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Security Studies Program MIT

@ssp-mit.bsky.social
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The Security Studies Program at MIT is a graduate-level research and educational program based at the Center for International Studies at MIT.

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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Join us tomorrow as Pierre Chao discusses the US defense industrial base, focusing on what drives and motivates the behavior of the defense industry and its government customer. 🗓️9/30 at noon ET 📍MIT community can join in person at E40-496 📡Bookmark the livestream bit.ly/3T3RcxR
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In our upcoming Wednesday Seminar, Pierre Chao will examine the US defense industrial base, focusing on what drives and motivates the behavior of the defense industry and its government customer. Learn more about Chao: bit.ly/4iTnCpj 📡Bookmark the livestream bit.ly/3T3RcxR
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Thank you, @marksbell.bsky.social, for your discussion, “No Good Options: The Extended Nuclear Deterrence Trilemma”, at this week’s Wednesday Seminar. ICYMI catch up on the conversation with the recorded stream 📡 bit.ly/4yHYk1I
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
SSP Senior Fellow Carol Saivetz joins a panel of experts to discuss Russia-Iran Relations: An Analytic Update. Register to attend this online event from the Harriman Institute: bit.ly/4hfao3B @carolrs.bsky.social
harriman.columbia.edu
Russia-Iran Relations: An Analytic Update
Please join the Harriman Institute for Russia-Iran Relations: An Analytic Update.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Join us for tomorrow's Wednesday Seminar as @marksbell.bsky.social discusses the trilemma created when states offer extended nuclear deterrence. Learn more: bit.ly/4yHYk1I 🗓️9/23 at noon ET 📍MIT community can join in person at E40-496 📡Bookmark the livestream bit.ly/3UXbNo1
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Mariana Budjeryn, Center for Nuclear Security Policy Senior Researcher, joins a panel of experts to examine the future of nuclear deterrence in the European security landscape. Presented by @bigeurope.bsky.social. 🗓️9.22.26 🕘10:30-11:30am ET 📍Online bit.ly/4dMoUyI @mbudjeryn.bsky.social
big-europe.eu
The nuclear guarantee: Europe, NATO and the future of deterrence
Europe’s security landscape is entering a more uncertain nuclear age. The return of major war to the continent, repeated nuclear sabre-rattling from Moscow, the weakening of arms-control frameworks...
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Thank you, Stacie Goddard, for your presentation, The Dynamics of Power Politics, at this week’s Wednesday Seminar!
A person gives a presentation to a room full of people.An audience member asks a question.Two people seated at a table addressing an off-screen audience.Audience applauds.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Congratulations Mariya Grinberg, associate professor of political science, on your @apsa.bsky.social book award! Grinberg’s “Trade In War: Economic Cooperation Across Enemy Lines” examines why states keep trading even in the midst of conflict. Available now from @cornellupress.bsky.social.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In our upcoming Wednesday Seminar, University of Minnesota Professor Mark Bell discusses the trilemma created when states offer extended nuclear deterrence. 🗓️9/23 at noon ET 📍MIT community can join in person at E40-496 📡Bookmark the livestream bit.ly/3UXbNo1 @marksbell.bsky.social
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
On September 9 @mit-cis.bsky.social, along with SSP, hosted a ceremony to dedicate E-40 room 460 to Richard Samuels, the Ford International Professor of Political Science and former director of CIS. Samuels is also the faculty director of the MIT-Japan program. Congrats, @rjsamuels.bsky.social 🎉
Three people stand along a wall with text that reads, “ Richard J. Samuels Conference Room”.A room full of people chatting to one another.A man speaking from a lectern with a microphone in his hand.A room full of people applauding.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Join us today for the first Wednesday Seminar of the fall semester. Stacie Goddard presents “The Dynamics of Power Politics”, which develops a relational-network approach to power political mobilization. 📍MIT community can join in person at E40-496 📡Bookmark the livestream bit.ly/4xfOhzO
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Join us tomorrow at noon for the 1st Wednesday Seminar of the semester. Stacie Goddard will give an overview of her in-process book manuscript, which develops a relational-network approach to power political mobilization. 📡Bookmark the livestream bit.ly/4xfOhzO
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
In early September, MIT’s Wargaming Lab hosted the 2026 Wargaming Workshop, bringing together scholars interested in the study and practice of wargaming. This focused forum provided a venue to share new research and strengthen networks between scholars working in this growing area.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We are pleased to announce a new season of Wednesday Seminars! Kicking off on September 16, Stacie Goddard, Columbia University, will present The Dynamics of Power Politics. Bookmark the first seminar livestream: bit.ly/4xfOhzO
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The Security Studies Program ushered in the first day of the fall semester with a welcome meeting and boxed lunch. SSP Director M. Taylor Fravel took this time to introduce the new PhD students and program fellows. Looking forward to another great semester at SSP!
