Why Nuclear-Security Education for Young People?

Since 2023, the “Doomsday Clock” representing the threat of global destruction by nuclear weapons has been at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to catastrophe since the clock was created in 1947. This has been driven in large part by Russia’s veiled threats of nuclear war and an unraveling of the disarmament and nonproliferation regimes.

Nevertheless, a majority of young Americans report not knowing much (or anything) about issues such as the costs of nuclear weapons and US nuclear-weapons policy (Smeltz, Kafura, and Weiner Reference Smeltz, Kafura and Weiner2023). This is particularly worrisome because the more than 5,000 US nuclear warheads account for almost half of the global total. Younger people differ from older generations in that they perceive nuclear weapons as making the United States less safe; a majority, however, would like to learn more about these weapons (Smeltz, Kafura, and Weiner Reference Smeltz, Kafura and Weiner2023). Given the gravity of nuclear-security threats, it is crucial to expand the breadth and depth of nuclear-security education. Increasing knowledge around these issues will lead to a better informed public and will prepare students for careers in national security.

Policy makers have taken steps to address the lack of diverse perspectives and representation in the nuclear field through hiring practices and encouragement of mentorship programs. These efforts fall short, however, because they are aimed at a homogeneous pool of professionals. One key group that should be engaged more directly are young people, particularly undergraduate and high school students.

Youth Engagement on Nuclear Security

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs has long recognized the need for increasing youth engagement. In 2000, the UN General Assembly created a committee of experts to study disarmament and nonproliferation education. The committee’s report listed 34 recommendations for states, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society organizations to improve nonproliferation education, requiring a biennial evaluation of their implementation. In response, many states have adopted policies with the particular goal of increasing the number of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Although education and recruitment efforts that are focused on STEM disciplines are laudable, political scientists should be training students on the political context and policy implications of nuclear security.

Despite a growing recognition of the need to provide accessible educational opportunities, there is one glaring problem: a significant lack of courses at most undergraduate institutions. In a 2019 study of nuclear-related courses taught at 75 US universities, Bidgood (Reference Bidgood2019) found that relatively few were taught in the social sciences; overwhelmingly, these courses were in engineering and physics. Moreover, nuclear-related courses were disproportionately taught at private rather than public institutions. This trend likely reinforces existing underrepresentation in the field because students at private institutions are less likely to be African American, first-generation, and/or from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Expanding Youth Engagement Through Universities

Although there are many different paths to expanding youth engagement, the first and most pressing need is to increase the availability of courses at the college level, particularly within political science and public policy. Specialized programs are needed to train the next generation of nuclear-security professionals.

Benson-Bertsch Center for International Trade and Security (BB-CITS) at the University of Georgia (where both authors work) has invested significant resources in providing such opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. For 20 years, BB-CITS has been training students for careers in nuclear nonproliferation through the Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Program (SLP). SLP students develop policy-writing, analysis, and oral-briefing skills while learning about nuclear-security issues ranging from the nonproliferation regime and export controls to modernization of nuclear weapons and peaceful nuclear energy. They apply these skills and knowledge through various activities, including developing a policy brief that anticipates a weapons of mass destruction attack with recommendations to address the vulnerabilities and a two-week simulation of the US National Security Council. Students typically go on to security-focused graduate programs and careers in diplomacy, strategic trade management, and the intelligence community.

Not all universities have the resources and capacity to offer specialized programs or courses on nuclear security. Introductory international relations (IR) courses offer multiple entry points for nuclear-security discussions, from the nonproliferation regime and civil society around disarmament when discussing international organizations to export controls during a section on political economy; nuclear issues are relevant to all aspects of IR. Although young people are far removed from the horrors of World War II, scholars can increase the emotional engagement of students when they are teaching about the human-security implications of nuclear issues through multimedia resources, simulations, and debates (Asal, Conrad, and Sin Reference Asal, Conrad and Sin2020).

It is important to note that nuclear issues can and should be woven into political science courses across the discipline because they are crucial to domestic politics as well as global security. Whether teaching about nuclear regulation in a public administration course, the impacts of nuclear testing on indigenous communities in a section on civil rights in American politics, uranium mining in environmental politics, or the 1991 Nunn–Lugar Act in a legislative politics course—the opportunities abound.

Expanding Youth Engagement Through Civil Society

Although there is great potential for increasing youth engagement in nuclear-security issues, undergraduate and graduate programs struggle with the reality that they can be only as diverse as our universities. To increase representation, we must engage students earlier to foster awareness of and interest in nuclear security.

Civil society organizations are in a unique position to build connections with high school educators and students; however, few organizations are engaged in direct outreach at that level. The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) Critical Issues Forum, for example, is an annual conference on nuclear-security issues that engages high school students from around the world. Other organizations, such as the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), provide free educational videos online; however, educators may be unaware of these resources. The Council on Foreign Relations recently began an Education Ambassador Program to equip high school and university educators with tools to teach about IR, including online resources and virtual meetings. Organizations such as the NTI, Arms Control Association, and Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation would be ideally suited for offering similar programs for educators, as well as summer training workshops and nuclear-specific curricula.

Civil society also has been instrumental in direct outreach to young people outside of the classroom. For instance, at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, held in 2022, young professionals hosted a series of meetings to promote youth involvement in non-proliferation and disarmament work. Various organizations, including the CNS, US Women in Nuclear, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, provide excellent mentorship and internship programs to students interested in the field.

Nuclear Education Beyond Nukes

Nuclear security and nonproliferation relate to many key policy issues beyond weapons, from energy policy to climate policy and international trade. The expansion of civilian nuclear-energy facilities, for instance, and the public’s ability to distinguish between nuclear weapons and nuclear energy for peaceful purposes will be critical for the development of clean-energy policy.

Improved nuclear-security education not only raises awareness about these related issues but also can create job opportunities for young people. Advancements in energy technology, coupled with the wave of expected retirements in the energy and nuclear-security fields, offer promising career paths.