Status of Worldwide Nuclear Arsenals,
Nuclear Strategy and Policy,
North Korea
Eliana Johns is a senior research associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, where she co-authors the Nuclear Notebook and researches the status and trends of global nuclear forces and the role of nuclear weapons. Johns is also a master’s student in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, where she focuses on the intersection of technology and security. Previously, Johns was a Project Associate for DPRK Counterproliferation at CRDF Global, where she worked on WMD nonproliferation initiatives to curb North Korea’s ability to gain revenue to build its weapons programs. Johns graduated with a bachelor’s in political science and minors in music and Korean from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She also completed the Critical Language Scholarship program for Korean through the U.S. Department of State. Johns’ work has been widely published and quoted in media sources across the globe to help policymakers and the public better understand nuclear weapons trends.
Moreover, the recent decrease in UK government transparency regarding the status of its nuclear arsenal and modernization program reflects a worrisome global trend.
Even without weapons present, the addition of a large nuclear air base in northern Europe is a significant new development that would have been inconceivable just a decade-and-a-half ago.
This missile launch provides an opportunity to further examine China’s nuclear posture and activities, including the type of missile, how it fits into China’s nuclear modernization, and where it was launched from.
Researchers have many questions about the modernization of Pakistan’s nuclear-capable aircraft and associated air-launched cruise missiles.
The SIPRI chapter describes the nuclear weapon modernization programs underway in each nuclear-armed state and provides estimates for how many nuclear warheads each country possesses.
While many are rightly concerned about Russia’s development of new nuclear-capable systems, fears of substantial nuclear increase may be overblown.
Russia is in the midst of a decades-long nuclear force modernization program intended to replace Soviet-era missiles, aircraft, and submarines with new systems.
Analyzing and estimating China’s nuclear forces is challenging, particularly given the relative lack of state-originating data and the tight control of messaging surrounding the country’s nuclear arsenal and doctrine.
The FAS Nuclear Notebook is one of the most widely sourced reference materials worldwide for reliable information about the status of nuclear weapons and has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1987. The Nuclear Notebook is researched and written by the staff of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project: Director Hans […]
In contrast to the Biden administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, the Congressionally-mandated Strategic Posture Commission report is a full-throated embrace of a U.S. nuclear build-up.
The FAS Nuclear Notebook is one of the most widely sourced reference materials worldwide for reliable information about the status of nuclear weapons and has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1987. The Nuclear Notebook is researched and written by the staff of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project: Director Hans […]
We spoke with Eliana Johns about how Oppenheimer’s story connects with contemporary issues and current risks, and how FAS continues to advocate for a safer world.