Dr. Steve Fetter is a Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Over the last 30 years, he has spent time working at the White House, at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, and at several U.S. government agencies. His research and policy interests include nuclear arms control and non-proliferation, nuclear energy and releases of radiation, and climate change and low-carbon energy supply.
Dr. Steve Fetter is a Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. He has served as Dean of the School, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs of the University, Interim Dean of the Graduate School, and as acting director of the Center for Advanced Study of Language.
He has spent time working at The White House, where he led the national security and international affairs division in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He previously directed OSTP’s environment and energy division, and served as OSTP’s Assistant Director at-large. He also served as Associate Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute, and has been a consultant to several U.S. government agencies.
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has been a member of the Director of National Intelligence’s Intelligence Science Board, the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors of the Arms Control Association, and the Board of Editors of Science and Global Security. He served as President of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs and Vice Chairman of the Federation of American Scientists, and has been a member of several committees of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Fetter is a recipient of the American Physical Society’s Joseph A. Burton Forum Award, the Federation of American Scientists’ Hans Bethe ‘Science in the Public Service’ award, and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.
His research and policy interests include nuclear arms control and non-proliferation, nuclear energy and releases of radiation, and climate change and low-carbon energy supply.
Dr. Fetter has written articles for Science, Nature, Scientific American, International Security, Science and Global Security, Nuclear Technology, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and Arms Control Today. He is the author or co-author of several books and monographs, including Toward a Comprehensive Test Ban, The Nuclear Turning Point, and Climate Change and the Transformation of World Energy Supply.
He received a Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley and a S.B. in Physics from MIT.
Articles
The U.S. Nuclear Arsenal Can Deter Both China and Russia: Why America Doesn’t Need More Missiles
Dr. Charles L. Glaser, Dr. James M. Acton, Dr. Steve Fetter
"Analysts thinking through the implications of the two nuclear peer problem have argued that the United States will face new and worrisome risks and must...
Legal, but Lethal: The Law of Armed Conflict and US Nuclear Strategy
Dr. Charles L. Glaser, Dr. Steve Fetter
"Starting around a decade or so ago, the law of armed conflict (LOAC) acquired new prominence in the development of US nuclear strategy. This was...
Defending the United States: Revisiting National Missile Defense against North Korea
"North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have been the primary motivation for longstanding U.S. national missile defense efforts. Beginning in the late-1990s, the United States...
An expert proposal: How to limit presidential authority to order the use of nuclear weapons
"In the United States, the president has sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, for any reason and at any time. This arrangement...