Theodore Postol, a professor of science, technology and national security policy in the program in science, technology, and society at MIT, will present a public talk at the Woodrow Wilson School titled “U.S. Deployment of Ballistic Missile Defenses in Eastern Europe: Should Russia Worry?” at 4:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, March 25, in Bowl 016, Robertson Hall, on the Princeton University campus.
Dr. Postol’s research interests include ballistic missile defense, cruise missiles, and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
After receiving his doctorate, Dr. Postol joined the staff of Argonne National Laboratory. Subsequently he went to the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment to study methods of basing the MX Missile, and later worked as a scientific adviser to the Chief of Naval Operations.
After leaving the Pentagon, Dr. Postol helped to build a program at Stanford University to train mid-career scientists to study developments in weapons technology of relevance to defense and arms control policy. In 1990 Dr. Postol was awarded the Leo Szilard Prize from the American Physical Society for “incisive technical analysis of national security issues that (have) been vital for informing the public policy debate.” In 1995 he received the Hilliard Roderick Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and in 2001 he received the Norbert Wiener Award from Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility for uncovering numerous and important false claims about missile defenses.
In 2005 he was awarded the Whistleblower Award by the Federation of German Scientists and the German Section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms.
His current research includes work on ballistic missile defense technologies, fraud in the U.S. missile defense program, and reducing nuclear dangers in South Asia as well as those due to the deteriorating Russian nuclear infrastructure.
This event is co-sponsored with the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Program on Science and Global Security. It is part of the series “Dealing With 21st Century Weapons Threats,” and is free and open to the public.
