Nuclear Weapons and Warfare

Contents:

Nuclear weapons, the means of producing them, and their potential use play significant roles in international relations and homeland security. Throughout its history, RAND has provided detailed analyses and recommendations for defense planners and helped policymakers make informed national security decisions with regard to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the nuclear activities of India, Pakistan, China, North Korea, Iran, and other nations.

Research conducted by: RAND National Security Research Division; RAND Arroyo Center; RAND Project AIR FORCE

News Releases (5)

Obituary: Glenn A. Kent, National Security Strategist, Senior RAND Research Fellow — Apr 26, 2012

Lt. Gen. Glenn A. Kent, a strategist, analyst and teacher whose career spanned World War II, the Cold War and the post-Cold War eras, died April 25.

Book by Noted Expert Proposes a Renaissance of Thought on Nuclear Deterrence for Today's Strategic Environment — Apr 17, 2012

A new book by the late French scholar Thérèse Delpech provides a critical review and update of nuclear deterrence theory, focusing a critical eye on nuclear issues during the Cold War, examining the lessons of past nuclear crises, and outlining ways in which these lessons apply to major nuclear powers and nuclear pretenders today.

U.S. Should Reexamine Policy Options for Dealing with an Iran on the Nuclear Threshold — Nov 28, 2011

An attack on Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States or Israel would make it more, not less difficult to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions. The sympathy aroused for Iran would make containment of Iranian influence much more difficult for Israel, for the U.S., and for the Arab regimes currently allied with Washington.

Policy Choices for United States to Dissuade Iran from Developing Nuclear Weapons — Jun 6, 2011

Dissuading Iran from developing nuclear weapons faces major obstacles, but it's too soon to give up trying as it may still be possible to influence the outcome of Iran's internal political debate.

Book by Brian Michael Jenkins Explores Nuclear Terrorism; Allows Readers to Confront Crisis as a President Might — Sep 10, 2008

In a new book, "Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?," leading terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins explores both the risks and history of nuclear terrorism, and warns that terrorists may not even need to acquire such weapons to order to perpetrate "nuclear terror."

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Jeffrey Engstrom

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Jeffrey Engstrom specializes in Asia-Pacific security issues and foreign policy. His recent work has focused on Chinese conventional and nuclear capabilities, East Asian force projection, and partnership capacity building. Before joining the RAND Corporation, Engstrom was a defense policy…

John V. Parachini

Director, Intelligence Policy Center, RAND National Defense Research Institute

John V. Parachini

John Parachini is a senior international policy analyst and director of the Intelligence Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. He has led RAND projects on the propensity of terrorists to acquire chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons; how the U.S. government can capture…

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