NTI at the Munich Security Conference: Advancing a Safer Future

The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) joined world leaders and policymakers at the 2026 Munich Security Conference (MSC), where NTI President and CEO Christine E. Wormuth and colleagues hosted events focused on reducing nuclear, biological, and emerging technology threats imperiling humanity.

NTI activities included a roundtable discussion on modernizing the Biological Weapons Convention, and a lunch hosted by NTI and the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG), where leaders issued two statements outlining steps to prevent the accidental or unauthorized use of a nuclear weapon and to address space security and stability.

Growing a Modern Biological Weapons Convention

NTI | bio hosted a roundtable to examine how the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), now more than 50 years old, can remain effective amid rapid scientific advances and intensifying geopolitical tensions. Participants discussed how emerging technologies—and the risks they create—are straining confidence in states’ compliance with the convention. The conversation highlighted constraints within the BWC, including consensus-based decision-making and limited institutional support, that hinder modernization efforts. Participants also explored ways to foster new, and build upon recent, political momentum, including proposals for AI-enabled verification. The dialogue emphasized the need for the convention to be more inclusive of private industry and to embed stronger transparency measures to deter misuse, reduce arms-racing dynamics, and reinforce the global norm against biological weapons. The group worked to shape a strategic vision ahead of the 2027 Tenth Review Conference.

Supporting Nuclear Fail-Safe, and Space Security and Stability

NTI and EASLG leaders hosted a lunch in Munich focused on nuclear and strategic risks in today’s complex, multipolar nuclear landscape. The discussion highlighted a looming trilateral arms race, geopolitical tension, regional conflicts, rapid technological change, and the dissolution of guardrails that have helped manage these risks for decades. Participants discussed the future of nuclear arms control after the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expiration, which has left the world without limits on nuclear arsenals for the first time since the 1970s. Speakers warned of rising risks of nuclear use —from escalation in regional wars and AI‑driven decision‑making to unregulated activities in space and growing proliferation pressures. The event brought together senior leaders, policy makers, and experts, including Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, and Founding Chair of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University Madame Fu Ying.

Ahead of the conference, NTI and the EASLG released a new statement, “Support for Space Security and Stability,” and were joined by the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network and Grandview Institution on a second statement, “Support for Preventing the Accidental, Mistaken, or Unauthorized Use of a Nuclear Weapon: Nuclear Fail-Safe.” Together, the statements highlight global support for NTI’s effort to strengthen nuclear fail-safe measures to prevent the accidental or unauthorized use of a nuclear weapon and to apply and adapt principles governing the use of outer space for peaceful purposes to help prevent nuclear use and maintain strategic stability.