Draft:Pranay Vaddi

Pranay Vaddi is an expert on nuclear weapons issues who currently serves at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation at the National Security Council. He is responsible for advising the president and coordinating US government policy on a broad range of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy issues.

Prior to the NSC, Vaddi served at the State Department at the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance and, during the Obama administration, the Bureau of Legislative Affairs. During his stints at State, he contributed to implementation of the US-Russia New START Treaty, US policy toward Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and the 2020 Nuclear Posture Review.

He previously was a fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he published on the future of arms control, on the Nuclear Posture Review with George Perkovich, and commentary at Lawfare, Arms Control Today, and Defense News. He has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

He holds a JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a BA in Political Science and BS in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester.

Publications

 * "Proportionate Deterrence: A Model Nuclear Posture Review," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January, 2021 (with James Acton).
 * "Reimagining Nuclear Arms Control: A Comprehensive Approach," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, December, 2021 (with James M. Acton and Thomas MacDonald).
 * "Better Informing a President's Decision on Nuclear Use," Lawfare, November 9, 2020 (with Adam Mount).
 * "An Integrated Approach to Deterrence Posture," Federation of American Scientists, 2021 (with Adam Mount).
 * "How Biden can advance nuclear arms control and stability with Russia and China." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 77.1 (2021): 18-20.