James
Research Fellow
James Byrne
Research Fellow
James
Research Fellow
James Byrne
Research Fellow
James
Research Fellow
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RUSI’s Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme provides detailed analysis and research on contemporary nuclear weapons issues.
The research programme consists of two broad portfolios. The first, which deals with issues relating to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, focuses on: North Korean and Iranian nuclear diplomacy; countering proliferation finance and the sanctions regimes imposed to address proliferation threats; and the structure, operations, and evasion tactics of North Korean proliferation networks. The second, covering nuclear policy more broadly, involves research into: the UK’s nuclear weapons programme and its policies on arms control and deterrence; contemporary stresses on the non-proliferation regime, and UK policy towards it; and the effect of advanced conventional precision-strike capabilities on nuclear stability.
The team conducts a range of engagement activities alongside this research, foremost among which is the UK Project on Nuclear Issues (UK PONI), a cross-generational initiative that connects emerging nuclear scholars and professionals with established experts. Other important components include Track II dialogues, both discreet and public, in which capacity RUSI leads the UK component of the high-level, France/UK/US Trilateral Nuclear Dialogues. Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme experts also train government, military and industry representatives in the UK and overseas on nuclear policy and nuclear technologies, and on best practices for countering proliferation finance.
People
Joe
Research Analyst
Joe Byrne
Research Analyst
Joe
Research Analyst
Joe Byrne
Research Analyst
Joe
Research Analyst
Malcolm
Deputy Director-General
Malcolm Chalmers
Deputy Director-General
Malcolm
Deputy Director-General
Malcolm Chalmers
Deputy Director-General
Malcolm
Deputy Director-General
Darya
Research Analyst
Darya Dolzikova
Research Analyst
Darya
Research Analyst
Darya Dolzikova
Research Analyst
Darya
Research Analyst
Sam
Research Fellow
Sam Dudin
Research Fellow
Sam
Research Fellow
Sam Dudin
Research Fellow
Sam
Research Fellow
Wojciech
Counter-Proliferation Coordinator
Wojciech Pawlus
Counter-Proliferation Coordinator
Wojciech
Counter-Proliferation Coordinator
Wojciech Pawlus
Counter-Proliferation Coordinator
Wojciech
Counter-Proliferation Coordinator
Tom
Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Tom Plant
Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Tom
Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Tom Plant
Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Tom
Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Gary
Research Analyst
Gary Somerville
Research Analyst
Gary
Research Analyst
Gary Somerville
Research Analyst
Gary
Research Analyst
Cristina
Research Fellow
Cristina Varriale
Research Fellow
Cristina
Research Fellow
Cristina Varriale
Research Fellow
Cristina
Research Fellow
Lydia
Research Assistant, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme
Lydia Wachs
Research Assistant, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme
Lydia
Research Assistant, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme
Lydia Wachs
Research Assistant, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme
Lydia
Research Assistant, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme
Chelsey
Research Assistant
Chelsey Wiley
Research Assistant
Chelsey
Research Assistant
Chelsey Wiley
Research Assistant
Chelsey
Research Assistant
Marike
Project Officer
Marike Woollard
Project Officer
Marike
Project Officer
Marike Woollard
Project Officer
Marike
Project Officer
Latest
Rickety Anchor: North Korea Calls its Illicit Shipping Fleet Home amid Coronavirus Fears
Commentary, 26 March 2020
Project Sandstone
North Korea appears to have ordered a significant portion of its shipping fleet to return home in what is likely a reaction to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, new analysis by Project Sandstone can reveal.
Tags: Project Sandstone, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"According to a satellite-image analysis published Thursday by the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based research organization, and a review of additional satellite imagery by The New York Times, many North Korean commercial vessels that once carried sanctioned material to and from China — or transferred them illicitly ship-to-ship at sea — are now idled in their home ports. "
Coronavirus is Idling North Korea's Ships, Achieving What Sanctions Could Not
In The News, 26 March 2020 Tags: Project Sandstone, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
News, 5 March 2020
RUSI is marking the 50th anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by hosting a compilation of historic documents recording the negotiations during the 1960s.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, History
"Analysts at the U.K.-based think tank Royal United Services Institute used ships' radio signals and satellite imagery to determine that North Korean-controlled cargo vessels have made at least 175 trips to the Chinese coastal city of Zhoushan, near Shanghai, since October last year "
After Losing Cargo Ship to U.S., North Korea Found Another in Vietnam
In The News, 5 March 2020 Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Project Sandstone Report 6: The Phantom Fleet: North Korea’s Smugglers in Chinese Waters
Other Publications, 5 March 2020
James Byrne, Joe Byrne, Gary Somerville and Hamish Macdonald
A large fleet of North Korean cargo ships continues to deliver coal to China in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions, in what appears to be a large-scale, coordinated effort to evade sanctions imposed on the country over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
Tags: Project Sandstone, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
What North Korea Is not Telling Us about Denuclearisation in 2020
Commentary, 2 March 2020
Cristina Varriale
A new rallying cry to ‘achieve a breakthrough’ has been launched by the North Korean leader. But what this actually means is, probably deliberately, obfuscated.
Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, PacificPages
Rickety Anchor: North Korea Calls its Illicit Shipping Fleet Home amid Coronavirus Fears
Commentary, 26 March 2020Project Sandstone
North Korea appears to have ordered a significant portion of its shipping fleet to return home in what is likely a reaction to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, new analysis by Project Sandstone can reveal.
Project Sandstone, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
What North Korea Is not Telling Us about Denuclearisation in 2020
Commentary, 2 March 2020Cristina Varriale
A new rallying cry to ‘achieve a breakthrough’ has been launched by the North Korean leader. But what this actually means is, probably deliberately, obfuscated.
North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Germany’s Greens at 40: Between Pacifist Roots and Potential Government Responsibility
Commentary, 26 February 2020Lydia Wachs
While Germany’s mainstream parties – the so-called Volksparteien (mass-movement people’s party) – are faltering, the Greens are on course to be part of the next German government. However, their current security policy platforms will not remain unchallenged.
Germany, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Europe
Britain’s Nuclear Projects: Less Bang and More Whimper
Commentary, 22 January 2020Tom Plant
The country’s nuclear projects require more political attention and more parliamentary accountability.
Defence Management, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK
Denuclearising North Korea Through a Broader Security Framework
Commentary, 4 October 2019Cristina Varriale
The resumption of the US–North Korea denuclearisation talks at a ‘working level’ is to be welcomed. But a broader security engagement is urgently needed.
United States, US Defence Policy, North Korea, Defence Management, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages
Project Sandstone Report 6: The Phantom Fleet: North Korea’s Smugglers in Chinese Waters
Other Publications, 5 March 2020James Byrne, Joe Byrne, Gary Somerville and Hamish Macdonald
A large fleet of North Korean cargo ships continues to deliver coal to China in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions, in what appears to be a large-scale, coordinated effort to evade...
Project Sandstone, North Korea, Other Publications, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
The 2019 UK PONI Papers
Conference Reports, 20 December 2019Edited by Sam Dudin and Chelsey Wiley
The 2019 UK PONI Papers examine contemporary civil and military nuclear issues and are written by emerging experts from academia, government and industry who presented at the 2019 UK Project on...
Pakistan, India, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Conference Reports, Russia, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Defence Policy, UK, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Technology, UK Defence, Europe
Project Sandstone Report 5: Kaohsiung Cowboys: The Taiwanese Network Facilitating North Korea’s Illicit Activities
Other Publications, 12 December 2019James Byrne, Joe Byrne, Hamish Macdonald and Gary Somerville
This report provides a network analysis of North Korea's oil smuggling networks.
Project Sandstone, North Korea, Other Publications, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues
Project Sandstone Report 4: Down and Out in Pyongyang and London
Other Publications, 26 September 2019James Byrne, Joe Byrne, Hamish Macdonald and Gary Somerville
This report examines the role that UK companies have in North Korean efforts to evade international sanctions.
Project Sandstone, North Korea, Other Publications, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Project Sandstone 3: On the Trail of the Tae Yang: AIS Spoofing and North Korean Coal Smuggling
Other Publications, 26 June 2019Catherine Dill, Cameron Trainer, Joseph Byrne, Gary Somerville and James Byrne
This report examines how the Tae Yang has used sophisticated measures to avoid being tracked, possibly to conduct activities that contravene UN sanctions.
Project Sandstone, North Korea, Other Publications, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages
UK PONI Annual Conference 2019
Conference, 13 June 2019Now its ninth year, the UK PONI Annual Conference is the premier national forum for the nuclear policy community to consider salient issues in the field and promote the emergence of a new generation...
UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI: SIGNAL Wargame
Events, 12 June 2019This event will allow participants to simulate conventional and nuclear conflict to better understand nuclear deterrence and escalation dynamics
UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Rising Nuclear Risk, Disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Events, 16 May 2019Lord Howell, chair of the House of Lords International Relations Committee, will present the report of the Committees latest inquiry into nuclear disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Table Top Exercise
Events, 8 March 2019UK PONI will be running a nuclear disarmament simulation game for early- and mid-career nuclear experts.
UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Workshop: Introduction to Nuclear Weapons Policy
Events, 11 February 2019UK Project on Nuclear Issues will host a one-day introductory workshop covering the basics of nuclear weapons policy for early career professionals.
UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages
The US-Russia Nuclear Treaty Under Threat
Multimedia, 21 October 2018After reports that the USA may with from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Deputy Director General of the Royal United Services Institute speaks to BBC news...
Tags: United States, Russia, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
The North Korean Nuclear Summit
Multimedia, 9 March 2018Tom Plant, Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme at RUSI on the proposed nuclear summit between North Korea and the US
Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
President Trump's Nuclear Button Tweet
Multimedia, 3 January 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
The Nuclear Ban Treaty in 2018
Multimedia, 21 December 2017Tom Plant, Director of RUSI's Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme discusses the prospects for the Nuclear Ban treaty in 2018
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Dealing with the Latest North Korea Missile Threat
Multimedia, 11 August 2017Following a war of words between US President Donald Trump and the Pyongyang regime, are we at risk of escalation? RUSI experts Tom Plant, Cristina Varriale and Emil Dall discuss.
Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Red Lines and Red Tape – How the UK Should Deal with Russia
NATO@71
On the Cusp: Dan Eliasson