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Matt Korda

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Matt Korda is a Research Associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, where he co-authors the Nuclear Notebook with Hans Kristensen. Previously, he worked for the Arms Control, Disarmament, and WMD Non-Proliferation Centre at NATO HQ in Brussels. Matt is also the co-director of Foreign Policy Generation––a group of young people working to develop a progressive foreign policy for the next generation.

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.

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 Washington Post, Forbes, CBC, Politico, The Nation, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Defense One, Inkstick, 38 North, Arms Control Wonk, and others.

Matt is the Ploughshares Fund 2020 Olum Fellow and an Associate Member of the Canadian Pugwash Group. He is also a 2018 alumnus of IGCC’s Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Boot Camp, a 2019 alumnus of the Wilson Center’s Nuclear History Boot Camp, and a 2019 CSIS Nuclear Scholar.

Expert Info

Contact

Phone:
Email: mkorda@fas.org
Twitter: @mattkorda

Expertise

  • Nuclear Deterrence and Disarmament
  • Progressive Foreign Policy
  • Missile Defence
  • Nuclear-Climate Nexus

Education

  • MA International Peace and Security, Department of War Studies, King's College London
  • BA European Studies, Victoria College, University of Toronto

Publications

  • Democrats May Fund Trump’s Nuclear Modernization Plan Without A Fight

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewkorda/2020/06/30/democrats-may-fund-trumps-nuclear-modernization-plan-without-a-fight/#2d11f74b1baa

    When it comes to funding nuclear weapons, it seems that there’s barely any daylight this year between Democrats and Republicans.

  • The Trump Administration Is Using The Pandemic To Ignite The Arms Race

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewkorda/2020/06/22/the-trump-administration-is-using-the-pandemic-to-ignite-the-arms-race/#1d7bf59c3dc9

    When we eventually re-emerge from lockdown we could be stepping out into an entirely new reality: a world without any tangible constraints on nuclear arsenals, and very few on conventional military arsenals.

  • Congress Should Hit Pause On The New Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewkorda/2020/04/21/congress-should-hit-pause-on-the-new-intercontinental-ballistic-missile/#742be9aa109a

    Given the immediate and long-term concerns surrounding the program, Congress should not allow GBSD to be fast-tracked.

  • The U.S. Nuclear Deterrent Is Not Prepared For Climate Catastrophe

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewkorda/2020/03/16/the-us-nuclear-deterrent-is-not-prepared-for-climate-catastrophe/#1b1b445b3a1e

    The U.S. nuclear enterprise is ill-equipped to deal with the inevitable onslaught of climate catastrophes that will devastate nuclear bases and their employees in the coming months and years.

  • How Young People Will Change the Direction of U.S. Foreign Policy in the New Decade

    https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/01/01/how-young-people-will-change-the-direction-of-u-s-foreign-policy-in-the-new-decade/

    As long as we fail to recognize the linkages between the challenges and injustices we face at home and those we face abroad, the solutions we put forth will fall short.

  • The New START Treaty Keeps Nuclear Arsenals In Check And President Trump Must Act To Preserve It

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/hanskristensen/2019/12/10/the-new-start-treaty-keeps-nuclear-arsenals-in-check-and-president-trump-must-act-to-preserve-it/#d9b54286e740

    Are the stars finally aligning for Washington and Moscow to extend the New START treaty?

  • A Rare Look Inside a Russian ICBM Base

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2019/11/a-rare-look-inside-a-russian-icbm-base/

    It’s relatively easy to observe Russian missile bases from above. It’s much harder to do it from inside.

  • US Ballistic Missile Defense, 2019

    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2019.1680055

    For the first time ever, the Nuclear Notebook examines the status of US missile defense, a key driver of the global nuclear arms race.

  • Sunday's US Missile Launch, Explained

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2019/08/sundays-us-missile-launch-explained/

    The US conducted a surprise launch of a previously-banned ground-launched cruise missile. Why?

