ABSTRACT
Before commencing a detailed study of America’s nuclear weapons policy it is necessary to outline the agencies and organisations involved. The primary centres of policy-making are the White House, the Department of Defense (DOD), the armed services, the Department of Energy (DOE), and Congress. The national security policy-making process can be usefully conceived as a number of policy rings in which a range of individuals, organisations and agencies are situated.1 This applies equally to nuclear weapons policy.