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
In their latest paper for @cspjournal.bsky.social, former Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows @samseitz.bsky.social and @laurensukin.bsky.social explore how public opinion influences the credibility of coercive nuclear threats. bit.ly/4cyewu0
tandfonline.com
Coercive nuclear threats under domestic dissonance: How public opinion shapes the nuclear credibility of autocracies and democracies
How does public opinion influence the credibility of coercive nuclear threats, and how does it enable and constrain strategies of nuclear coercion? Drawing on original survey data, we investigate w...
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
MIT’s Wargaming Lab is seeking a Program Coordinator to provide operational and administrative support; coordinate events, meetings, and seminars; and provide day-to-day operational activities. Job description and application: ssp.news/wargames-job
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This week the Security Studies Program hosted New Faces in Chinese Politics. PhD students from across the country convened to present their job talks, allowing participants to receive feedback from university faculty ahead of the annual @apsa.bsky.social conference currently taking place in Boston.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
A new paper from RAND describes the wargame Camp(ai)gn, an unclassified operational-level game designed to explore the military implications of advanced artificial intelligence. Coauthored by SSP alum Zachary Burdette with others. bit.ly/4qPZWnE
rand.org
Exploring AI’s Operational Implications in a Future U.S.-China Conflict: Initial Observations from the Camp(ai)gn Wargame
How might artificial intelligence (AI) change the way militaries plan and fight campaigns? RAND researchers developed Camp(ai)gn, an unclassified operational-level wargame, to explore that question.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
SSP Research Affiliate Fiona Cunningham and coauthor Kristen Ven Bruusgaard explore why “[s]trategists must understand the great powers’ different approaches to nuclear use” in their latest article for @lawfaremedia.org: bit.ly/4xKpCnG @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social
lawfaremedia.org
The Risks of Getting Russian and Chinese Nuclear Strategy Wrong
Strategists must understand the great powers’ different approaches to nuclear use.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Congratulations, Professor Erik Lin-Greenberg, for being among the MIT Political Science community who have won awards from the American Political Science Association!
cornellpress.cornell.edu
The Remote Revolution by Erik Lin-Greenberg | Hardcover | Cornell University Press
Cowinner of the APSA Conflict Processes Section Book AwardIn The Remote Revolution Erik Lin-Greenberg shows that drones are rewriting the rules of international security—but not in ways one would...
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The latest issue of @intsecurity.bsky.social features a paper by Eli Sanchez, former Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow, “Seeing Through ‘Transparent Oceans’: Emerging Technology, Submarine Vulnerability, and the Future of MAD”. 🔖Bookmark now, 📖read later: bit.ly/4x0vt8L
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
MIT’s Wargaming Lab is seeking a Program Coordinator to provide operational and administrative support. Job description and application: ssp.news/wargames-job
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
SSP affiliate Joshua Shifrinson’s lates book, “Archival Research for International Relations”, is an indispensable guide to why archival sources can be invaluable for IR scholarship and how to use archives effectively. Available now from @cornellupress.bsky.social: bit.ly/4zhJPmL
cornellpress.cornell.edu
Archival Research for International Relations by Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson | Paperback | Cornell University Press
Archival Research for International Relations is an indispensable guide to why archival sources can be invaluable for IR scholarship and how to use archives effectively. More IR students and scholars....
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
MIT Emeritus Professor Roger Petersen's new entry for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Military is now available. “People’s War in the 20th Century” via @academic.oup.com academic.oup.com/edited-volume/6314…
academic.oup.com
People’s War in the 20th Century
Summary. While “people” have always been fighting in wars, the concept of “People’s War” came to hold a special meaning in the 20th century. Most succinctl
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
And that’s a wrap on the 2026 Summer Wargaming Institute! Thank you, to all of our presenters and participants who came from near and afar, thanks to our hosts at the MIT Endicott House, and a very special thanks to Elena Capuzzo for putting this event together!
