The Department of Defense and the Nuclear Mission in the 21st Century

This report argues that nuclear weapons are still important to U.S. national security, and it outlines a set of recommendations for how the Department of Defense should organize for nuclear missions in the twenty-first century. After first chronicling a failed effort in 2007 to develop a “balanced and integrated” package of policy initiatives on nuclear issues, the report provides a rationale for why the next administration should chose a strategic option as it confronts a number of nuclear challenges, ranging from the growing risk of nuclear terrorism to the proliferation risks associated with the expansion of nuclear energy to the role of nuclear weapons in a proliferating world.