The course objective is to provide an overview of U.S. nuclear weapons policy development including issues and challenges facing politicians today. It specifically covers the evolution of U.S. nuclear weapon policy, nuclear deterrence theory, applications of nuclear weapons within the instruments of national policy, factors influencing policy, foreign nation nuclear weapons drivers, and proliferation concerns. A Restricted Data tour of the Nuclear Weapons Instructional Museum is also conducted. Students seeking grad level credit are required to complete an established reading register, select a topic from an approved nuclear policy subject listing, conduct research, and formulate a complete research paper.