Michaela Dodge
Heritage Foundation
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Past articles by Michaela:
Nuclear Weapons: United States Should Rebuild Its Plutonium Pit Manufacturing Capability
Plutonium pits are the cores of modern nuclear weapons. Since 1989, when the Rocky Flats Colorado pit production plant was shut down, the United States has not been able to produce plutonium pits in any appreciable quantities. → Read More
New START and the Future of U.S. National Security
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between the United States and the Russian Federation is set to expire on February 5, 2021. The treaty restricts each country to 700 deployed intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs); submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers; 1,550 accountable nuclear warheads; and 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM and SLBM… → Read More
Trump Is Leading on This Major, Often-Overlooked Security Threat
An electromagnetic pulse could be life-altering. It could ruin electronic devices in large sections of the country. → Read More
Why Low-Yield Nuclear Warheads Are Critical to Preventing Nuclear War
A strong and diverse nuclear arsenal deters our adversaries from using their nuclear weapons. → Read More
Nuclear and Missile Defense Agenda for the U.S.–Russia Summit: Forget the Reset
President Donald Trump is planning to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a July 16 summit. U.S. nuclear weapons and missile defense agreements are likely items on the agenda, particularly as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is reaching its end in 2021 and Russia continues to violate its nuclear and conventional arms control agreements. Russia has violated the… → Read More
Aged U.S. Nuclear Stockpile and Infrastructure Must Evolve to Address 21st-Century Threats
The U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile has changed dramatically throughout the course of its existence. From a handful of nuclear weapons of relatively simple design throughout the second half of the 1940s to a peak number of 31,255 warheads in the 1970s, the variety and capabilities of warheads in the U.S. → Read More
Trump's Plan to Protect America's Nuclear Capabilities
On February 2, the Trump administration published its review of U.S. nuclear forces and policy. The congressionally mandated Nuclear Posture Review(NPR) builds upon prudent elements of the Obama administration’s plans to modernize America’s nuclear weapons. But it departs from the optimism expressed in the 2010 NPR. That change reflects the current bipartisan recognition that the world has grown… → Read More
Trump's Plan to Protect America's Nuclear Capabilities
Trump's nuclear posture plan reflects the current bipartisan recognition that the world has grown far more dangerous since 2010. → Read More
Russia Has Repeatedly Flouted This Missile Treaty. It’s Time to Scrap It.
Russia has been violating the INF treaty for nearly a decade, and the U.S. is nowhere close to bringing Moscow back into compliance. → Read More
Sobering Film on Nuclear Attack Shows Need for More Nuclear Defense Spending
The film's title, “33 Minutes,” refers to the maximum amount of time the government would have to respond to an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile. → Read More
Defense Spending Bill Gets It Right on Nuclear and Missile Defense
The new NDAA bill will help ensure strong, extended measures of deterrence while addressing Russian arms control violations. → Read More
The New York Times Doesn’t Get Why Nuclear Weapons Are Actually Necessary
Leave it to The New York Times to misrepresent U.S. nuclear weapons strategy. → Read More
Our Outdated Nuclear Policy Puts Security at Risk. Here’s How Trump Can Improve It.
While America's nuclear stockpile is aging, our rivals’ arsenals are improving both in number and in capability. → Read More
Some Bad Ideas, Like Zombies, Never Seem to Die. A 'No First Use' Nuclear Policy Is One of Them.
Vowing not to use our nuclear arsenal in a first strike would be a foolish decision. → Read More
The U.S. Needs to Modernize Its Nuclear Arsenal Regardless of Arms Control
When the Obama Administration submitted the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for the Senate’s lame-duck session approval, the accompanying resolution of ratification stated that the Senate “is committed to proceeding with a robust stockpile stewardship program, and to maintaining and modernizing the nuclear weapons production capabilities and capacities.” Despite rhetoric calling… → Read More
Defense Authorization Bills Advance US Missile Defense and Nuclear Weapons Priorities
The House and Senate versions of the NDAA would bolster U.S. missile defense and nuclear policy at a critical time in global affairs. → Read More
North Korean Missile Threat Proves Need for More Investment in Missile Defense
Policymakers writing the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) are responsible for crafting new defense policies to deal with an increasingly turbulent and dangerous world. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and a bipartisan coalition of cosponsors are working to mitigate North Korea’s nuclear threat by passing the Advancing American Missile Defense Act. Sullivan’s legislation strengthens the… → Read More
North Korean Missile Threat Proves Need for More Investment in Missile Defense
One program in particular holds the key to a successful missile defense. → Read More
Russia Violations Make it Time to Shelve INF Treaty
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice “ We’re all familiar with that old saying. But what do they say about fool me thrice? That’s exactly what Russia has done: violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty three times over. → Read More
US Missile Defense Technology Has Reached a New High. Why the US Must Keep Expanding Its Edge.
Tuesday's successful intercept of a mock ICBM poses a new deterrent to North Korean missile threats. → Read More