Thankfully, I have never laid eyes on plans to fight a nuclear war. The biggest advantages to not knowing these plans are that my sleep habits and powers of analysis have not been further impaired. Knowledge is usually a good thing, but knowledge of nuclear targeting plans can be a hindrance — if this material …
When the Navy Declassifies …
by | 2012-07-12 | 10 Comments
I always figured the number of Tomahawk cruise missiles in the Navy inventory was a classified number. Turns out, the Navy has been publishing the number since at least 1997. The Navy also, between 1997-2000, published the number of TLAM/N nuclear warheads. Amazing the things you learn from the defense budget.
Iran Mil Power Report
by | 2012-07-11 | 9 Comments
In April 2012, the Defense Department released another edition of the (purportedly) annual Report to Congress on the Military Power of Iran. As in 2010, I am struck by the arbitrariness of headline that has emerged. This year it is: “Iran’s Ballistic Missiles Improving.” So, that’s what the report says and it happens to be …
Resuming SLCM Data Exchanges
by | 2012-07-10 | 11 Comments
I was in DC briefly this week to participate in a workshop hosted by the Carnegie Endowment. James Acton asked me to propose a US-Russia confidence-building measure, which offered the welcome opportunity to make a suggestion I’ve been kicking around for awhile: The United States and Russia should resume the data exchanges on deployed nuclear-armed sea-launched …
