Status of Worldwide Nuclear Arsenals,
Nuclear Weapons Strategy and Policy,
North Korea, China
Eliana Johns is a PhD student and Catherine M. Kelleher Fellow at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. She is also a research advisor with the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. Eliana’s research centers on the use of open-source methods to examine nuclear forces, nuclear weapons policy, and the intersection of emerging technology and security, with a particular focus on East Asia.
Before beginning her PhD, Eliana was a senior research associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, where she analyzed global nuclear forces using open-source methods and co-authored the Nuclear Notebook. She was also an inaugural 2026 AIxNuclear Research Fellow with the Council on Strategic Risks and a 2025 Nuclear Scholar with the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She previously served as a project associate at CRDF Global, supporting counterproliferation initiatives focused on North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction programs. Eliana holds an MA in security studies from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and a BA in political science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her work has been widely published and cited in media outlets around the world to help policymakers and the public better understand nuclear weapons policy.
Surprise! It’s a double album drop with the release of both the President’s Budget Request (PBR to us, not Pabst Blue Ribbon) and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Budget Justification for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) last Friday.
The last remaining agreement limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons has now expired. For the first time since 1972, there is no treaty-bound cap on strategic nuclear weapons.
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
On September 3, 2025, China showcased its military power in a parade commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II. The parade featured a large number of new military weapons and equipment, including new and modified nuclear systems that had not been previously publicly displayed. This parade was also the first time […]
While it is reasonable for governments to keep the most sensitive aspects of nuclear policies secret, the rights of their citizens to have access to general knowledge about these issues is equally valid so they may know about the consequences to themselves and their country.
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.