Back in April, I asked how the Ground-based Midcourse Defense might be adapted in response to North Korea’s nascent (or embryonic) ICBM force. Thanks to Steven Aftergood of FAS, we now have the official answer. It’s included in the replies to Questions for the Record (QFRs) from a November 2011 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee. The hearing volume and …
Reciprocal Unilateral Measures
by | 2012-08-28 | 31 Comments
“Reciprocal unilateral measures” is not my favorite phrase, despite my rather considerable affection for some of the people who have made use of it. There is nothing wrong with the concept, mind you, but RUMs? Ugh. The term is back in our discourse, thanks to the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board (ISAB), which has …
Small Change or Big Investment?
by | 2012-08-24 | 3 Comments
Last Sunday, the Washington Post ran my op-ed suggesting that the United States pursue a space Code of Conduct with Beijing, not only to foster norms relating to debris mitigation, space traffic management and purposeful, harmful interference, but also as a door opener for U.S.-China strategic cooperation. This could be a “SALT moment” for Washington …
Deterring Syria’s CW
by | 2012-08-21 | 30 Comments
A minor miracle the other day. U.S. President Barack Obama drew a “red line” concerning Syria’s chemical weapons. Everyone understood what he meant. No one thought he was threatening to nuke Syria. Hallelujah!
