Arms Control Wonk

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DF-31 is NOT deployed, got that?

Bill Gertz, reporting with Rowan Scarborough in his latest Inside the Ring column, states: China has deployed a brigade of up to eight new road-mobile DF-31 long-range missiles. That’s the latest assessment from the authoritative International Institute for Strategic Studies…

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Saving Space Based Interceptors?

Zapping Space-Based Interceptors? Not so fast. MDA Director Henry “Trey” Obering wants to keep as many missile defense programs alive as possible, including programs for space-based missile defense interceptors, despite looming budget cuts. With the Missile Defense Agency facing a…

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How Many Chinese Nuclear Weapons Redux 3

The Chinese government has now made a little noticed step toward nuclear transparency. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in April 2004, released a fact sheet entitled China: Nuclear Disarmament and Reduction … that states: Among the nuclear-weapon states, China has performed…

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William Arkin's Code Names

Bill Arkin has published a new book, Code Names: Deciphering U.S. Military Plans, Programs and Operations in the 9/11 World that “identifies more than 3,000 code names and details the plans and missions for which they stand.” General Charles Horner,…

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A Note to Readers, Updated

I started ArmsControlWonk.com in March 2004 for inchoate reasons. Over time, I’ve constructed an elaborate post-hoc rationalization for the site focusing on four goals: To report items of interest that wouldn’t make it into the New York Times, Place arms…

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Upcoming Military Space Launches of Concern, Redux

In May 2004, I blogged about three upcoming launches of concern: XSS-11, NFIRE and a classified Air Force payload. At least two, and possibly all three, have been delayed. Here is an update. Experimental Spacecraft System (XSS)-11. The successor to…

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Grilling Bodman

Whereas Condi’s confirmation hearing was largely theater (16-2), the upcoming confirmation hearing for Secretary of Energy nominee Samuel Bodman (right) offers a real opportunity to resolve an enigma for Senate Democrats. Bodman is a chemical engineer with no background in…

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The Japanese Made Us Do It

Lest we forget: Hiroshima Peace Memorial (source) Does the United States need the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP)—a new 1 MT bunker busting nuclear weapon? After dueling op-eds on that question and the future of the nuclear deterrent by Frank…

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Zhao Ziyang, 1921-2005

Zhao announced China would no longer support proliferation during a toast. Xinhua confirms. The obituaries will focus on Zhao’s support for domestic political reform in China as Premier (1980-1987) and General Secretary of the CCP (1987-1989). As premier, Zhao also…