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

  • A New Nuclear Policy for the Biden Administration

    This is a copy of the statement Tom Collina, Director of Policy at Ploughshares Fund, delivered in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) at a hearing on United States nuclear deterrence policy and strategy. His remarks, prepared jointly with former Secretary of Defense...

    June 16, 2021 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Tom Collina testifies before US Senate on Nuclear Policy

    Tom Collina, Director of Policy at Ploughshares Fund, recently testifed before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) at a hearing on United States nuclear deterrence policy and strategy. His remarks, prepared jointly with former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, focused on ending the...

    June 16, 2021 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Investing in Cures Before Missiles

    On March 26, 2021, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) introduced the Investing in Cures Before Missiles (ICBM) Act. The legislation was welcomed by many key people and organizations in the nuclear policy community, including Ploughshares Fund. The legislation...

    April 14, 2021 - By Will Lowry
  • Do We Need New ICBMs (Or Any at All)?

    President Joe Biden is expected to submit his fiscal 2022 defense budget request to Congress in May. The ongoing efforts to keep building costly weapons like the F-35 Lightening fighter jets and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers have been particularly controversial. But another program in...

    April 2, 2021 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • The ICBM Information Project

    ReThink Media conducted a national survey, on behalf of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), to explore Americans’ opinions about US nuclear posture in general, and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in particular. This report is...

    February 19, 2021 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • The First 100 Days and Nuclear Weapons Policy

    Ploughshares Fund welcomes the Biden administration. Many nuclear policy issues were left unresolved at the end of the Obama administration, and President Trump only added to the list. The first 100 days of Joe Biden’s presidency will be crucial for making early announcements and setting...

    February 4, 2021 - By Tom Collina
  • Terrell Jermaine Starr on Press the Button

    This week Press the Button features Terrell Jermaine Starr, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, senior reporter at The Root, and host of the podcast Black Diplomats. Starr joins co-host Michelle Dover in discussing violence and racism's influence on US domestic...

    January 20, 2021 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Why America Should Bring Home Its Nuclear Weapons

    American tactical nuclear weapons in Europe have outlived their usefulness and should be brought home, argued Mike Sweeney, national security expert and fellow at the libertarian think tank, Defense Priorities. “It’s kind of a forgotten issue,” he explained in an interview with the podcast Press...

    October 2, 2020 - By Zack Brown
  • Perry and Collina Statement on Air Force Contract Award for New Nuclear ICBM

    Today, the Pentagon announced a $13.3 billion contract award (part of a larger $100 billion program) to Northrop Grumman to build the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) missile, a replacement for existing nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) – a sole-source contract...

    September 8, 2020 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • New START: Why An Extension Is In America's National Interest

    Failing to renew the New START arms control treaty with Russia “is not a wise direction of travel,” said Rose Gottemoeller, a former Deputy Secretary General of NATO who ranked as one of President Barack Obama’s top nuclear security experts. She knows better than most. Gottemoeller was the chief...

    August 19, 2020 - By Ploughshares Fund