Years

2021

82 posts

Episode18 min

Israeli Rocket Motor Test

On April 20, an Israeli twitter user posted a video of a large smoky cloud to his Twitter account with the comment “A mysterious explosion in northern Israel.” Jeffrey and his team tracked down the “mysterious explosion,” identifying it as…

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Another Book on the Cuban Missile Crisis

Quotes of the week: “He just beat the hell out of me.” – John F. Kennedy after his summit meeting with Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna “It was as if you were sitting in an iron barrel that was being beaten…

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In Appreciation of Vartan Gregorian

Quotes of the week: “Dignity is not negotiable.” “In our democratic society, the library stands for hope, for learning, for progress, for literacy, for self-improvement and for civic engagement. The library is a symbol of opportunity, citizenship, equality, freedom of…

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Israeli Rocket Motor Test

You might have seen reports this week that there was a large explosion at an Israeli missile facility.  There wasn’t an explosion.  It was a routine test of a solid-rocket motor. Here’s the deal. On April 20, an Israeli twitter…

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Chauncey Gardiner Makes Another Appearance

Verse of the week: “To the garden of the world anew descending, Potent mates, daughters, sons, preluding, The love, the life of their bodies, meaning and being, Curious here behold my resurrection after slumber, The revolving cycles in their wide…

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A boat only a missile could love

Now that we are all looking at Sinpo for signs of further activity involving the TULP (Towed Underwater Launch Platform) and the collocated floating drydock at the semi-refurbished construction hall, I wanted to bring your attention to an interesting vessel…

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DPRK Moves Launch Barge

Dave Schmerler and I observe that North Korea just moved the launch barge it keeps at the Sinpo South Shipyard to test submarine-launched ballistic missiles. On April 6, North Korean towed the barge from the secure boat basin where it…

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Multiple Choice Quiz

Quotes of the week: “Changes in technology…are eroding the foundations of nuclear deterrence.” – Keir Lieber and Daryl Press, “The New Era of Counterforce” “A powerful taboo against the use of nuclear weapons has developed in the global system” —…

Episode43 min

A Tale of Two Launches

North Korea has been active the past few weeks, launching a set of cruise missiles (probably just coastal defense systems) and a separate set of ballistic missiles (which look like stretched KN23 short-range ballistic missiles) a few days later. But…