Quote of the week: “An ounce of practice is worth a thousand words.” – Mahatma Gandhi Let’s face it: we arms controllers are attached to the written and spoken word. Last week’s post dealt with the words used to declare intention regarding the use of nuclear weapons. This week is about the written word. Treaties …
Archives for January 2021
North Korea’s Next Nukes
by | January 25, 2021 | No Comments
North Korea put on *another* parade, during the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Kim Jong Un dropped some fascinating details about what the DPRK has allegedly completed, and what they may be working on, including a possible nuclear submarine and intermediate-range cruise missile. Then, he paraded some new missile hardware, including a …
No Use
by | January 24, 2021 | 4 Comments
Quote of the week: “Of course I’ve got lawyers. They are like nuclear weapons, I’ve got em ’cause everyone else has. But as soon as you use them they screw everything up.” – Danny DeVito What’s the most sensible U.S. declaratory policy for the circumstances governing the possible use of nuclear weapons in a deep …
Will North Korea Test Another SLBM?
by | January 18, 2021 | No Comments
New satellite images show North Korea taking concrete steps to prepare for an underwater launch of a new, longer-range solid-fueled ballistic missile.
Joe Biden’s Turn
by | January 17, 2021 | No Comments
Lyrics of the week: “Rescue me Take me in your arms Rescue me I want your tender charm ‘Cause I’m lonely And I’m blue I need you And your love too Come on and rescue me” — Fontella Bass, “Rescue Me” “The river’s gonna rise Wash our struggles away The sun is gonna shine Shine …
Fancy Ass SWERVE
by | January 12, 2021 | No Comments
On Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time, the U.S. Air Force, in partnership with the Strategic Capabilities Office, conducted a flight test of a prototype conventionally-configured ground-launched ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. But just what the heck did the DOD actually test? Jeffrey and team turn their analytic methods …
Trump’s Black Swan Song
by | January 10, 2021 | 7 Comments
Quote of the week: “Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it.” — Macbeth, Shakespeare (with thanks, once more, to Greg Govan) Donald Trump leaves a trail of wreckage in his wide wake. The man is not well. His fear of loss has become our country’s loss. The danger he poses to our …
The Donald and The Nuclear 7: Parting Shots
by | January 8, 2021 | No Comments
Nancy Pelosi has indicated that Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has assured her that there are safeguards against an “unstable president” accessing “the launch codes” and launching a nuclear strike. Jeffrey and Aaron discuss why that is wrong (and/or illegal), what the actual launch process is, and what the political strategy …
North Korea’s Biggest ICBM Yet
by | January 5, 2021 | No Comments
Jeffrey and crew have been busy at work modelling the giant ICBM that the DPRK paraded in October 2020, as well as tracing out its possible industrial provenance. Aaron and Jeffrey talk through modelling methodologies, North Korean industrial espionage, and how to build robust public policies to account for uncertainty. For our episode on the …
