Policy Paper Release

Setting the Nuclear Deterrence Record Straight: Commanders’ Perspectives

DATE: March 31, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST

ONLINE: Zoom

Setting the Nuclear Deterrence Record Straight:
Commanders’ Perspectives

By Gen Kevin Chilton, USAF (Ret.)

Today, a plethora of misinformation, falsehoods, and deliberate distortions concerning nuclear deterrence are espoused as “truth” in public forums. They are written in editorial pages, spoken on the news, and even touted by some members of Congress and their staffs. Left unchallenged, these statements run the risk of becoming accepted as factual by the American public. Join us to hear from three former U.S. Strategic Command commanders—the leaders charged with overseeing America’s nuclear deterrent— as they set the record straight. We must never underestimate the importance of the nuclear deterrent; it is the bedrock on which every element of U.S. national security depends.  Given Russia’s nuclear saber rattling, China’s nuclear break-out, and America’s nuclear triad reset, this conversation is more important than ever.


Speakers

Gen. Kevin P. Chilton USAF (Ret.) Explorer Chair at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula USAF (Ret.) Dean of the Mitchell Institute
Gen. Robert Kehler USAF (Ret.)8th STRATCOM Commander
Adm. Charles Richard USN (Ret.)11th STRATCOM Commander
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