James
Senior Research Fellow
James Byrne
Senior Research Fellow
James
Senior Research Fellow
James Byrne
Senior Research Fellow
James
Senior 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.
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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, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Darya Dolzikova
Research Analyst, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Darya
Research Analyst, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Darya Dolzikova
Research Analyst, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Darya
Research Analyst, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Dr Matthew
Senior Research Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Programme
Dr Matthew Harries
Senior Research Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Programme
Dr Matthew
Senior Research Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Programme
Dr Matthew Harries
Senior Research Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Programme
Dr Matthew
Senior Research Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Programme
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
Marike
Project Officer
Marike Woollard
Project Officer
Marike
Project Officer
Marike Woollard
Project Officer
Marike
Project Officer
Dr Luba
Research Analyst
Dr Luba Zatsepina
Research Analyst
Dr Luba
Research Analyst
Dr Luba Zatsepina
Research Analyst
Dr Luba
Research Analyst
Latest
The 2020 UK PONI Papers
Conference Reports, 6 November 2020
Edited by Luba Zatsepina and Tom Plant
The 2020 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 Nuclear Issues (UK PONI) Annual Conference.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Technology
No Go for GOCO: The UK Renationalises Its Nuclear Warhead Factory
Commentary, 6 November 2020
Tom Plant and Matthew Harries
The UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment is returning to full public ownership. The flaws in the old model were clear, but the change does not guarantee improvement.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Defence Management, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"“In several respects, the transparency of the U.S. government, and the persistence of Congress in extracting answers, is throwing the opacity of the United Kingdom’s nuclear warhead program into stark relief. It is time for Parliament to take back control.” "
Matthew Harries on UK nuclear weapons
In The News, 22 October 2020 Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"Tom Plant, director of proliferation and nuclear policy at the Royal United Services Institute, told The Sun Online he expects North Korea to unveil a new weapons system soon - but said it may not be on Saturday.
He said: "North Korea has a pretty good heritage of giving the incoming US President something to think about so it pushes them up the agenda.
"Whether they do that now, or they until November - who knows.
"But they certainly have an interest in doing something, I would be surprised if we do not see something of that nature over the next three to four months."
The expert said Kim has a "vast array" of weapons in development to choose from, so identifying exactly what it may be is "difficult".
Mr Plant said a new submarine-launched missile, which has been the subject for months of speculation amid of flurry of activity at Kim's naval base in Sinpo, would be "very ambitious".
He added: "The North Korea issue is not going away, and its going to get harder to resolve as times goes on." "
Kim Jong-un could unveil ‘biggest-ever’ nuke missile this weekend after promising big ‘surprise’ for Donald Trump
In The News, 7 October 2020 Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Beyond the Disarmament Impasse: How Europe Perceives the UK’s Disarmament Verification Efforts
Occasional Papers, 24 September 2020
Cristina Varriale
This paper uses survey data to examine the extent to which the UK’s prioritisation of disarmament verification is perceived by the European NPT community to be a valuable contribution to the disarmament agenda.
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK, Europe
"A once-busy maritime coal smuggling route between North Korea and China has returned to pre-pandemic levels of activity, a joint investigation by NK Pro and the Royal United Services Institute’s (RUSI) Project Sandstone can reveal this week. "
North Korean coal smuggling route to China rebounds to pre-COVID activity levels
In The News, 17 July 2020 Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, PacificPages
No Go for GOCO: The UK Renationalises Its Nuclear Warhead Factory
Commentary, 6 November 2020Tom Plant and Matthew Harries
The UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment is returning to full public ownership. The flaws in the old model were clear, but the change does not guarantee improvement.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Defence Management, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
New Tensions on the Korea Peninsula
Commentary, 17 June 2020Cristina Varriale
North Korea’s harsh response to an incident on its border with South Korea may signify a move away from dialogue, as well as cementing the hold of the Kim dynasty.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea
Alive or Not? The Perils and Pitfalls of Analysing North Korea
Commentary, 30 April 2020Cristina Varriale
An appeal to reason, logic and intellectual discipline in analysing North Korean affairs
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Information
How (Not) to Elect a President in a Pandemic – The Case of Poland
Commentary, 14 April 2020Wojciech Pawlus
The Polish authorities may have done well in stemming the coronavirus pandemic, but they are in a political dilemma.
Coronavirus, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, NATO, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, International Institutions, Law and Ethics, Europe
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, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North KoreaPages
The 2020 UK PONI Papers
Conference Reports, 6 November 2020Edited by Luba Zatsepina and Tom Plant
The 2020 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...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Conference Reports, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Technology
Beyond the Disarmament Impasse: How Europe Perceives the UK’s Disarmament Verification Efforts
Occasional Papers, 24 September 2020Cristina Varriale
This paper uses survey data to examine the extent to which the UK’s prioritisation of disarmament verification is perceived by the European NPT community to be a valuable contribution to the...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Occasional Papers, UK, Europe
The Southern Stratagem: North Korean Proliferation Financing in Southern and Eastern Africa
Occasional Papers, 24 April 2020Darya Dolzikova and Anagha Joshi
Southern and eastern Africa has been one of the regions targeted by North Korean proliferation financing activities. Measures to address vulnerabilities can reduce countries’ risk exposure to this...
Counter-Proliferation Finance, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Occasional Papers, North Korea, Africa
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, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Other Publications, 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, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Integrated Review 2020, India, Conference Reports, Russia, Defence Policy, UK, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Technology, UK Defence, EuropePages
UK Project On Nuclear Issues 10th Anniversary Annual Conference
Events, 9 June 2020This year marks the 10th anniversary of the UK Project On Nuclear Issues (UK PONI), over which time its Annual Conference has become the premier national forum for emerging scholars and professionals...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Virtual Table Top Exercise - Nuclear Disarmament
Events, 24 April 2020RUSI and UK PONI will be running a virtual nuclear disarmament simulation game for postgraduate students and early- to mid-career nuclear experts.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Roundtable: Project SANDSTONE – using open-source methods to expose North Korea’s illicit smuggling networks
Events, 20 March 2020This event will present and discuss the tools and methods of open-source collection and analysis used by RUSI’s Project SANDSTONE to analyse North Korean illicit smuggling activities.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Lockheed Martin Tour and Writing Workshop
Events, 3 March 2020In the run-up to the 10th UK PONI Annual Conference, Lockheed Martin UK is excited to host delegates from UK PONI at its Ampthill site for a site tour and a workshop on writing conference proposals...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
UK PONI Workshop: Introduction to Nuclear Weapons Policy
Events, 11 February 2020UK Project on Nuclear Issues will host a one-day introductory workshop covering the basics of nuclear weapons policy for early career professionals.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages
The Southern Stratagem: North Korean Proliferation Financing in Southern and Eastern Africa
Multimedia, 15 May 2020North Korea adapts its proliferation financing activities to the particular opportunities available in each of the regions in which it operates. Sub-Saharan Africa has been no different.
Tags: Counter-Proliferation Finance, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, North Korea, Africa, Pacific
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: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, Russia, 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: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
President Trump's Nuclear Button Tweet
Multimedia, 3 January 2018 Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, North Korea, 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
The Geopolitics of Indo-Pacific Trade
Forceful Persuasion: The Psychology of Convincing an Opponent They Are Beaten
Is Defence’s Latest Operating Model Fit for Purpose?