Ploughshares Stories

Ploughshares has entered a new chapter of leadership with the election of Gretchen Hund as its new Board Chair. Hund, a former Director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Center for Global Security, specialized in addressing emerging national security threats, including climate resilience. She came to her role on the board as a friend of…

Victories in the nuclear policy world are rarely immediate. As the largest public foundation in the US focused solely on reducing the threat of nuclear weapons, we know patience is paramount. Ploughshares’ grants often have long-term effects. In late September, a federal judge ruled that the US government’s expansive plans to produce new plutonium pits…

What if I told you your hard-earned retirement savings are likely invested in companies that manufacture weapons of war? If that doesn’t sit right with you, you’re not alone. My name is Grant Bradski, and I work at As You Sow, the nation’s leading shareholder advocacy nonprofit which works to increase corporate responsibility on a…

In preparation for the inauguration, we asked four individuals from our community with a variety of backgrounds to answer a few questions about the nuclear aspects of the Inauguration Day transfer of presidential power: Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama, and co-host of the podcast Pod Save the World; Amy…

“Starfleet directive, General Order #1 “The Starfleet should not interfere with the social, cultural or technological development of any other planet.” – Star Trek Humankind will never run out of things to conquer. That may be a cynical take on the nature of humankind, but the history of space exploration, nearly every exploration, has yet…

Last September, Horizon 2045 and Ploughshares co-hosted “Security & the Future,” a three-day symposium designed to promote long-term thinking about intersections between nuclear challenges and other global threats to human and planetary security. More than 100 colleagues from civil society, philanthropy, the private sector, and government attended the symposium, engaging in provocative cross-issue conversations focused…

After 13 transformative years at Ploughshares, Elizabeth Warner, the organization’s Executive Director, is stepping down. Warner’s tenure has been marked by pivotal achievements in the global nuclear disarmament landscape and a steadfast commitment to fostering equity and innovation within the organization. In a reflective interview, Warner shared insights into her decision, the milestones she’s most…

The White Sands are always warm beneath my feet and the dunes are endless. They run towards the setting sun as if they are racing to snatch it up and hold its light forever. The sun prevails in its journey though, and suddenly the sky becomes dark and the white dunes turn blue beneath the…

In an unexpected turn of events, I’m now trained to help people die better. I’m what you call a death doula. How I got here is a story for another day. But in becoming a death doula, I’ve had to seriously reckon with the profound importance of death in life. I’ve often anguished over how…