Nuclear Policy
News – January 12, 2026
United States
REPORT: On the Precipice: Artificial
Intelligence and the Climb to Modernize
Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications
Federation of American Scientists - Peter Hays
January 8, 2026
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Successful NC3 modernization must do more than
update hardware and software: it must integrate
emerging technologies, particularly artificial
intelligence (AI), in ways that enhance
resilience, ensure meaningful human control, and
preserve strategic stability.
OPINION: Can Arms Races and Strategic
Instability be Good?
Strategic Simplicity - Matthew Sharp
January 7, 2026
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An arms race, in the abstract, is damaging to
our interest in avoiding nuclear conflict if an
action/reaction cycle plays out faster than we
are able to understand and react to the evolving
situation.
Fallout maps show what could happen if
America’s nuclear missile silos were attacked
USA TODAY
January 5, 2026
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USA TODAY partnered with nuclear weapons
historian Alex Wellerstein to adapt a Cold
War-era model known as WSEG-10 for this story to
illustrate what would happen if an enemy struck
the silos in the nuclear sponge.
Europe/Russia
Russian military buildup on NATO’s Eastern
flank revealed through satellite images
National Post
January 10, 2026
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Sprawling training sites. Huge oil storage
areas. Countless anti-aircraft missile
launchers. Ponds for testing amphibious
vehicles. And nuclear-tipped missiles that could
reach Western European capitals in mere minutes.
Russia unleashes nuclear-capable missile in
latest Ukraine attack
Washington Post
January 9, 2026
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Russia said its strike was retaliation for a
claimed drone attack that President Donald Trump
said never happened. Kyiv’s mayor urged
residents to evacuate if they can.
Middle East
Turkey said ‘very likely’ to join Saudi
Arabia-Pakistan mutual defense pact
Times of Israel
January 11, 2026
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Riyadh’s deal with nuclear-armed Islamabad was
signed after Israel’s botched strike on Hamas in
Doha, which sparked alarm in Gulf nations;
Ankara has also hosted the terror group
ANALYSIS: Recent Satellite Imagery shows
the Construction of a Concrete Sarcophagus
over Taleghan 2
Institute for Science and International
Security - David Albright, Sarah Burkhard,
Spencer Faragasso
January 6, 2026
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The Institute has been closely monitoring the
construction of a new facility at the Taleghan 2
site, a former AMAD plan nuclear weapons
development site.
East Asia
China cites Biden’s message to Xi that Japan
could build nuclear weapons ‘overnight’
South China Morning Post
January 9, 2026
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Beijing releases 30-page report that includes a
call for international community to ‘take
concrete and strong measures’ against Japan’s
nuclear ambitions
OPINION: China’s Quiet Retreat From North
Korean Denuclearization
Foreign Policy - Jiwan Park
January 9, 2026
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Late last November, China released its latest
white paper on arms control, disarmament, and
nonproliferation—and for the first time in
years, the document excluded any explicit
reference to denuclearizing the Korean
Peninsula.
OPINION: South Korea’s Nuclear Latency May Be
Washington’s Least Bad Option
Foreign Policy - Lami Kim
January 7, 2026
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With U.S. extended deterrence under strain,
managing Seoul’s nuclear hedging may be safer
than trying to stop it.
