CENTER FOR STRATEGIC DETERRENCE AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION STUDIES 

 

The INSS Center for Strategic Deterrence and Weapons of Mass Destruction Studies (CSWMD) provides expertise on the full range of issues related to WMD and their potential use, from strategic deterrence to countering WMD activities. CSWMD conducts research, analysis, and policy support activities that contribute to decision makers’ understanding of the security implications of WMD; supports academic and leadership development programs; and engages with the broader national security community.

Focus Areas

Strategic Deterrence

Countering WMD

Disruptive Technology

Meet the Experts

Dr. Justin Anderson, Research Fellow, CSWMD
Justin Anderson
Senior Policy Fellow, WMD Threats and Deterrence, Russia
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CSWMD
Sarah Gamberini
Senior Policy Fellow, WMD Threats
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Professional photo of Dr. Kathleen Ellis
Kathleen Ellis
Senior Policy Fellow, Countering WMD, Integrated Deterrence
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Diane DiEuliis
Diane DiEuliis
Expert Consultant
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Chris Andrews
Policy Fellow, China, WMD Threats
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Paul David-Justus
Assistant Research Fellow, WMD Threats, Integrated Deterrence
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Ashley Bramucci
Assistant Research Fellow, WMD Threats, Strategic Deterrence
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Research and Commentary

Cover of
A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence
By INSS CSWMD | March 16, 2026
The United States and its allies and partners face a rapidly expanding array of biothreats, to include the potential employment of increasingly sophisticated and lethal biological weapons (BW).
National Institute for Public Policy report image of the world, focusing on South America and Africa
The Challenge of a Rising, Nuclear-Armed China
By Dr. Kathleen Ellis | Dec. 11, 2025
This National Institute for Public Policy article examines several specific developments in China’s nuclear arsenal, which, coupled with Beijing’s aggressive foreign policy, hold sobering implications for U.S. national security interests.
Cover of NIPP Occasional Paper
Re-examining National Missile Defense Strategy: Defending Against China
By Dr. Kathleen Ellis | June 11, 2025
Dr. Kathleen Ellis, CSWMD Senior Policy Fellow, authored a National Institute for Public Policy (NIPP) Occasional Paper, “Re-examining National Missile Defense Strategy: Defending Against China,”
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