Congress has mandated that the next administration complete a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) by early 2010. Senators McCain and Obama have both indicated support for nuclear reductions consistent with sustaining deterrence, and there is growing bipartisan support for a serious reexamination of U.S. nuclear weapons policy along these lines. But many conservatives are not on …
Greetings from Shanghai
by | 2008-10-20 | 1 Comment
I am in Shanghai, attending the Stanley Foundation’s US-China Regional Dialogue on Nuclear Disarmament and Nonproliferation here at Fudan University. This is part of a two-week tour of China that will include Beijing and Qingdao. I should be able to blog pretty regularly. In addition, James has promised to resume posting and I’ve lined up …
Be Careful What You Wish For
by | 2008-10-20 | 2 Comments
By all accounts, the US has succeeded in getting North Korea to agree to inspections at undeclared facilities as part of the verification process—another impressive diplomatic victory for Chris Hill. There’s little prospect the US will try to use this provision imminently as it appears to have agreed to a “plutonium first” approach. But, when …
DF-21 Delta aka CSS-5 Mod 4
by | 2008-10-14 | 28 Comments
I am fascinated by China’s development of conventionally-armed ballistic missiles, particularly the development of a conventionally-armed DF-21 variant, the DF-21C (pictured above, it seems). I recently read an article in Defense News by Wendell Minnick on conventionally-armed DF-21s and the threat to US carriers. It’s a good article. One observation, though — the author and …
