For the seventh year in a row, Congress has failed to pass a defense appropriations bill in time to start the fiscal year. And for the past four years, the Defense Department and other federal agencies have been struggling with the impact of sequestration, which imposed cuts that were never meant to be implemented, but were supposed to prod both parties to come together and reach a budget agreement. The Defense Department has done its best to manage through this prolonged period of budget uncertainty, making painful choices and trade-offs among the size, capabilities and readiness of the joint force.

The nation cannot allow this to become the new normal.

PDP Co-Director Dr. Ashton B. Carter explores the daunting list of national security challenges facing the next American president.

Failure to develop a comprehensive contingency plan, such as the one proposed here, and inform the American public, where appropriate, about its particulars will only serve to amplify the devastating impact of any nuclear attack on a U.S. city

Ashton B. Carter contributes a chapter to McGraw-Hill's new volume on Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism.

Dr. Ashton B. Carter delivers remarks on the Origins of the Nunn-Lugar Program at the Presidential Conference on William Jefferson Clinton: The “New Democrat” from Hope, hosted by Hofstra University, November 10-12, 2005.

The gravest threat facing Americans today is a terrorist detonating a nuclear bomb in one of our cities. The National Security Advisory Group (NSAG) judges that the Bush administration is taking insufficient actions to counter this threat.

Interim Report from the Policy Advisory Group (PAG), a panel of experts convened to provide advice to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on what Congress and the administration should do to strengthen the NPT system.

9/11 Public Discourse Project holds panel discussion on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

Dr. Ashton B. Carter testifies before the Robb-Silberman Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Dr. Ashton B. Carter testifies before the House Armed Services Committee.