Our Patrons are:
• Lord Martin Rees OM FRS
• Dame Athene Donald DBE FRS
• Sir Timothy Gowers FRS
• Sir Brian Heap FRS
• Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS
• Prof Margaret MacMillan CH
• General Sir Nick Parker KCB CBE
• Sir Hew Strachan DL FRSE FRHistS
• Prof Angela Vincent FMedSci FRS
Our activities include studies of science and policy issues, regular public discussion and education meetings, and engagement with politicians and government officials.
You can watch videos of our recent webinars and events on our YouTube channel. Follow British Pugwash and Student / Young Pugwash on X (Twitter) and Facebook.
Our publications include in-depth scientific and policy research, as well as newsletters, our Annual Reports and reports from conferences and events.
Our youth wing, SYP UK, is also extremely active and publishes updates on news and events here
Current projects include research on the ethics of armed robotic systems, the potential impact of emerging technologies on nuclear weapon systems, the climate-nuclear nexus and continued work on future energy options for the UK.
Recent projects include the WMD Awareness public education campaign and efforts to establish a British Disarmament Institute.
British Pugwash is a membership organisation that brings together scientists and others concerned with international affairs and disarmament.
We are led by our Executive Committee and receive the support of nine Patrons.
The Executive Committee comprises:
• Peter Jenkins CMG (Chairman)
• Dr Ian Crossland (Treasurer)
• Dr Tim Street (Secretary)
• James Brady
• Dr Peter Collecott
• Dr David Ellwood
• Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany
• Andrew Gibson
• Dr Richard Guthrie
• Sally Milne

Webinar video: Prof Tom Sauer on ‘New Technology and Nuclear Deterrence’ 29/01/25
Watch the video of this webinar on our YouTube channel here: Prof Sauer argued that the combination of emerging and disruptive technologies and strategic conventional weapons may have a revolutionary impact on the future of the debate about nuclear weapons. While emerging and disruptive technologies may yield additional arguments to keep relying on nuclear weapons […]
A Second U.S. “Strategic Defense Initiative”
President Trump has issued an executive order that calls for deploying and maintaining a “next-generation missile defense shield”, an “Iron Dome for America”. … EXECUTIVE ORDER The Iron Dome for America January 27, 2025 Sec. 2 Policy. To further the goal of peace through strength, it is the policy of the United States that: (a) […]

Call for presentations: SYP Conference, 15th March 2025
8th Annual SYP Conference: Call for presentations Theme: ‘Stepping back from the brink of nuclear war: fresh thinking on peace and disarmament’ Location: Central London, Venue TBC / Online via zoom Date: Saturday 15th March 2025 Get involved! SYP wants to give students and young professionals the opportunity to present their thoughts […]
Russia’s Updated Declaration concerning its Nuclear-Weapon-Use Doctrine
On 19 November President Putin signed an executive order approving “the fundamentals of Russia’s state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence.” This declaration is essentially an update of a document that issued in 2020. It sets out Russia’s nuclear-weapon-use doctrine. Among the most important updates is this sentence – “The Russian Federation reserves the […]

Webinar video: Prof Dan Plesch and Manuel Galileo on ‘Strategic Stability and Conventional Strikes’ 12/12/24
Watch the video of this webinar here: With the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) set to expire on Feb 5 2026, strategic weapons issues loom over relations between the major powers. Against this context, our latest webinar spread awareness of a new report ‘Masters of the Air: Strategic Stability and conventional strikes’. The report […]
British Pugwash Newsletter, November 2024
Items include: Dan Plesch / Manuel Galileo, Webinar Invitation, 12 December Video: Zhou Bo on ‘China’s Approach to Nuclear Disarmament’ Publication: ‘AI: Implications for Peace and Security, Articles from the SYP Conference 2024’ Recent articles and reports of interest Members Survey 2024 Pugwash Forum Mailing List Annual Membership Webinar invitation: Prof Dan Plesch […]