Kingston Reif
DIRECTOR OF NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION
202-546-0795 ext. 2103
kreif AT armscontrolcenter DOT org
Kingston Reif is the Director of Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, where his work focuses on arms control, nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear weapons, and preventing nuclear terrorism. He is also an expert on the legislative process and closely monitors Congressional action on nuclear weapons and related issues.
Reif originally came to the Center in 2008 as a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow. From September 2008 until May 2009 he served as Dr. Morton Halperin’s research assistant on the Congressional Strategic Posture Commission. Reif returned to the Center in May 2009 as the Deputy Director of Nuclear Non-Proliferation. Reif has published letters and articles on nuclear weapons policy in such venues as the Washington Post, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal, Survival, Defense News, the World Politics Review, and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He has also been quoted in such publications as the New York Times, Global Security Newswire, FoxNews.com, and DailyKos, and has been interviewed on radio and TV, including on C-SPAN's Washington Journal program.
Reif holds a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University. He spent two years in the U.K. as a British Marshall Scholar where he received a MSc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a M.Litt. in International Security Studies from the University of St. Andrews.
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REIF IN THE NEWS
Kingston Reif Quoted on the Debt Limit Deal in the Albuquerque Journal
The deal calls for modest initial defense cuts in the next year, but the long-term budget goals laid out in the deal $350 billion in defense cuts over 10 years with much deeper spending reductions possible make it unlikely that this and future administrations will be able to sustain the sort of increases proposed by the Obama administration in a 10-year nuclear weapons spending plan laid out last November, said Kingston Reif, an analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation.
Kingston Reif Quoted on the Debt Limit Deal's Impact on Nuclear Weapons Spending in the Los Alamos Monitor
"[G]iven NNSA's history of poor management, ill-defined programmatic goals, and cost overruns, Congress is likely going to take a close look at its programs," said Kingston Reif, Director of Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
Kingston Reif Quoted on Budget Cuts to Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Programs in Xinhua News
"These cuts are pretty difficult to comprehend, given that the program is aimed at combating the biggest threat to national security, namely the threat posed by nuclear terrorism,"said Kingston Reif, director of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
Kingston Reif Interviewed about New START Ratification by RT, Russian Media
"The [new START] treaty will last for the entire duration as set out in the text [10 years after it's enforced]. I see no way in which the U.S. or Russia would pull out of the Treaty [before then]," said Kingston Reif, Director of Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation in a TV interview by RT on January 25, 2011. "It's important to remember that during the negotiations, the U.S. and Russia kept the issue of missile defense on a separate track from the US reductions in strategic nuclear forces, Reif added. (See last video)
Kingston Reif interviewed about the NPR on C-SPAN
On April 7, Kingston Reif, deputy director of nuclear non-proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, discussed the Obama Administration's Nuclear Posture Review in a 45-minute interview on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.
Kingston Reif Interviewed about the NPR by Radio Free Europe
Kingston Reif: Basically, the "Nuclear Posture Review" [NPR] is a comprehensive review of U.S. nuclear weapons strategy and policy for the next five to 10 years. This particular review was mandated by Congress in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. And it marks the third such comprehensive review of U.S. nuclear-weapons policy since the end of the Cold War.
Kingston Reif Quoted on New START in the New York Times
“On paper, the White House has been saying it’s a 30 percent cut in warheads” said Kingston Reif, deputy director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington. “Well, it is on paper. But when you break it down, you see that the cut isn’t quite as significant.”
RECENT ARTICLES BY REIF
Aug 9, 2011 Three Easy Steps to Increase U.S. National Security – With Bipartisan Backing
While Washington, DC has been riven between Democratic-Republican open warfare on the debt ceiling, Kingston Reif suggests three immediate steps that Congress can take to reduce the danger posed by nuclear weapons and the materials that could be used to make them, all of which enjoy strong bipartisan support – a rare occurrence on Capitol Hill these days.
Jul 14, 2011 Parting words: Gates and tactical nuclear weapons in Europe
Before leaving office, Defense Secretary Gates criticized European NATO members for not appropriately sharing costs related to alliance defense obligations. His remarks raise an important question: Is it time to reconsider the deployment of nearly 200 US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe?
Jul 14, 2011 Fortenberry-Sanchez amendment a win for nuclear security
On July 13, the House approved an amendment to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2354) offered by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) to increase the appropriation for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative by $35 million. The result is an important bipartisan victory for the international effort to secure and eliminate vulnerable nuclear material at an accelerated rate and keep our nation safe from the threat of nuclear terrorism, writes Kingston Reif in this new analysis.
Jul 11, 2011 A Review of the Senate Armed Services Committee Version of the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill
On June 16 the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1253). Kingston Reif and Laicie Olson review the key provisions in the bill in this new analysis.
Jun 27, 2011 Heritage Foundation Fails Test on another Treaty
Uncowed by its failure to convince the U.S. Senate and the American public to oppose the New START treaty, the Heritage Foundation is trying to gin up opposition to another international treaty that would greatly benefit U.S. national security: the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Jun 16, 2011 Summary of the House Appropriations Committee Version of the FY 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill on June 15. Given a low budget ceiling, the Committee did it’s best to protect vital material security and nonproliferation efforts and made sensible cuts to nuclear modernization programs. Nevertheless, the cuts to threat reduction programs are difficult to comprehend, writes Kingston Reif in this new analysis, since these programs counter the most serious threat confronting our national security: the threat of nuclear terrorism.
Jun 13, 2011 A Review of the House Version of the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill
On May 26 the House approved the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1540). Kingston Reif reviews the nuclear weapons related provisions in the bill, both good and bad, in this new analysis.
Jun 6, 2011 Breaking Down the First New START Data Exchange
On June 1, the State Department released a fact sheet detailing the aggregate numbers for the strategic nuclear weapons limited by the treaty. According to the fact sheet, as of February 5, 2011, Russia had 1,537 deployed strategic warheads, 521 deployed strategic delivery vehicles, and 865 deployed and non-deployed launchers. The United States had 1,800 deployed strategic warheads, 882 deployed strategic delivery vehicles, and 1,124 deployed and non-deployed launchers. This means that Russia has already met two of the treaty’s three limits eight years early, writes Kingston Reif in this new analysis.
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