On February 19, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Deputy Director Matthew Kroenig, Forward Defense Assistant Director Mark J. Massa, and Young Global Professional Raphael Piliero wrote an op-ed on nuclear modernization for Defense News. In this article, Kroenig, Massa, and Piliero argue that recently confirmed Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will be the Pentagon’s most influential player on nuclear issues during the Biden administration, highlighting the testimony she gave during her Senate confirmation hearing. They call for her to support nuclear modernization and reject a no first use nuclear doctrine.
… [Deputy Secretary of Defense] Hicks will likely be the Pentagon’s primary decision-maker at the Pentagon on matters related to nuclear modernization.
Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.