Nuclear Weapons

Internships at the American Strategy Program

Patrick Doherty — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:06:00 -0400

Calling all prospective interns... special consideration given to those who can start in August... We can guarantee at least one of the two superstars above will be part of your internship...

Click here for the official link.

Intern, American Strategy Program

The New America Foundation is continually seeking enthusiastic intern applicants to assist the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. The American Strategy Program at the new America Foundation is one of Washington's most dynamic and innovative foreign policy centers situated at the nexus of strategy, policy and politics.

Primary Responsibilities

Substantive research to support the American Strategy Program in general and the following areas:
1. Grand Strategy, Great Powers and America's Role in the World
2. Nuclear Strategy and Non-Proliferation
3. Middle-East Policy
4. Counter-terrorism and Counter-insurgency
5. U.S.-Cuba Policy
6. Smart Globalization
Content development for ASP's various policy blogs.
Administrative support to the program associate as directed, including staffing events at New America.
Other tasks as directed.

Qualifications

Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:

Enrollment in a undergraduate foreign policy program;
Proven research and analytical skills, with a clear substantive interest in one of the initiatives listed above;
Strong writing and editing abilities;
Familiarity with internet research tools;
Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment;
Be a flexible and enthusiastic team player; and
Relevant language skills a plus but not required (Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Hebrew, Farsi, etc.)

Application Process

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. ASP prefers to hire interns for Fall, Spring, and Summer time periods, though other arrangements will be considered.

E-mail resume, cover letter and one writing sample (up to six pages) to: Human Resources Department, New America Foundation, jobs@newamerica.net. Please state "Intern, New America Foundation/American Strategy Program" in the e-mail subject line.

Applicants must be currently eligible to be employed in the United States. The New America Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

ASP In the News | July 16-18

Ian McAllister — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:33:00 -0400

The Economist (07/17) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's self destructive tendencies.
iStock Analyst (07/17) features Steve Clemons arguing against claims of success in Iraq.
The New York Observer (07/17) reviews Michael Cohen's new book, Live from the Campaign Trail.
The Moderate Voice (07/16) cites Daniel Levy on evolving aspects of the Israeli Palestinian divide.
The Newshour with Jim Lehrer (07/16) interviews Daniel Levy on Israel's controversial trade with Hamas.
Financial Times (07/16) quotes Steve Clemons on the Cheney's loss of influence in the Bush Administration.
Policy Innovations (07/14) features Flynt Leverett discussing the rise of China on global business and security.
Freezer Box (07/11) cites Jeffrey Lewis on the growing role for civil society in nuclear nonproliferation.

ASP In the News | July 11-14

Ian McAllister — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:13:00 -0400

The Daily Oregonian (07/12) cites Parag Khanna on the negatives of Foreign Aid.
Philadelphia Enquirer (07/11) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's continuing decline.
Telegraph India (07/11) cites Jeffrey Lewis on India's nuclear program.

ASP In the News | July 7-9

Ian McAllister — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:58:00 -0400

Democracy Arsenal (07/08) cites Parag Khanna on the rise of the E.U.
The Las Vegas Sun (07/07) quotes Sherle Scwhenninger on the dire state of the housing market.
New York Times (07/07) features Michael Cohen discussing Obama's stance on patriotism.
Washington Post (07/06) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's continuing decline.
Sify (07/02) features Jeffrey Lewis analyzing India's nuclear strategy.

ASP In the News | June 02--04

Ian McAllister — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:34:00 -0400

Guardian (06/04) quotes Steve Clemons on Hillary Clinton's potential Senate Majority Leader ambitions.
The Moderate Voice (06/03) cites Daniel Levy on the Gaza Strip's growing international isolation.
LA Times (05/31) quotes Jeffrey Lewis on Syria's nuclear secrecy.
New York Times (05/30) mentions Peter Bergen in a discussion of the issue of Iranian containment.

ASP In the News | May 14-16

Ian McAllister — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:20:00 -0400

New York Times (05/16) cites Jeffrey Lewis on the danger of quake damage to Chinese nuclear facilities
Afrik.com (05/16) quotes Steve Clemons on the future of the McCain-Obama race.
The New Republic (05/15) cites Steve Clemons on McCain's efforts to purge unsavory campaign connections.
Time (05/15) mentions Daniel Levy in a discussion of Hamas' influence in the U.S. presidential election.
International Herald Tribune (05/14) features Daniel Levy analyzing the prospects for Middle East peace.
Inter Press Service (05/14) quotes Flynt Leverett on the internal politics of Lebanon.
Globe and Mail (05/10) reviews Parag Khanna's work on geopolitical dynamics in the Second World.

