Vision
To serve as a team of practitioners who advance peace and stability by evaluating deterrence practices and policies, affirming that a credible nuclear deterrent is the bedrock for American national security.
Mission
Peace and stability are built on the bedrock of deterrence. Through applied research, education, and consulting, NIDS influences deterrence thinking and culture.
About Us
The National Institute for Deterrence studies (NIDS) is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit “think tank” that provides deterrence education, national security analysis, and policy solutions. It informs involved or interested parties while advocating for peace through the responsible application of America’s vibrant nuclear deterrent.
The concept of a deterrence think tank was conceived by Big Gen (Ret) Gerald Goodfellow in consultation and with Col (Ret) Curtis McGiffin as they assessed the future status of our Nuclear Deterrent, and a need to increase awareness of its peace keeping value. They envisioned an organization which included practitioners with an historical view of deterrence and understanding of how strategy, policy, and technology interact to deter great power wars, which became NIDS.
On 27 June, 2022 The National Institute for Deterrence Studies was officially recognized as a non-profit corporation in the State of Delaware. NIDS was structured to meet the desire to reach a broad audience, from citizens, to government officials, with a strong focus on education, research, and outreach. The initial board officers and cofounders include LTC (Ret) James Petrosky, PhD (President and co-founder), Col (Ret) Curtis McGiffin (Vice President for Education and cofounder), Adam Lowther, PhD (Vice President for Research and cofounder) and William Murphy (Strategic Advisor and cofounder). This leadership team encompasses more that 130 years of deterrence experience and represents 3 military services, establishing an important foundational capability that continues today.
NIDS significant achievements since its inception are:
- Launch of the NIDS academy
Producing two weekly PODCASTs oriented on building deterrence knowledge and reviewing current events. - Garnering support of more than 50 contributing members as fellows, analysts and interns.
- Establishing an on-line journal covering national security articles, the Global Security Review
- Launching Hussey Events bi-weekly seminars
Our Guiding Principles
Peace, stability, and prosperity are protected through American strength and deterrence, and the bedrock of deterrence comes from our nuclear arsenal. Peace is lost and wars are
waged when deterrence fails. Fear of nuclear escalation prevents large-scale conventional war.
Nuclear disarmament by the United States would have calamitous results. Any effort to undermine and/or devalue America’s nuclear deterrent compounds risk to established strategic stability and greatly increases the potential for coercion, conflict, death, and destruction.
Allies depend on America’s ability to ensure peace and stability by maintaining and extending a credible nuclear deterrent. The United States military, diplomatic, economic, and moral power is either derived from, or bolstered by, America’s nuclear arsenal.
Arms control efforts must address national security shortfalls to achieve lasting efficacy.
Arms control agreements are frail and often fail to achieve intended goals or account for the changing milieu of threats and technological revolutions. America can’t want arms control more than its adversaries.