Assessing Implementation of the 2010 NPR

The 2008 Defense Authorization Act stipulated that the Secretary of Defense, in cooperation with the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of State, conduct a “comprehensive review of the nuclear posture of the United States for the next 5 to 10 years” and to submit a report summarizing its findings to Congress along with its Quadrennial Defense Review in 2009. Accordingly, the Department of Defense carried out what would be its third Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) in 2009 and submitted its final report to Congress, after some delay, in March of 2010.

The 2010 NPR report sought to not only fulfill its mandate under the 2008 Defense Authorization Act, but also to provide a framework for organizing and harmonizing several efforts that were underway at the same time. The United States was simultaneously involved negotiations with Russia on a new arms control treaty to replace the soon-to-expire Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (START) and was beginning work on hosting a Nuclear Security Summit to engage political leaders worldwide in a concerted effort to keep dangerous nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists. To guide these efforts, a few months after taking office, President Obama laid out the broad parameters for U.S. nuclear policy in what came to be known as the Prague Speech, which reaffirmed the United States' dual commitments to disarmament and deterrence, and underscored the importance of preventing nuclear terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons worldwide. 

One year on from this flurry of activity, CSIS Defense and National Security Group Program Coordinator, Kevin Kallmyer, examined the progress that has been made in achieving the goals and objectives set forth in the Nuclear Posture Review. His report uses the five key objectives of the NPR as the basis for assessing what steps have been taken in fulfillment of U.S. nuclear policy over the past year.

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