Writing on ACW 2004–2026 · 2,079 posts
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Defense News asked Former MDA Director Ron Kadish “What do you tell critics who say this [missile defense] system will not be effective?” Kadish demurred, saying “I can give answers, and very-well calculated and technical answers, about the effectiveness of…
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Slightly off topic today, but a friend alerted me to a New York Times Magazine feature that used the idiotic xenophobia of my hometown — Pekin, IL — to illustrate the pervasive impact of globalization: China used to be far…
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After some digging around, I’ve learned that the brackets around the 68.0 M for NFIRE in the Senate Appropriations Committee Report mean the funding has been preserved, setting up a fight in conference. Even an old wonk can learn new…
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Looks like the Bush Administration has identified the “stockpile problem” to justify a resumption of nuclear testing. You may remember the reassuring speech delivered by National Nuclear Security Administrator Linton Brooks to defend, among other items, the President’s proposal to…
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Two space-based missile defense items, today. NEAR FIELD INFRARED EXPERIMENT Theresa Hitchens noticed an interesting choice of words in the letter that the White House sent to the Senate Appropriations complaining about various recissions in the Defense Appropriations report. You…
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Anybody remember the “Department of Peace” proposal? Representative Dennis Kucinich (R-OH) has proposed legislation to create a DOP; Conservatives ridicule the idea. Even my fellow Democrats in Washington react to the idea with a mixture of derision and embarrassment; One…
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Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have killed NFIRE. Guess I don’t need to finish my NFIRE Fact Sheet. If you want to see the cuts yourself … House Appropriations Committe Report, page 332, line 71.Senate Appropriations Committe Report,…
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Russia completed ratification of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty on June 25, Defense News reports. The ratification is welcome news, but it comes amid a troubling political context. Russia is concerned about the expansion of NATO into the…
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The United States has dropped its effort to secure a Security Council exemption for U.S. forces under the ICC, after a revised resolution circulated Tuesday night failed to garner sufficient support. James Cunningham, U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., told…
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Emerald City — That is what some in the Washington Post newsroom are calling Baghdad’s “Green Zone.” This and other fascinating tidbits emerged at the 2004 Carnegie International Non-Proliferation Conference. There is a bunch of stuff that I need to…
