I thought I’d try an experiment in blogging: a five part series going into the details of Iran’s liquid-propellant missile development program; something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. (The over-all title of the series is “Scaling Up the…
Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) gave an outstanding talk to a roundtable I co-hosted this morning at the Center for American Progress, my home institution, to mark the release of a study by Joe Cirincione and me, Orienting the 2009 Nuclear…
How about when half of it is liquid propellants? How about when it includes all of the deadweight—fuel tanks, turbopumps, and engines—associated with liquid propellant engines? How about when it makes no attempt to solve one of the major problems…
I’ve now gotten several emails asking who was the inspiration for the Cold War Troglodyte. One writer wondered if it was an amalgam of Keir Lieber and Daryl Press. Another thought maybe Ward Wilson. This is ridiculous. Given that Press…
I have just returned from Berlin where I attended a meeting at the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung. The meeting discussed a forthcoming report on the future of nuclear weapons in Europe. Specifically, it discussed whether now is the time to have a…
There is much talk these days about the need for the United States to reengage Russia’s leadership in a strategic dialogue. But would Russia speak with one voice? We’re already familiar with this basic problem because it has dogged the…
During a recent conference, where I was subjected to what I considered some knuckle-dragging commentary on deterrence, I created a fictional character that I called The Cold War Troglodyte, pictured above. Well, turn-about is fair play. I will be giving…
I love my job. You probably noticed that the Iranians tested what Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar reportedly claimed is a two-stage, solid-fueled missile with a 1,200 mi range the other day. (Naijar gives an interview in the video, but…
Reader Allen Thomson sends along this image of the AlKibar dated 23 November 2007 showing an apparently thick slab of concrete over the remains of the BoE and one or two construction cranes erected on it. Credit:GeoEye/Space Imaging Middle East…
Reinvigorating the Air Force Nuclear Enterprise by the Air Force Nuclear Task Force (24 October 2008) reveals the names of several more NSPDs relating to nuclear weapons: National Security Presidential Directive-3, Defense Strategy, Force Structure, and Procurement, 15 February 2001…
