IA professor presents at NATO event in Budapest

Philip Baxter, professor of intelligence analysis at JMU, recently participated in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Academy event held in Budapest, Hungary. The event brought together 35 early career professionals from 22 NATO countries to engage experts in the field of nuclear weapons and deterrence. Speakers covered the theoretical, historical, technological, and social aspects of deterrence.

The event, held at the National University of Public Service, was organized by the International Youth Atlantic Council and the Hungarian Youth Atlantic Council, with sponsorship from NATO’s Public Policy Division. It provided participants with a forum for discussing changes in the international security environment and how NATO would adapt to those changes. 

Baxter presented the role of current nuclear weapons modernization efforts and how those efforts have impacted nuclear strategy and may impact arms racing or alliance dynamics in the future — in light of re-emerging great power competition. His talk also discussed how other advancing technologies, such as cyber warfare or hypersonic weapons, might impact deterrence calculations given changes to strategic arsenals, shifting nuclear strategies, and a more competitive security landscape. 

The event also welcomed high-ranking officials from NATO, including the director for NATO’s Nuclear Policy Directorate, the Hungarian Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as presenters.

Baxter is the co-editor of the book 21st Century, which examines the technical, strategic, and theoretical implications of nuclear weapons modernization efforts over the past two decades.