The New Arms Race

Nuclear weapons do nothing to protect us from 21st century threats. Yet the US government is planning to spend over $2 trillion during the next 30 years to rebuild its arsenal – plans that could push Russia, China and other countries to build even more nuclear weapons. In short, the world is on the brink of a new nuclear arms race that will only accelerate if current plans stay on track. 

Every dollar spent on re-building our arsenal is a dollar less for our true defense needs. We need to end wasteful nuclear programs and to realign our spending priorities with today’s threats.

Latest News and Analysis on the New Nuclear Arms Race

  • 100 Seconds to Midnight

    “We are in a stage of total denial,” said Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland. “The Clock has moved nearer than ever - nearer than at the height of the Cold War.” Mary Robinson and Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, joined Press the Button...

    January 27, 2020 - By Zack Brown
  • The Bomb Squad

    “We’re a small but mighty team,” Tristan Guyette told Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione. “Our goal is to end the threat of nuclear war through very intersectional work.” Guyette and Colleen Moore work at Beyond the Bomb, a grassroots campaign aimed at stopping nuclear war. “We work to...

    November 11, 2019 - By Zack Brown
  • Why Are We Rebuilding the ‘Nuclear Sponge’?

    The media is abuzz about the epic battle between corporate titans Northrop Grumman and Boeing over who will win the $100 billion contract to build a new nuclear-armed ballistic missile. For those who are keeping score, it looks like Northrop will win a sole-source contract, which would be a...

    November 7, 2019 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Is the Nuclear Order Worth Saving?

    "Who decides how human society and human civilization conducts its affairs: nine countries with nuclear weapons or everybody else?" Zia Mian asked Ploughshares Fund’s Michelle Dover. Mian says the world is shifting away from the superpower model of nuclear diplomacy. "During the Cold War, the US...

    November 1, 2019 - By Zack Brown
  • Press the Button Interview with Rep. Adam Smith

    Challenges lie ahead for efforts to restart dialogue between the world's nuclear powers, stop the production of new nuclear weapons, and re-think the US nuclear posture review. This week on Press the Button, we present an exclusive look at the future of US nuclear policy, taken from a special...

    November 1, 2019 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Rep. Adam Smith on US Nuclear Policy

    On Thursday, October 24, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, Chairman Adam Smith of the House Armed Services Committee delivered the keynote talk at a special briefing we hosted on the future of US nuclear policy. He outlined his vision for US nuclear policy, including his funding...

    October 29, 2019 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Rep. Adam Smith and the Future of US Nuclear Weapons Policy

    To reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons, stop their spread, and build peace in regions of conflict where nuclear weapons exists, Ploughshares Fund is working to stop an emerging nuclear arms race, support and extend arms control treaties, and prevent nuclear war. This is why we are...

    October 16, 2019 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Stopping the New Nuclear Arms Race

    Since taking office in 2016, President Trump has dismantled many of the security guardrails that restrained nuclear dangers for decades. He walked away from a successful Iran deal, killed Reagan’s treaty on intermediate-range nuclear weapons and may yet destroy New START – the only remaining...

    October 2, 2019 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Beginning of the Nuclear Arms Race, the National Defense Authorization Act, Iran-Israel tensions

    MICHELLE: Welcome back to Early Warning. I'm your host, Michelle Dover, Director of Programs here at Ploughshares Fund. And today I am joined by Joe Cirincione, President and also co-host of the podcast with me. And Tom Collina, Director of Policy here at Ploughshares. Gentlemen, welcome....

    September 4, 2019 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Lynn Rusten on Press the Button

    This is a transcript of a recent interview from the podcast Press the Button. Lynn Rusten, Vice President of the Global Nuclear Policy Program at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, sits down with Joe Cirincione to discuss the history of arms control between the United States and Russia, and how the...

    August 28, 2019 - By Ploughshares Fund