  • No Bret, the U.S. Doesn't Need More Nukes

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2019/08/no-bret-the-u-s-doesnt-need-more-nukes/

    Last week, on the 74th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, many took time to reflect upon the destruction caused by the only uses of nuclear weapons in wartime. But not the New York Times’ Bret Stephens, who took the opportunity to argue in favor of building more nuclear weapons.

  • The INF Treaty Officially Died Today

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2019/08/inf-treaty-died-today/

    Six months after both the United States and Russia announced suspensions of their respective obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), the treaty officially died today.

  • Five Questions About Nukes To Ask At The Next Debate

    https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2019/07/five-questions-about-nuclear-weapons-should-have-been-asked-debate/158849/

    Three minutes’ discussion among two candidates is a pitiful amount of time to devote to a truly existential threat

  • Damning New Report Chronicles Missile Defense Slip-Ups

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2019/06/damning-new-report-chronicles-missile-defense-slip-ups/

    Previous reports haven’t been particularly encouraging of the Missile Defense Agency's progress, but this year’s report, which was released last week, was especially incriminating.

  • New Chinese White Paper Subtly Criticizes Trump’s Approach to Arms Control

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2019/07/new-white-paper-subtly-criticizes-trumps-approach-to-arms-control/

    China’s latest Defense White Paper calls out the US for “undermining global stability.”

  • Pompeo and Bolton are Trying to Start Another Forever War

    https://truthout.org/articles/bolton-and-pompeo-are-trying-to-start-another-forever-war/

    Trump's top two national security officials are manufacturing a crisis in order to catapult the United States into an explosive conflict with Iran.

  • Let's Get Rid of the National Security "Expert"

    https://inkstickmedia.com/lets-get-rid-of-the-national-security-expert/

    The national security field has an "Expertise" problem.

  • At #Nukefest, We Asked All The Wrong Questions

    https://inkstickmedia.com/at-nukefest-we-asked-all-the-wrong-questions/

    If we want to keep the nuclear field sustainable, our focus shouldn’t just be on the weapons themselves, but on the community as a whole.

  • Israel’s Official Map Replaces Military Bases with Fake Farms and Deserts

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2018/12/israels-official-map-replaces-military-bases-with-fake-farms-and-deserts/

    Israel has deleted several military facilities from its official map by replacing them with fake farms, deserts, or paint splotches.

  • Widespread Blurring of Satellite Images Reveals Secret Facilities

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2018/12/widespread-blurring-of-satellite-images-reveals-secret-facilities/

    A Russian mapping service has selectively obscured political and military facilities in both Israel and Turkey, which has had the unintended effect of revealing their exact locations to the world.

  • An X reveals a Diamond: locating Israeli Patriot batteries using radar interference

    https://fas.org/blogs/security/2018/11/an-x-reveals-a-diamond-locating-israeli-patriot-batteries-using-radar-interference/

    Amid a busy few weeks of nuclear-related news, an Israeli researcher made a very surprising OSINT discovery that flew somewhat under the radar.

  • Indian nuclear forces, 2018

    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2018.1533162

    India is estimated to have produced enough military plutonium for 150 to 200 nuclear warheads, but has likely produced only 130 to 140. Nonetheless, additional plutonium will be required to produce warheads for missiles now under development, and India is reportedly building several new plutonium production facilities. India’s nuclear strategy, which has traditionally focused on Pakistan, now appears to place increased emphasis on China.

  • Trump falls on sword for Putin’s treaty violation

    https://thebulletin.org/2018/10/trump-falls-on-sword-for-putins-treaty-violation/

    Russia’s violation aside, Trump’s response—to pull out of the treaty—makes the United States needlessly complicit in its demise and frees Russia from both the responsibility and pressure to return to compliance.

  • Putin Deepens Confusion About Russian Nuclear Policy

    https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/putin-deepens-confusion-about-russian-nuclear-policy

    Rather than strengthening deterrence, ambiguity surrounding U.S. and Russian nuclear thresholds is causing both sides to make dangerous assumptions about one another’s intentions.

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