The Nuclear Programs of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy asked CNA to provide an unclassified report on the nuclear programs of four countries: Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. In accordance with section 1634 of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, CNA's report details the factors that influence each country's nuclear program; the country's nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3); nuclear program funding and budgeting; the nuclear weapons related activities of each country, including fissile material production, weapons and delivery system testing and exercises; nuclear weapons related research and development (R and D); nuclear weapons R and D sites and facilities; the human capital of the scientific and technical workforce involved in nuclear programs; and the country's nuclear weapons inventory, capabilities, and deployment locations. CNA conducted its research using original language sources (Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Persian-Farsi) as well as unclassified English-language resources to provide the best available insights. The paper also uses callout boxes, tables, and figures to provide additional background information and context as appropriate.