How New START Improved our National Security and the Next Steps with Russia,” focused on the legacy of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) since it entered into force on February 5, 2011. Ms. Gottemoeller reported on the strategic and national security benefits provided by the mutual reduction of nuclear forces. Although Goetmoeller highlighted several successes under New Start, including the new verification instruments and increased measures for transparency, the Assistant Secretary also warned of the technical and legislative challenges facing future reduction efforts.