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Former SSP Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow Florian Galleri presents a new piece in the Washington Quarterly, “French Nuclear Ambiguity at a Crossroads”. Check it out: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.108… @twqgw.bsky.social
tandfonline.com
French Nuclear Ambiguity at a Crossroads
Published in The Washington Quarterly (Vol. 49, No. 2, 2026)
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Center for Nuclear Security Policy’s Matthew Sharp provides new analysis for @thebulletin.org. ⚛️Take a look: thebulletin.org/2026/06/three-key-m…
thebulletin.org
Three key moments helped build the nuclear order. Time to revisit
To navigate the new nuclear age, US policymakers must revisit the foundational 1960s logic that prioritized strict nonproliferation, valued diplomacy over costly arms races, and legally linked nonprol...
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
SSP Senior Fellow Kelly M. Greenhill coauthored a chapter in the recently published Oxford Handbook of Human Security. 🔖Bookmark Organized Forced Migration and Human Security: academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
academic.oup.com
Organized Forced Migration and Human Security
Abstract. Organized forced migration comprises various types of state-led displacement, such as population transfers, expulsions, exchanges, repatriations
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
This past semester, SSP’s Richard Nielsen, associate professor of political science, joined a cohort of scholars from the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) to form the inaugural SHASS Faculty Fellows Program. Learn more from MIT News: news.mit.edu/2026/buildin...
news.mit.edu
Building a scholarly community
The SHASS Faculty Fellows Program, administered by the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC), supports the creation of new opportunities for research and collaboration among faculty.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
SSP Senior Fellow Charles Glaser and George Washington University professor of political science Alexander B. Downs “argue that the current debate between nuclear coercionists and pessimists is misleading because it fails to adequately incorporate strategic selection.” 📓https://bit.ly/4avm8MR
tandfonline.com
Revisiting the Effectiveness of Nuclear Compellent Threats
Are nuclear threats useful for compellence? We argue that the current debate between nuclear coercionists and pessimists is misleading because it fails to adequately incorporate strategic selection...
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Wargaming Lab Co-director Erik Lin-Greenberg scores another award for his latest book “The Remote Revolution: Drones and Modern Statecraft”: the American Political Science Association Foreign Policy Section 2026 Best Book Award. Congratulations, Professor Lin-Greenberg! @apsa.bsky.social
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
We are pleased to announce that SSP Research Affiliate Fiona Cunningham has been awarded the 2026 Peter Katzenstein Book Prize for her book “Under the Nuclear Shadow: China’s Information-Age Weapons in International Security”. 🏆Congratulations, Fiona! 📘 @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
On June 6, the Security Studies Program celebrated its 50th anniversary with a full day of festivities, friendship, and food. Alumni from across the country and around the globe joined us at the MIT Media Lab to catch up with colleagues and share memories of what makes SSP so special.
A person addresses a seated audience from a lectern.Five people seated on stage.A man and a woman talking to each other in a pleasant manner.A large group photo.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
An operation to take Kharg Island could be difficult due the island’s terrain and civilian population while leaving US forces vulnerable to Iranian attacks, says MIT professor of political science Caitlin Talmadge. Read more via @taskandpurpose.com: bit.ly/4uy2kzs @proftalmadge.bsky.social
taskandpurpose.com
The US would need at least 1,200 troops to take Kharg Island, experts say
To hold the island, U.S. troops would need to dig in as protection against Iranian missile attacks, a retired senior defense official said.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
SSP Senior Research Associate Jim Walsh speaks to @wbur.org about tensions around the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. 🎧 www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/06/11/…
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
MIT professor of political science Caitlin Talmadge, along with coauthor Mara Karlin, provide expert analyses and offer policy recommendations in their latest research piece for @brookings.edu. 📖: www.brookings.edu/articles/the-end-… @proftalmadge.bsky.social
brookings.edu
The end of the American way of war? | Brookings
The Iran war has demonstrated that U.S. forward-deployed forces in the Middle East no longer enjoy sanctuary from attack.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Thanks for celebrating SSP's 50th anniversary with us, @jkertzer.bsky.social!
