Senior Research Fellow, Nuclear Information Project
Matt Korda
he/him
Nuclear Deterrence and Disarmament
Progressive Foreign Policy
Global Nuclear Weapons Arsenals
Missile Defence
Nuclear-Climate Nexus

Matt Korda is a Senior Research Fellow for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, where he co-authors the Nuclear Notebook––an authoritative open-source estimate of global nuclear forces and trends. Matt is also an Associate Researcher with the Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and co-authors the nuclear weapons chapters for the annual SIPRI Yearbook. Previously, he worked for the Arms Control, Disarmament, and WMD Non-Proliferation Centre at NATO HQ in Brussels. Matt’s research and open-source discoveries about nuclear weapons have made headlines across the globe, and his work is regularly used by governments, policymakers, academics, journalists, and the broader public in order to challenge assumptions and improve accountability about nuclear arsenals and trends.

He received his MA in International Peace & Security from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where he subsequently worked as a Research Assistant on nuclear deterrence and strategic stability. He also completed an internship with the Verification, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC) in London, where he focused on nuclear security and safeguards. He received a BA in European Studies from Victoria College at the University of Toronto.

Matt’s research interests and recent publications focus on nuclear deterrence and disarmament, progressive foreign policy, and the nexus between nuclear weapons, climate change, and injustice. Matt’s work has been widely published and quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Associated Press, The Toronto Star, Forbes, CBC, Politico, The Nation, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Defense One, Inkstick, Outrider, 38 North, Arms Control Wonk, and others.

Matt is a listed Expert member of the Forum on the Arms Trade program and a Member of the Canadian Pugwash Group. He was also the Ploughshares Fund’s 2020 Olum Fellow, a 2019 alumnus of the Wilson Center’s Nuclear History Boot Camp, a 2019 CSIS Nuclear Scholar, and a 2018 alumnus of IGCC’s Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Boot Camp. In 2019 and 2020, Matt was also the co-director of Foreign Policy Generation––a group of young people working to develop a progressive foreign policy for the next generation.

Current Work: Tracking global nuclear forces (published bi-monthly in FAS’ Nuclear Notebook and annually in the SIPRI Yearbook), and ongoing research on the United States’ intercontinental ballistic missile force (ICBM Information Project).

publications
Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Depot In Belarus Shows New Upgrades Possibly For Russian Nuclear Warhead Storage

A military depot in central Belarus has recently been upgraded with additional security perimeters and an access point that indicate it could be intended for housing Russian nuclear warheads for Belarus’ Russia-supplied Iskander missile launchers.

03.14.24 | 3 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Indian Test-Launch of MIRV Missile Latest Sign Of Emerging Nuclear Arms Race

The Indian government announced yesterday that it had conducted the first flight test of its Agni-5 ballistic missile “with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology.

03.12.24 | 4 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2024: A “Significant Expansion”

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.

01.16.24 | 4 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Report
Nuclear Notebook: Nuclear Weapons Sharing, 2023

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 […]

11.17.23 | 1 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Biden Administration Decides To Build A New Nuclear Bomb to Get Rid Of An Old Bomb

[UPDATED] The Biden administration has decided to add a new nuclear gravity bomb to the US arsenal. The bomb will be known as the B61-13.

10.27.23 | 8 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Upgrade Underway for Russian Silos to Receive New Sarmat ICBM

New satellite imagery shows that preparations to deploy Russia’s new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile are well underway.

10.19.23 | 4 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Strategic Posture Commission Report Calls for Broad Nuclear Buildup

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.

10.12.23 | 13 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Report
Nuclear Notebook: Pakistan Nuclear Weapons, 2023

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 […]

09.14.23 | 1 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Increasing Evidence that the US Air Force’s Nuclear Mission May Be Returning to UK Soil

New U.S. Air Force budgetary documents strongly imply that the United States Air Force is in the process of re-establishing its nuclear weapons mission on UK soil.

08.28.23 | 4 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Report
Nuclear Notebook: French Nuclear Weapons, 2023

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 […]

07.19.23 | 1 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Blog
Russian Nuclear Weapons Deployment Plans in Belarus: Is There Visual Confirmation?

New satellite images show that the construction of a double-fenced security perimeter is underway at a weapons depot near the town of Asipovichy in central Belarus.

