A New Nuclear Policy for the Biden Administration
As the Biden administration prepares to conduct a nuclear posture review, two key principles—reducing the risk of accidental war and maintaining deterrence for less cost—should drive major changes in policy. To reduce the risk of blundering into war, the United States should seek to increase presidential decision time by ending the current policies of sole presidential authority, first use, and ICBMs on high alert. And to maintain deterrence for less, the United States should cancel the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD). By making these important policy shifts, the Biden administration can reduce the risk of nuclear war, save hundreds of billions of dollars, and make the world a safer place.
Tom Collina is the director of policy at Ploughshares Fund. He brings 30 years of Washington, DC experience in nuclear weapons, missile defense and nonproliferation issues to Ploughshares Fund. He has worked extensively as a researcher, analyst, and advocate to strengthen the efforts to end US nuclear testing, rationalize anti-missile programs, extend the Nonproliferation Treaty, and secure Senate ratification of the New START Treaty among others. Prior to joining Ploughshares Fund in 2014, Mr. Collina served as research director of the Arms Control Association, executive director and co-founder of the Institute for Science and International Security and director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, among other leadership positions. He has published widely in major magazines and journals and has appeared frequently in the national media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and NPR. Mr. Collina has a degree in International Relations from Cornell University. Mr. Collina is co-author, with former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, of The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump, published in 2020.
