The Security Studies Program based @MIT_CIS. Research, education and analysis of national and international security issues. RTs and follows ≠ endorsement.
Joined January 2013
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1,866 Photos and videos
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:
taskandpurpose.com/news/mili…
@ProfTalmadge
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SSP Senior Research Associate Jim Walsh speaks to @hereandnow about tensions surrounding the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
@DrJimWalshMIT
.@MIT_SSP senior research associate Jim Walsh spoke with @WBUR about a possible U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal amid rising tensions in the region. wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/06/…
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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 @BrookingsInst.
@ProfTalmadge
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Thanks for celebrating SSP's 50th anniversary with us, @TaraMaller!
Jun 7
Truly wonderful celebration for the 50th anniversary of @MIT_SSP at @MIT @medialab…🌎📚
Great to catch up with old friends, colleagues, & professors and take time to reflect on the program’s research and the impact the program has had on policy and the world over five decades.
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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. Via @SIPRIorg
@mbudjeryn
🎥 Earlier this week SIPRI released a new Spotlight video featuring @mbudjeryn, Senior Researcher at the Center for Nuclear Security Policy, @MIT, reflecting on the legacy of the Chornobyl disaster and the nuclear security challenges facing the international community today.
Watch it now ➡️ bit.ly/49xtj6M
#Chornobyl #NuclearSecurity #Nuclear #Russia #Ukraine
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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 @hereandnow on the latest turn of events.
@DrJimWalshMIT
Jim Walsh, a research associate with @MIT_SSP, speaks with @NPR's @hereandnow regarding the cessation of Iranian/Israeli peace talks due to Israel’s continued push into Lebanon. wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/06/… @MIT_CIS @MITPoliSci
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SSP Senior Fellow Charles Glaser addresses US-China security concerns at a recent talk for @StanfordCISAC.
Full talk: youtu.be/GzGd1w92U1w?si=AiDK…
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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. We look forward to your ongoing contributions to security studies and political science!
And congratulations to Raymond Wang for receiving the Lucien Pye Award for the Best Doctoral Thesis!
@eyalhanfling @soraywang @DTingxuan @WrightLSmith @SuzBFreeman
ALT 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.
ALT Erik Lin-Greenberg, left, and Eyal Hanfling
ALT Raymond Wang, left, receives Best Doctoral Thesis Award from Political Science Department Head David Singer.
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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.
@NarangVipin @RCDefense
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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.”
Read more via @StimsonCenter’s @SAVoices 👇🏽
@bpervaiz
May 19
Excited to share my analysis for @SAVoices on how crisis narratives have evolved 1 year after the 2025 India-Pak crisis. I compare nat’l accounts on both sides, key areas of divergence & overlap, & what these competing versions may mean for what comes next southasianvoices.org/sec-f-p…
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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. In a discussion with SSP Director M. Taylor Fravel, General Haugh spoke about a range of issues related to intelligence, cyber, emerging technologies, and national security.
Named after General James Doolittle, the Doolittle Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of US air power.
ALT Taylor Fravel presents an award plaque to General Haugh.
ALT General Haugh talks while looking at Fravel.
ALT An audience member asks a question as others look on.
ALT Military Fellows
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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:
newbooksnetwork.com/retrench…
@ProfEMattiacci
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In a new paper, Mariana Budjeryn 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 @jststs.
@mbudjeryn
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SSP Director M. Taylor Fravel speaks with @NPR's Emily Feng about China’s expanding nuclear program and the escalating security dilemma. “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.
🎧Listen now:
wusf.org/2026-05-10/why-has-…
@fravel
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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?”
Read more via @Salon 👇🏽
.@MITPoliSci professor and former @MIT_SSP director Barry Posen spoke with @Salon about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s tenure. “Hegseth appears to have a preference for people who look like him,” Posen says. salon.com/2026/05/01/republi…
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⏰Reminder: @mbudjeryn, Center for Nuclear Security Policy Senior Researcher, joins a panel of experts to explore Chernobyl’s enduring legacy. Hosted by @CarnegieEndow.
In person and online: carnegieendowment.org/events…
🗓️May 7, 2026
🕘9:00-10:15am ET
📍1779 Mass Ave, Washington DC
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Thank you, Heidi Urben, for your important discussion on assessing internal accountability in the US military during this week’s Wednesday Seminar.
With that, it’s a wrap on Wednesday Seminars for the semester! Wednesday Seminars will return in the fall.
ALT Heidi Urben presents a discussion from the front of the room.
ALT An audience member asks a question as others look on.
ALT Two people are seated at a table addressing an offscreen audience.
ALT Audience members applaud.
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In the meantime, catch up on the conversation with our archived seminars: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL…
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