PUBLICATIONS

Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.

 

Publications

Results:
Category: Center for Strategic Deterrence and Weapons of Mass Destruction Studies

A laboratory technician wearing full protective gear works inside a biosafety cabinet in a high-containment lab. The worker handles glass equipment and samples while surrounded by petri dishes and scientific instruments. Signs on the cabinet reference “Pathogen Construct” and “Aerosol Stability,” and a “BSL-3 Access” warning is visible, indicating research involving potentially hazardous biological materials.

April 16, 2026

Breaking (Bad) Biotech — Revisiting the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

Dr. Giordano explores how advances in biotechnology, like gene editing and AI, allow adversaries to easily create novel, weaponizable biological agents that are difficult to detect and defend against. In an evolving operational environment, the nature of biological warfare has shifted.

Screengrab of webinar "CYBORGUARDIANS: Ethical Frontiers of BCIs in Military Contexts," hosted by Arizona State University. Zeina Barakeh (left) speaks to Dr. James Giordano (right).

April 15, 2026

INSS Joins ASU Webinar to Discuss Ethical Frontiers of BCIs in Military Contexts

There are growing considerations of using current and emerging neurotechnology to develop brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) aimed at optimizing performance of the joint warfighter.

Illuminated brain map with network pathways. Visualization of interconnected neural pathways in brain.

April 9, 2026

Cognitive Warfare and the Changing Character of Engagement: A Neurostrategic Perspective

The contemporary battlespace is undergoing a profound transformation in its fundamental logic.

A magazine cover that shows chess pieces atop a colored map with the words "PRISM" spelled out in large font at the top.

April 8, 2026

Controlling Command: Is AI Capturing the Ethics of War?

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with military operations is accelerating across global powers, including the United States, its allies, and competitor states such as China and Russia.

INSS Center for Strategic Deterrence and WMD Studies employees stand in front of the Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence: Report Rollout event at National Defense University.

March 19, 2026

A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence Rollout Event

On 12 March, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the National Defense University (NDU) co-hosted the Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence: Report Rollout event.

Cover of a report titled “A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence.” The design features blue circular graphics with the word “UNCLASSIFIED” at the top and bottom. The subtitle reads: Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, August 2025. Two photos appear on the cover: one shows emergency responders wearing bright yellow hazmat suits standing near a fire truck; the other shows a U.S. Army soldier in uniform examining a sample through a laboratory microscope. A disclaimer notes that the views expressed are those of the authors and not official U.S. government policy. Logos for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, National Defense University, and the Institute for National Strategic Studies appear at the bottom.

March 16, 2026

A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence

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

Dec. 11, 2025

The Challenge of a Rising, Nuclear-Armed China

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 page of an occasional paper titled "Re-examining National Missile Defense Strategy: Defending Against China" by Kathleen Ellis. The publication is from May 2025, Volume 5, Number 5. The background is brown with a metallic world map illustration at the bottom. The publication is from the National Institute for Public Policy.

June 11, 2025

Re-examining National Missile Defense Strategy: Defending Against China

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,”

INSS Senior Policy Fellow Sarah Gamberini stands in front of NATO Headquarters in April 2025.

May 1, 2025

Briefing on Nuclear Narrative Considerations for NATO to Nuclear Policy Group: Brussels

At the request of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Nuclear and Countering WMD Policy, Sarah Gamberini delivered a presentation on developing strategic communications plans for countering adversary information warfare campaigns focused on weapons of mass destruction to the Nuclear Policy Group’s High Level Group at NATO Headquarters in April 2025.

Group photo at the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Balkans Regional Engagement in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

April 30, 2025

INSS Participates in Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Balkans Regional Engagement in Slovenia

On 15 April, Mr. Paul J. David-Justus and Senior Policy Fellow Dr. Kathleen Ellis facilitated a tabletop exercise at the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Balkans Regional Engagement in Ljubljana, Slovenia.