Arms Control Wonk

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CAMBONE WATCH #2

The New York Times reports that the Schlesinger Panel interviewed six people, including Cambone Maj. Gen. Donald Ryder, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, “and three others.” Britain’s Sunday Telegraph reported that four confidential Red Cross documents implicating senior Pentagon civilians in…

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Hobson Smacks Back Bush Nuclear Initiatives

Representative David Hobson (R-OH), chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee, eliminated almost $100 million worth of nuclear weapons related spending in the FY 2005 Appropriations Bill including: $27.6 million for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, $ 9.0…

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Proliferation Security Initiative: Less than Meets the Eye?

Michael Roston makes the case that the Bush Administration is exaggerating the impact of the Proliferation Security Initiative, an effort to encourage states to develop national capabilities to WMD-related shipments. Bush, John Bolton and David Kay have all, Michael argues,…

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Chinese direct ascent ASAT

“China is believed to be conducting research and development on a direct-ascent ASAT system that could be fielded in the 2005-2010 timeframe.” Well that sounds very serious, but is it true? The statement, which comes from the 2003 edition of…

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Lies, damn lies and statistics: Reagan and the Cold War

The American Forces Press Service published a Reagan retrospective, entitled “Reagan’s National Security Policy Targeted Soviet Threat”, that closes with this comment: History shows that 1980s Soviet military expenditures made in an attempt to keep up with the Americans eventually…

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Cock blocked by the KGB

1973. The Soviet Ambassador calls the National Security Advisor. What major crisis dominates their conversation? Just read it. Read this one, too. Now, Dmitry.

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Open Skies

The Russian Federation and Republic of Belarus will conduct their first Open Skies Treaty observation mission over the territory of the United States this week (The Russians have conducted some other missions prior to entry-into-force). The treaty, which entered into…

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Canadian Space Surveillance

The National Post reports that the Canadian Department of National Defence is conducting a $65-million program, Project sapphire, to join the United States Space Surveillance Network. Canada will launch “a satellite with an optical sensor to look at objects in…

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Space-Based Laser in the Black Budget?

Just when you thought the space-based laser was dead … the Canadian Department of National Defence reveals that it believes the program has gone black to hide it from scrutiny. Last year, MDA closed its Space-based Laser (SBL) program office…