Nuclear Boot Camp

In partnership with Georgetown University and Sandia National Laboratories, we host an annual Nuclear Boot Camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The nuclear landscape is undergoing greater changes today than at any time since the 1950s. Arsenals are growing; countries who had foresworn nuclear weapons are considering joining the nuclear club; and nuclear relevant technologies—in remote sensing, data processing, guidance and navigation, missile defenses, and more—are challenging the core assumptions that underpin deterrence theory. In this era of rapid change, how can nuclear armed countries retain robust deterrent forces without triggering destabilizing arms races? How must they adapt their force posture to account for new technologies? What role can missile defense play in deterring escalation and avoiding crisis instability? How can arms control agreements be designed to promote stability?

Each year the Boot Camp brings 20-25 young professionals from around the United States and allied countries, who are policy makers, analysts, journalists, academics, and military professionals, to spend a week at Sandia Labs where they take five days of classes from leading experts on a wide range of topics related to nuclear deterrence. Participants learn techniques for assessing the nuclear balance, understanding the impact of emerging technologies, and evaluating arms control proposals. Attendees also participate in a multi-day simulation, and at the end of the week join the Boot Camp’s growing network of nuclear policy experts.

The Boot Camp is nonpartisan and policy-neutral; it does not promote specific answers to nuclear policy questions; rather, the goal is to help prepare the next generation of analysts and practitioners to participate in critical nuclear policy debates.

The Boot Camp is made possible through the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.