I'm Ankit Panda: an international security researcher and thinker based in Washington, DC. I'm the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where I work on nuclear strategy, arms control, and the implications of emerging technologies for global security.
Analyzing the dynamics of nuclear posture, escalation, and deterrence architectures across the major nuclear powers in a multipolar world. I am especially interested in escalation dynamics within plausible nuclear conflicts.
Research on the proliferation of missile technologies, hypersonic systems, and the implications of missile defense for strategic stability globally. I focus on action-reaction cycles between adversaries.
I work and think at the intersection of fast-advancing AI, cyber, and space capabilities — examining how these technologies are transforming international security and reshaping deterrence.
The architectures of alliance relationships in the Indo-Pacific and Europe are fast changing. I am interested in how allied confidence in U.S. security guarantees shapes regional stability, including the future of nuclear proliferation.
Advancing pragmatic frameworks for arms control in the new nuclear age, from verification technologies to multilateral diplomatic architectures. I engage with international counterparts in track-2 and track-1.5 dialogues on these matters.
The strategic implications of the militarization and weaponization of outer space, including anti-satellite systems and new space-based architectures, for national security and commercial interests.
An agenda-setting in-depth exploration of the enduring and emerging factors driving today's heightened nuclear risk — from great power rivalry to new technologies.
A comprehensive analysis of rapidly growing missile arsenals across the Indo-Pacific and frameworks for managing escalatory dynamics.
Co-edited volume convening international experts on novel tools and approaches to verification and monitoring of nuclear and missile restraints.
The authoritative story of how North Korea became a nuclear-armed state — and what it means for the United States, South Korea, and the world.
My analysis and commentary on nuclear policy and strategic affairs has been featured across leading publications and media outlets worldwide.
Host of Asia Geopolitics at The Diplomat and Thinking the Unthinkable with Ankit Panda at War on the Rocks. Regular guest on BBC, CNN, NPR, and other international media.
My primary home today is in the think-tank world, but the problems I work on increasingly cut across domains and sectors. Nuclear command and control in the age of AI, space security in a fast-commercializing orbital environment, and the governance of multi-use technologies are questions that can't be answered by any one community alone.
I've advised policymakers, military planners, technologists, investors, and international organizations — including U.S. Strategic Command, Space Command, Indo-Pacific Command, and the United Nations — and I'm always interested in conversations with people working on adjacent problems, whether in the AI safety community, the technology sector, or other fields grappling with catastrophic risk.
If you're working on something where my expertise might be useful, I'd welcome the conversation — whether that's a research collaboration, an advisory role, a speaking engagement, or something I haven't thought of yet.
Whether it's a research question, a media inquiry, a speaking invitation, an idea for collaboration, or just a comment on my work, I'm glad to hear from you.