A couple of weeks ago, I complained that the Los Angeles Times‘s Ralph Vartabedian wrote a misleading story on the W76-1 stockpile life extension program (W76 Problems Seem Overblown, June 3, 2009). Bascially, Vartabedian used a relatively minor delay in the delivery of a “classified part” — the arming, firing and fuzing (AF&F) system — …
Best One-Liners About the Bomb
by | 2009-06-25 | 53 Comments
This shoe box entry could benefit greatly from reader participation. I have three great one-liners about the quest for the Bomb in my 4×6 card collection. My definition of a one-liner is different from Henny Youngman. (Am I showing my age and nationality? Sample Henny Youngman one-liner: “The food on the plane was fit for …
HASC Language on Stockpile Management
by | 2009-06-23 | 18 Comments
The House Armed Services Committee defense authorization bill contains language that would repeal language creating the RRW program in favor of a “stockpile management program.” I notice that the term of art is management, not modernization, although I wouldn’t object to latter word if the effort was confined to the purposes established in the language: …
UK Trident Yield
by | 2009-06-22 | 23 Comments
Back in January 2008, Michael Bilton in the Sunday Times had a very interesting article on the UK Trident force that I somehow missed. Sort of a UK-version of Doug Waller’s excellent, Big Red. The most intriguing part, to me, is the suggestion that the UK warheads have variable yields. Previously, UK officials had indicated …
