Open Silos
As many of you know, the latest annual China Military Power Report produced by the U.S. Department of Defense for Congress came out last week. The reports contains quite a few interesting tidbits, but I spotted one thing that really…
2018
117 posts
From Here to Eternity: Hans Morgenthau on the Bomb
Quote of the week: “Nuclear destruction destroys the meaning of death by depriving it of its individuality.” — Hans Morgenthau Hans Morganthau was part of a wave of intellectuals who found refuge in the United States as Europe was coming…
South Korean Missile Tracking
In today’s podcast, Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the geolocation work that underpinned Jeffrey’s research for his novel and how open source investigations can be leveraged to inform analysis. Links of Note: Previous Arms Control Wonk Podcast episodes on South Korea’s…
The Perils of Small-Group Thinking
Quote of the week: “I have nowhere to go and nowhere to go when I get back from there.” — A.R. Ammons, “Still” Creativity can be a singular expression or can be nurtured in small groups. The longer the workplace…
KCN-eh? July’s other North Korea Developments
It’s a family pod today! Andrea, Aaron, and Jeffrey review July’s new North Korean developments. They dive into the developments at Sohae Satellite Launching Grounds, sanctions enforcement, and the repatriation of POW/KIA remains from the Korean War. Links of Note:…
On the 73rd Anniversary of Hiroshima
The imprint on public consciousness of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which occurred 73 years ago today, has faded greatly. The hibakusha, or survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 130,000 and left tens…
North Korea’s Continuing Missile Production
Ellen Nakashima and Joby Warrick have a bombshell story about North Korea producing one, possible two, Hwasong-15 ICBMs at its Sanumdong facility. Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the role that MIIS and open source played in corroborating the report. This episode…
Tom Schelling, Mini-Nukes and the Nuclear Taboo
Quote of the week: “The most spectacular event of the past half century is one that did not occur. We have enjoyed sixty years without nuclear weapons exploded in anger. What a stunning achievement – or, if not achievement, what…
Recent Activity at Nampo
My colleagues Catherine Dill, Cameron Trainer and I were reminded when looking at satellite imagery of Nampo, taken yesterday morning, that North Korea’s evasive tactics are successfully keeping the country’s coal and iron exporters in business. Prior to being sanctioned by the UN,…
Increasingly Tenuous Strategic Stability
Quote of the week: “Strongman politics are ascendant … whereby elections and some pretense of democracy are maintained—the form of it—but those in power seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning.” — Barack Obama’s July 17,…
