Category: russia

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Aftergood Catches ODNI Being Lazy

I failed to mention that Steven Aftergood caught ODNI passing off flimsy Russian news accounts as intelligence regarding Russian counterspace capabilities: Some of the DNI’s statements are surprisingly flimsy. For example, he declares (question 17) that “In 2003, the Russian…

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CTBT Scope Note

I’ve been meaning to write something about the scope of the CTBT — this ongoing debate about whether the Russians believe so-called hydronuclear tests are permitted under the treaty I don’t find compelling the evidence that Russia has a different…

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START Follow-on Roundup

Just a quick wrap-up on our coverage of Obama’s trip to Moscow, including the the Joint Understanding for the START Follow-on Treaty: 1. My take on the START Follow-on, 2. Josh Pollack’s take on the companion Joint Statement on Missile…

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Joint Understanding US Full Text

I think lots of people have copies now of the English version of the Joint Understanding — though NSC has not responded to my email request. Harumph. Here it is: JOINT UNDERSTANDING The President of the United States of America…

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START Joint Understanding

Yesterday, I wondered if the White House fact sheet on the START Follow-on was not the Joint Understanding itself. Sometimes, of course, the press flacks just slap “fact sheet” on something and send it out the door. In this case,…

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Follow on to START

Well, we have a Joint Understanding for the START Follow-on Treaty. I observe that Reuters, in one of those irritating self indulgent news analysis pieces, frames the question “Spin or Deep Cut?” (The article, by Guy Faulconbridge is actually pretty…

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Gormley on PRTBs

I meant to add that Richard Clarke’s most recent book, Your Government Failed You has a fantastic account about tracking Russian nuclear weapons deployments. The story, which involves the great Dennis Gormley, centers on Soviet units called “Mobile Technical Rocket…

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START: Dead Treaty Walking

Josh Meyer in the Los Angeles Times has an excellent article about the potential casualties of the Russia-Georgia conflict — including the START Treaty. Some high-level meetings have been postponed indefinitely, including a trip to Russia by John Rood, the…

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More SS-sumthin' Pics

Hey folks! So much missile stuff lately — the National Academies has released its final report on conventonal prompt global strike and Iran claims to have launched a two stage missile (The Taepo-hab?). I am in Ithaca attending a technical…

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Did Russia Fire SS-26s at Georgia?

Update: It has become clear to me that the Iskander is a modified SS-26 that should have a different SS-number. See the testimony of DIA Director Maples. Anya Loukianova, blogging at Total Wonkerr observes that the Georgian Interior Ministry claims…