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
We are pleased to announced that SSP Affiliate Phil Haun’s recent book, “Tactical Airpower and the Vietnam War”, has been shortlisted for the 2025 Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History by the Royal United Services Institute (@rusi.bsky.social). Congratulations, Phil Haun!
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Mariana Budjeryn, Center for Nuclear Security Policy Senior Researcher, talks about the Chornobyl disaster, Russia’s current occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and current nuclear security challenges. @mbudjeryn.bsky.social @sipri.org
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Iran's semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency reports that Iran is stopping talks with the U.S. to protest the continued bombardment of Lebanon. SSP Senior Research Associate Jim Walsh speaks with @wbur.org on the latest turn of events. 🎧 wbur.fm/49wBEaP
wbur.org
Iran stops peace talks with U.S. to protest Israel's continued bombardment of Lebanon
Israel announced it’s expanding attacks in Lebanon, targeting the outskirts of Beirut.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
SSP Senior Fellow Charles Glaser addresses US-China security concerns at a recent talk for @fsi.stanford.edu. Full talk: youtu.be/GzGd1w92U1w?si=AiDK26EYAtm…
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Congratulations to SSP’s PhD graduates! We are honored to celebrate the hard-earned achievements of doctors Nicholas Blanchette, Wenyan Deng, Suzanne Freeman, Eleanor Freund, Eyal Hanfling, Wright Smith, Raymond Wang, and Diana Zhu.
Grad students and faculty (l-r): Barry Posen, Erik-Lin Greenberg, Nicholas Blanchette, Suzanne Freeman, Diana Zhu, Raymond Wang, Wenyan Deng, Eleanor Freund, Wright Smith, M. Taylor Fravel, Rich Nielsen, and Caitlin Talmadge.Erik Lin-Greenberg, left, and Eyal HanflingRaymond Wang, left, receives Best Doctoral Thesis Award from Political Science Department Head David Singer.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
A group of bipartisan experts, including faculty member Vipin Narang, offer basic guideposts for the Pentagon to take into account as it proceeds with its close hold mini review of U.S. nuclear strategy in a new article in Real Clear Defense. www.realcleardefense.com/articles/202...
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
In a new paper, Stanton Nuclear Fellow Beenish Pervaiz examines the May 2025 crisis between India and Pakistan “to provide a comparative analysis of why and how variations in crisis narratives matter for what could come next.” Via @stimsoncenter.bsky.social southasianvoices.org/sec-f-pk-r-c...
southasianvoices.org
One Year After Pahalgam: Competing Narratives and Converging Risks – South Asian Voices
Differences in national narratives shape the lessons each side has drawn about deterrence doctrine, escalation dynamics, and technological capability.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
On April 15, SSP had the honor of presenting former Commander, US Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service General Timothy D. Haugh with the General James Doolittle Award. Learn more about the Doolittle Award: bit.ly/4eV4bdL
Taylor Fravel presents an award plaque to General Haugh.General Haugh talks while looking at Fravel.An audience member asks a question as others look on.Military Fellows
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
SSP Senior Fellow Charles Glaser speaks to Amherst College Professor Eleonora Mattiacci about his latest book “Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America’s Future Against a Rising China”. 🔖Bookmark now, 🎧listen later via @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social: bit.ly/3R8egtU
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
In a new paper, @mbudjeryn.bsky.social examines the global nuclear order after the Cold War, specifically asking why “did only Russia emerge as the only possessor of Soviet nuclear weapons in the post-Soviet space?” Read the full article via Journal of Strategic Studies: bit.ly/4dkt3Jr
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
SSP Director @fravel.bsky.social speaks with @npr.org about China’s expanding nuclear program. “What [China] worried about was that the U.S. was developing what's known as conventional long-range strike weapons that could be used to attack China's nuclear forces,” Fravel says.
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Security Studies Program MIT @ssp-mit.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
On Hegseth’s ongoing, high-profile military shakeup, SSP’s Barry Posen asks, “Is he purging not just perfectly competent people, but highly competent people, the people you would want in your foxhole?” www.salon.com/2026/05/01/r... Read more via @salon.com
salon.com
Republican lawmakers increasingly concerned over Hegseth's ideological military - Salon.com
Conservatives are voicing criticisms after Hegseth unceremoniously fired a top military leader
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