Consider This from NPR A dangerous nuclear moment
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Feb 13, 2026 Christine Wormuth, former U.S. Secretary of the Army and now leader of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, brings national security and nuclear risk reduction expertise. She discusses how the lapse of arms agreements raises the risk of a new arms race. She talks about Europe’s reliance on U.S. deterrence, China’s growing arsenal, and whether global nuclear norms can be rebuilt.
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Treaty Framework Is Breaking Down
- The long-standing web of nuclear treaties that reduced risk is unraveling after decades of negotiated limits.
- That deterioration increases global instability and raises the chance of miscalculation or escalation.
Childhood Nuclear Drill Memories
- Mary Louise Kelly and Christine Wormuth recall doing nuclear drill crouches under classroom desks in the 1980s.
- Both note that hiding under desks would not have protected people from real nuclear blasts.
New START's Expiration Matters
- New START's expiration left no bilateral limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear weapons for the first time since 1972.
- Christine Wormuth says talks with Russia continued in Abu Dhabi but losing the treaty was a missed opportunity.