ASP in the News | April 28-30

Ian McAllister — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:01:00 -0400

Wired Magazine (04/28) cites Jeffrey Lewis' research on the Syrian Nuclear Program
The Week Daily (04/25) quotes Steve Clemons on the implications of Syria's Nuclear Program
The New Republic (04/25) responds to Steve Clemons' debate against a Beijing Boycott

Doing the Times' Homework

Patrick Doherty — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:42:00 -0400

It's a curious honor to have the New York Times trolling your blog for reported story ideas. Nonetheless, that honor goes to our own Jeffrey Lewis, publisher of ArmsControlWonk.com, and director of the Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation Initiative here at the New America Foundation.

Here's the scoop. Published in today's New York Times, William J. Broad's article, "A Tantalizing Look at Iran's Nuclear Program," explored an intriguing new source of intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program: photographs by the official Iranian news agency of President Ahmadinejad touring nuclear facilities with his defence minister, intelligence minister, and top nuclear expert.

The highest compliment, however, was the inclusion of the Times' own annotated photograph. Showing his true geek credentials, Jeffrey's original, hand-drawn annotated picture, shown above, focused only on the hardware.

Of course there were other items of interest in the photo to the wider readership of the Times, including a few powerful individuals and a couple of flags. Jumping on the case, the Grey Lady spared no expense, and, digging deeply into the comments section of Jeffrey's blog post, rounded out it's multimedia feature with labels for the inidividuals and flags already ID'd by the dedicated team of ArmsControlWonks.

Congratulations, Jeffrey. Imitation is the highest compliment.

Losing Control of Our Nukes ... and the World

Patrick Doherty — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:02:00 -0400

Leading the world towards a more secure international order requires the United States pursue our long-term interests while answering to a higer standard. The same goes for getting Iran to play by the global ruleset. Yet both have been systematically undermined by our willingness to proliferate nuclear technology to India, disregarding our leadership role in the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Now, our own Jeffrey Lewis is reporting that what many thought was a one-off incident, the unauthorized movement of nuclear weapons from one military base to another, is actually part of a broader dysfunction in the management of our nuclear forces. If we cannot even control our own nuclear program, how can we expect others to?

Nothing Like This Can Happen

By Jeffrey Lewis

Er, again. Another nuclear weapons related incident:

The U.S. military has regained control of four non-nuclear nose cone assemblies for a Minuteman missile mistakenly sent to Taiwan in 2006, Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said during a news conference here today.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates learned of the situation on March 21 and immediately ordered that the United States regain “positive control” of the systems, Wynne said. He also notified the president of the situation.

It was the second incident with a strategic weapon in the past year. In August, an Air Force B-52 flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., carrying atomic weapons. The crew did not realize they were carrying nuclear weapons until they landed.

Today, Gates signed a memorandum directing Adm. Kirkland Donald, director of Navy Nuclear Propulsion, to conduct a comprehensive investigation “to determine the facts into how this error occurred and who is accountable throughout the chain of command,” said Christopher R. “Ryan” Henry, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.

There it is again, the rhetoric of personal accountability when what we have is a sick organization. I’ve said it before. I will say it again:

Continue reading in ArmsControlWonk.com...

Strategic Posture Commission Announced

Patrick Doherty — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:14:00 -0400

America's nuclear posture is problematic. The weapons needed for a credible deterrent are far smaller than our current stockpile while the Bush administration's plan for revising that posture makes the use of a tactical nuclear weapon much more likely. After more than a year in session, the new Congress is finally taking on this question and now they have named their greybeards. Jeffrey Lewis reports:

And the nominees are …

The following individuals have been nominated to the Commission by the House Armed Services Committee:

William Perry, Commission Chairman, former Secretary of Defense;

John Foster, Director Emeritus of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory;

Lee Hamilton, former Congressman and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission;

Keith Payne, CEO and President, National Institute for Public Policy;

Ellen Williams, University of Maryland Distinguished Professor; and

Harry Cartland, former physicist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The following individuals have been nominated to the Commission by the Senate Armed Services Committee:

James Schlesinger, Commission Vice Chairman, former Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Defense;

John Glenn, former Senator and NASA astronaut;

Fred Ikle, former Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency;

Morton Halperin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs;

James Woolsey, former Director, Central Intelligence Agency; and

Bruce Tarter, former Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

For the terms of reference and some background, see Strategic Posture Commission ACW, May 11, 2006