A New Force Posture Concept for Europeanizing Extended Nuclear Deterrence

Dr. Christopher Ford • June 29, 2026

War on the Rocks published Dr. Ford's essay "A New Force Posture Concept for Europeanizing Extended Nuclear Deterrence" on June 29, 2026.

In his essay, Dr. Ford proposes a provocative but potent option for Europe if it wishes to genuinely "Europeanize" its nuclear deterrence: the development of a small, swap-in/swap-out nuclear payload for the broad range of long-range precision strike missile systems that various European defense establishments are already buying in conventional form.

In his essay, Dr. Ford discusses the structural inadequacy of France's new "dissuasion advancee" concept, details his "potentially ubiquitous modular aerial capability" (PUMA-C) proposal, and demonstrates the frailty of "entanglement"-based arguments against putting such dual-capability systems in NATO hands. If Europe wants effective extended nuclear deterrence for the whole alliance and no longer feels it can fully trust its U.S. allies, Dr. Ford contends, this is the cheapest and fastest route to a European deterrent capability that would present well-nigh insoluble problems for any attacking Russians and help alleviate Moscow's current destabilizing overmatch in theater-class nuclear systems.

You can find Dr. Ford's article on the "WOTR" website here.

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U.S.-India Relations and our Shared “Three-Body Problem”

By Dr. Christopher Ford • September 26, 2026

Below is an edited version of prepared text upon which Professor Ford based his shorter oral remarks on a panel on “Arms Control and Nuclear Risk Reduction” at the India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue held in New Delhi on September 18, 2026, sponsored by MIT’s Center for Nuclear Security Policy and the Observer Research Foundation .

The Russian and Chinese Strategic Culture Backstory for Nuclear Deterrence and Coercive Bargaining

By Dr. Christopher Ford • September 10, 2026

Below follows the prepared text upon which Professor Ford based his remarks to a Defense Department audience near Las Vegas on September 3, 2026.

Requirements and Challenges for U.S. Theater Nuclear Capabilities

September 6, 2026

Below is an edited version of the prepared text upon which Professor Ford based his remarks to a workshop on theater nuclear weaponry sponsored by the Sandia Security Studies Institute at the Sandia National Laboratory on August 31, 2026.

Integrating Strategy and Capability Development for Deterrence in the New Security Environment

By Dr. Christopher Ford • August 12, 2026

Below appears the text upon which Dr. Ford based his shorter oral remarks on August 6, 2026, to a professional offsite meeting of a team of engineers from a major defense contractor working on conventionally armed precision-strike technologies.

Conceptual Challenges of "Tailoring" Nuclear Deterrence

By Dr. Christopher Ford • July 24, 2026

Dr. Ford's article on the conceptual challenges of "tailoring" nuclear deterrence -- and suggesting a more robust and muscular alternative approach -- was published in Missouri State University's journal Defense & Strategic Studies Online (DASSO) in July 2026. You can find DASSO's webpage here , and an online copy of Dr. Ford's article here -- or use the button below to download a PDF. (This paper was also published in the Journal of Policy and Strategy , vol. 6, no 2 (2026), pp. 19-38, and can be found here .)