In an era marked by increasing nuclear proliferation, the role of nuclear power and the dynamics of nuclear deterrence are evolving. How have the dynamics of conflict changed in regions where nuclear proliferation has already occurred? As a result, how has this impacted the deterrent postures and practices of regional powers? Furthermore, how has greater nuclear proliferation impacted third actors' military programs, particularly their nuclear initiatives?
For the United States, how has this increased nuclear proliferation impacted the execution of U.S. national security policy? What are the potential effects of this increased nuclear proliferation on the U.S. military's ability to accomplish its missions, particularly the Department of Defense's ability to project force when directed by the National Command Authority? Ultimately, how has this changing environment impacted the viability of U.S. nuclear forces and the continued ability of the U.S. to deter aggression against the homeland, U.S. forces, and sentinel allies in a new nuclear environment?
- Rackley, Maj. Joshua A. "Deterrent or Catalyst: Examining the Role of US National Security Strategy in Nuclear Proliferation," GCPME thesis, 2020, 36 pgs.
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- Curtice, Maj. Scott, "Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Proliferation Models as Concurrent Pressures on a State," ACSC SANDS paper, 2020, 33 pgs.
- Gibson, Glen. "First Strike Deterrence: A Bold Stance against China's Threat of a Forced Unification with Taiwan." AWC Strategic Studies Paper (Taiwan Deterrence RTF), 2024, 25 pgs. Winner of the AWC Research Excellence Award; Winner of the AWC Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter Award
- Vann, Lt. Col. Ray, "The US Military's Unwinnable War," AF Fellows Research, published in Global Security Review, April 2024.
- Originally an AF Fellows paper, 2024, 2 pgs.
- Acres, Maj. Bryce D., "The Need for Strategic Nuclear Communication," AF Fellows paper, 2023, 23 pgs.
- Gibson, Glen. "First Strike Deterrence: A Bold Stance against China's Threat of a Forced Unification with Taiwan." AWC Strategic Studies Paper (Taiwan Deterrence RTF), 2024, 25 pgs. Winner of the AWC Research Excellence Award; Winner of the AWC Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter Award
- McGinnis-Welsh, Maj. Daniel, "Disentangling from Nuclear Superiority-Brinkmanship Theory: Combating a Legacy of Bootstrapping toward Armageddon," originally work done at ACSC, subsequently published in The Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs (May 8, 2024).
- Rackley, Maj. Joshua A. "Deterrent or Catalyst: Examining the Role of US National Security Strategy in Nuclear Proliferation," GCPME thesis, 2020, 36 pgs.
- Vann, Lt. Col. Ray, "The US Military's Unwinnable War," AF Fellows Research, published in Global Security Review, April 2024.
- Donoho, Rachel, "U.S. Nuclear Energy as an Instrument of National Power," SAASS thesis, 2025, 121 pgs.
- Donoho addresses the impact of nuclear proliferation on national security by exploring the concept of "nuclear latency"—the inherent capacity of a state with a peaceful civilian nuclear energy program to transition into producing nuclear weapons. She explains that states often pursue nuclear latency for energy security, financial gain, or as a strategic hedge, which complicates the execution of U.S. nonproliferation and security policies. To mitigate this threat and enhance its own national power, Donoho recommends that the U.S. act as a global "nuclear energy broker". By leveraging its supplier power to distribute low-enriched uranium (LEU) and advanced commercial nuclear technology exclusively to states that comply with strict nonproliferation agreements, the U.S. can alleviate other nations' energy security concerns while actively inhibiting their need or ability to develop weapons-grade fissile materials.
- Glowacki, Steve, "Self-Defense Policy and Strategy: The United States, Israel and Article 51 from 1945 to 1986," SAASS thesis, 2025, 115 pgs.
- Glowacki answers this by exploring how the existential threat of hostile states acquiring nuclear weapons fundamentally shifted the United States' legal and strategic policies regarding self-defense. By analyzing the 1981 Israeli preemptive strike on Iraq's Osirak nuclear facility (Operation Opera), he illustrates the dilemma the Reagan administration faced between strictly condemning a violation of a sovereign nation's airspace and acknowledging the severe threat posed by nuclear proliferation. Glowacki explains that the dangers of nuclear proliferation ultimately pushed the US away from a narrow, idealistic interpretation of self-defense toward a more pragmatic, "expansionist" approach. To navigate this, the administration chose to separate the legal and political aspects of preemptive strikes, allowing the US to view Israeli actions against nuclear threats more sympathetically and actively shaping future US self-defense policy discourse.
- Rackley, Maj. Joshua A. "Deterrent or Catalyst: Examining the Role of US National Security Strategy in Nuclear Proliferation," GCPME thesis, 2020, 36 pgs.