06.30.23 | 7 min read
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Nuclear Weapons
Report
Nuclear Notebook: Russian Nuclear Weapons, 2023

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 […]

05.08.23 | 1 min read
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Other Coverage and Publications
Panic about overhyped AI risk could lead to the wrong kind of regulation
Vox
July 3, 2023 | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/7/3/23779794/artificial-intelligence-regulation-ai-risk-congress-sam-altman-chatgpt-openai min read
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We know where Russian nuclear-capable aircraft will be hosted in Belarus. What’s next?
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
April 24, 2023
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Could a Chatbot Teach You How to Build a Dirty Bomb?
Outrider
January 30, 2023
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United States nuclear weapons, 2023
15 Jan 2023
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Increased Nuclear Secrecy Makes Us All Less Safe
Outrider
October 17, 2022
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North Korean nuclear weapons
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
2022
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Why did NYC’s nuclear warning fall on deaf ears?
Outrider
August 2, 2022
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Joining the U.S. missile defence program would be a big mistake
The Toronto Star
May 20, 2022
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Nuclear Weapons and Delivery Systems That Might Be Implicated in Nuclear Use Involving the Korean Peninsula
Asia-Pacific Leadership Network
january, 2022
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China’s new nuclear silo fields: Negotiating card or arms race catalyst
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
September 22, 2021
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Israeli Nuclear Weapons, 2021
BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS
17 Jan 2022
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Nuclear Disarmament and Arms Control: The State of Play
SIPRI
14 December 2021
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Influence of the Defense Industry on US National Security Strategy
Russia Matters
November 12, 2021
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China appears to be expanding its nuclear capabilities, US researchers say in new report
CNN News
Wed July 28, 2021
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U.S. warns China is building more nuclear missile silos
AP News
July 30, 2021
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China expanding its nuclear capabilities, scientists say
BBC News
28 July 2021
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China Appears to Be Building New Silos for Nuclear Missiles, Researchers Say
The Wall Street Journal
July 27, 2021
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A 2nd New Nuclear Missile Base for China, and Many Questions About Strategy
The New York Times
July 26, 2021
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Why Is China Expanding its Nuclear Arsenal?
The New York Times
29.07.21
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Alternatives to the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent
Federation of American Scientists
February 2021
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Public Perspectives on the US Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Force
Federation of American Scientists
January 2021
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ICBM Advocates Say US Missile Subs Are Vulnerable. It Isn’t True
Defense One
DECEMBER 10, 2020
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The Future of Nuclear Weapons
Bullet Points Podcast: Interview with Matt Korda
1/1/2021
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No Escape from the Military Maze?
Cape Breton Spectator
OCTOBER 7, 2020
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New generation of ICBMs means Nebraska will continue to be 'nuclear sponge,' warn nuke skeptics
Omaha World-Herald
27.09.20
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Trump is a Hypocrite, But He's Right About the Military-Industrial Complex
Forbes
Sep 10, 2020
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Democrats and Republicans Agree: Phase Out Land-Based Nuclear Weapons
Forbes
Aug 12, 2020
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Democrats May Fund Trump’s Nuclear Modernization Plan Without A Fight
Forbes
30.06.2020
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The Trump Administration Is Using The Pandemic To Ignite The Arms Race
Forbes
Jun 22, 2020
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Congress Should Hit Pause On The New Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
Forbes
Apr 21, 2020
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The U.S. Nuclear Deterrent Is Not Prepared For Climate Catastrophe
Forbes
Mar 16, 2020
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How Young People Will Change the Direction of U.S. Foreign Policy in the New Decade
Responsible Statecraft
JANUARY 1, 2020
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The New START Treaty Keeps Nuclear Arsenals In Check And President Trump Must Act To Preserve It
Forbes
Dec 10, 2019
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US Ballistic Missile Defense
Taylor and Francis Group
24 Oct 2019
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Five Questions About Nukes To Ask At The Next Debate
Defense One
JULY 31, 2019
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Pompeo and Bolton are Trying to Start Another Forever War
Truthout
June 15, 2019
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Let's Get Rid of the National Security "Expert"
Inkstick
April 24th, 2019
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At #Nukefest, We Asked All The Wrong Questions
Inkstick
March 19th, 2019
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Indian nuclear forces, 2018
Taylor and Francis Group
01 Nov 2018
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Trump falls on sword for Putin’s treaty violation
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
October 29, 2018
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Putin Deepens Confusion About Russian Nuclear Policy
Russia Matters
October 25, 2018
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