July 13, 2026

An F-35A fighter jet releases an inert B61-12 bomb during a dual-capable aircraft (DCA) test flight in the skies above Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 27, 2019.  (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

Is London shifting from nuclear deterrence to war-fighting?

After decades of gradual disarmament, London is quietly reversing course by expanding its warhead stockpile, altering its nuclear doctrine, and acquiring stealth F-35As to carry US tactical nuclear bombs, write S.M. Amadae and Tom Stevenson. Driven by pre-Cold War planning rather than modern democratic mandate, this shift toward first-use, non-strategic capabilities risks destabilizing the European balance and inviting catastrophic escalation with Russia. Read more.

NUCLEAR NOTEBOOK

Chinese nuclear weapons, 2026

The modernization of China’s nuclear arsenal has both accelerated and expanded in recent years. The newest Nuclear Notebook from Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, and Mackenzie Knight-Boyle estimates that China now possesses approximately 620 nuclear warheads, with more in production to arm future delivery systems. Read more.

VIRTUAL EVENT

End Credits: Doomsday on Film

From the silver screen to streaming, cinema has always been fascinated by catastrophe. At 12:00 p.m. CDT on July 29, 2026, join our panel of experts and movie buffs, including Daniel W. Drezner of Tufts University, Nuclear Treat Initiative's Elise Rowan, and the Bulletin's Alexandra Bell, for a discussion around the top movies exploring global risk. Register here.

The brutal, powerful legacy of Threads

Mick Jackson's 1984 film Threads endures as the most devastating depiction of nuclear war in apocalyptic cinema. Its portrayal of societal collapse is unrelenting, writes Daniel W. Drezner. Threads depicts nuclear war as a catastrophe that extends far beyond the initial exchange. Its scenario of escalation from a Middle Eastern crisis has acquired renewed relevance in the 21st century. Read more.

VIDEO

Bulletin Breakdown: AI, Viruses, and Bioweapons

The Bulletin sat down with three leading experts at the intersection of artificial intelligence and biosecurity to break down the most urgent risks and opportunities shaping AI and global biosecurity today, from pandemic preparedness to the role of AI in national security and biotechnology. Watch here.

Recent articles

• Why Trump's nuclear blackmail of Iran failed spectacularly
• Introduction: Doomsday and the movies
  
• The clear winner of Trump's war in the Middle East is… China, says new report
• Beyond alarmism: A realistic assessment of Bushehr's plutonium risk
• Why data center growth forecasts are essential to mitigating their impact on the grid

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Foreign actors aren’t manufacturing American debates over the future of A.I., they are exploiting them."

— Jessica Brandt, a former official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, "China, Russia and Others Seek to Inflame Debate Over A.I. Data Centers," The New York Times

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