Years

2009

377 posts

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The Vienna-New York Two-Step

[Update. I’ve come to the conclusion that the first third of this post is in error, alas. I continue to differ with the view of the New York Times that the resolution is “largely symbolic” — so far, it looks…

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You know it was the 1980s because …

In 1986, Time Magazine hosted a conference in Washington on the Strategic Defense Initiative. You know it is the 1980s because a news magazine was hosting a conference on nuclear weapons. The images from the conference, by the way, are…

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The Blue and Yellow Bomb (part 2)

Many things remain unknown about Sweden’s nuclear programme, especially why it was suddenly discontinued. It is interesting to note, of course, that the US intelligence community estimated that Sweden was on its way to the weapon up until 1964. Later…

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McGeorge Bundy

‘Tis the season for giving thanks – at least for U.S. readers of ACW. One of the many things I am thankful for is the opportunity to have had conversations about arms control with McGeorge Bundy. He was one of…

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China's Noisy New Boomer

This has taken me a couple of days to get to, but Hans Kristensen penned a nice post (China’s Noisy Nuclear Submarines) about China’s new Type 094 ballistic missile submarine, based on an Office of Naval Intelligence document entitled The…

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Safir Fin, Trajectory & Staging Details

click on the image for a larger version Iran’s satellite launch pad position and orientation as determined in Jane’s Intelligence Review (G. Forden, “Smoke and Mirrors: Analyzing the Iranian Missile Test, April 2008, pp. 47-51). The actual image overlay has…

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The Problem of Redundancy Problem

Michael Krepon, in both his recent ACW article and in the Stimson Center Occasional Paper on the 1990 Indo-Pak crisis , does a thorough job of discussing the problems associated with some the conclusions raised in Seymour Hersh’s past investigative…

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JASON LEP Study

Warhead replacement is dead. Or it should be. Several of us have been eagerly awaiting the release of the JASON report on Life Extension Programs, which reportedly concluded that Life Extension was preferred to warhead replacement. It’s here. Arms Control…

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Sy Hersh and Pakistan’s Nukes

Seymour Hersh deserves every one of many awards for investigative journalism he has received, but not for his reporting on Pakistan, where his sourcing is weak and his conclusions are suspect. Hersh’s latest, Defending the Arsenal, Can Pakistan’s nuclear weapons…