MacArthur announced 12 grants totaling nearly $5.3 million to reduce the dangers posed by nuclear and biological weapons and materials. Grants are made to strengthen independent scientific and technical advice on security policy and to engage decision-makers with timely policy research.
“MacArthur aims to encourage greater international collaboration against threats from nuclear and biological weapons,” said Jonathan F. Fanton, President of the MacArthur Foundation. “Our most recent grants seek new approaches to critical security issues, including the recent U.S.-India cooperative nuclear agreement, the security of nuclear reactors, and the convening of international experts to address nuclear threats on the Korean peninsula and in Iran.”
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will receive a grant of $1.2 million over three years in support of its Science, Technology and Global Security Working Group. Grant funds will be used to nurture mid-career and aspiring science and security experts, to conduct technical studies on a range of security issues, including risk reduction in South Asia, and for efforts to ensure that technical analysis is relayed to policymakers in a timely fashion. The Group is a leader in technical analysis of ballistic missile systems, missile defense, and global satellite monitoring and surveillance. It is one of the largest groups of university scientists dedicated to independent technical analysis on science and security-related matters.
A grant of $900,000 over three years will be awarded to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ to help deepen communication links among universities, policy institutes, and decision-makers and to engage new scientists on policy issues requiring scientific input. The grant will also support new public forums to debate emerging issues, and contribute to an enhancement of the The Bulletin’s online publishing capabilities.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will receive a grant of $800,000 over three years for a program of research and outreach to help shore up the international consensus underlying the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. An experienced team of former diplomats and policy experts seeks to forge common ground among the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, reach out to important “non-aligned” states, such as India, South Africa, and Brazil, and recommend practical steps these governments can take to strengthen nonproliferation institutions, and deal with the challenge posed by North Korea and Iran.
The Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council will receive a grant of $600,000 over three years to help expand the scope and funding of the U.S. government’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which is designed to secure and reduce stocks of weapons-usable nuclear material. The Council is developing new ideas and practical initiatives for addressing nuclear material sources excluded from existing efforts, accelerating the recovery of radioactive sources in the U.S. and internationally, and reducing homeland security risks by converting U.S. research and test reactors to use safer nuclear fuels.
A grant of $450,000 over three years will be to the Project on Government Oversight to continue working with government departments and non-governmental experts to consolidate and secure U.S. nuclear material, implement new facility security policies, and assist independent auditors in evaluating security systems throughout the U.S. nuclear complex. Project researchers will continue to share findings with oversight committees in Congress and bring nuclear security risks to public attention.
The Henry L. Stimson Center will receive a grant of $375,000 over two years for a range of policy research activities including efforts to promote nuclear risk reduction in South Asia. It will work with policymakers and nuclear weapons experts to extend the current missile test notification agreement in Asia, limit testing in the region to designated test ranges, and take steps to help lock down dangerous materials to prevent nuclear terrorism.
The National Committee on American Foreign Policy will receive a grant of $250,000 over two years to facilitate dialogue and the development of new ideas to resolve the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula. In a separate project, the National Committee will convene experts from Washington, Beijing, Taipei, Tokyo, and Seoul to identify new cooperative security initiatives in East Asia.
A grant of $250,000 over two years will be awarded to the Fund for Peace to convene experts from the fields of nuclear proliferation, counter-terrorism, and failing states to investigate the possible convergence of these threats and the emergence of new pathways for terrorists or criminal organizations to obtain or develop nuclear or biological weapons.
The Institute for Science and International Security will receive a grant of $125,000 over one year to complete a comprehensive assessment of the A.Q. Khan nuclear proliferation network and make policy recommendations to reduce the treat posed by illicit networks.
A grant of $120,000 over eighteen months will be awarded to the Nixon Center to explore possible solutions to the Iran nuclear crisis. In partnership with the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Geneva Center for Democratic Control of Armed Forces, the Center will facilitate dialogue and develop new ideas to address security issues in the Persian Gulf.
The Nonproliferation Policy Education Center will receive a grant of $100,000 over one year to examine the ramifications of the recent U.S.-India agreement on cooperation in the fields of space launch, satellite navigations and civil nuclear energy through sponsorship of seminars with key Congressional, Executive Branch, press, and embassy officials.
Friends Committee on National Legislation Education Fund will receive a two-year grant of $100,000 to educate the public and policymakers on U.S. efforts to eliminate and secure nuclear and radiological materials around the world. To do this, the Fund will analyze relevant budgets and help improve the quality of information flowing to Congress about these efforts.
