All Good Things…
…must eventually come to an end. I have enjoyed writing for ArmsContolWonk.com very much and it has been one of the more satisfying professional experiences I have had. Unfortunately, at least for me, this post will be my last. I…
Geoff Forden
Writing on ACW 2008–2010 · 142 posts
Dr. Forden has been at MIT since 2000 where his research includes the analysis of Russian and Chinese space systems as well as trying to understand how proliferators acquire the know-how and industrial infrastructure to produce weapons of mass destruction.
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DF-21 Delta: Some Early Thoughts
The so-called DF-21D is much in the news recently, mostly because it hasn’t shown up yet. It is reputed to be the anti-ship version of China’s short-range workhorse, the DF-21. (China uses some version or other of the DF-21 for…
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Hangzhou Light Show
Something interesting apparently happened last Wednesday (7/7/2010) in the skies over Hangzhou, China. As regular Wonk-readers will quickly agree, trying to extract reliable information from regular media reports is difficult at best. Unfortunately, almost all the news reports of this…
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Ill-Fated KSLV 1
This morning’s news reports indicate that, once again, South Korea has failed to put a satellite into orbit. Some might wonder why we discuss this issue on ACW. However, it makes a very interesting case study for how countries acquire…
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Iranian Warhead Evolution
The family of Shahab-3 warhead variants as compiled by Tal Inbar and Uzi Rubin. The NRV, the New Reentry Vehicle, is shown on the right. Note it’s a triconic design but with a larger base diameter than the Ghadr-1 warhead.…
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Now It Can Be Told: Inside BOB
(posted at 2:01 GMT 4 June 2010) One of the great things about writing for the Wonk is that people tell you things, including what’s inside what has been called here the “Big Odd Box” in Burma. Last January, I…
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Video of Naro-1’s August 2009 Failure
A portion of the Naro-1’s payload can be seen in the low right hand corner of this frame of the payload rocketcam. Half of the clam shell nose fairing remains in the left half of the image. Today’s techno-wonk exploration…
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X37B Orbit Found, Mystery Remains
click on the image for a larger version You gotta’ love amateur satellite observers. They spend hours glued to their telescopes, binoculars, and/or video cameras for the shear joy of seeing a man made object cross the sky. Their latest…
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BMD Hearts Lewis and Postol
Direct hit is like bowling—if you do not hit the pocket exactly, then many pins will continue to stand” Dr. Hans Mark, as quoted by Richard Lloyd in “Physics of Direct Hit and Near Miss Warhead Technology”, p. 12. For…
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CBMs Gone Wild
If confidence building measures (CBM) were people, the TRR refueling deal would be a college student partying it up in Cancun, complete with all the risky behavior usually associated with that lifestyle. Why didn’t the West simply say, “Thanks, but…