The House Energy and Water Subcommittee has again denied funding for the RRW in the FY09 Appropriations bill: Last year, the Administration proposed the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) as the first of a new generation of nuclear warheads. The Administration promotes the advantages of a new design offering better surety, better reliability, and lower yield, …
Le Livre Blanc Est Ici
by | 2008-06-18 | 13 Comments
Bonjour, mes amis. Somewhat delayed, the French White Paper on defence has been published this morning. Note the English version is “simplified”. The original is much longer and beyond my schoolboy French. If any ACW reader would like to read the original and highlight key differences I will award them the Order of the Wonk …
The Politics of Saber-Rattling
by | 2008-06-17 | 4 Comments
President Bush apparently convinced European leaders to support additional sanctions against Iran during his farewell tour of Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for example, said that “one cannot exclude another round of sanctions.” Bank Melli and other Iranian financial institutions would be the main targets. That’s good news, but the difficulties inherent in sustaining this …
Pakistani Design In Switzerland
by | 2008-06-17 | 9 Comments
Greetings from Beijing We now have David Albright’s essay on the advanced nuclear weapons design, as well as stories in the New York Times and Washington Post. (David Sanger, Nuclear Ring Reportedly Had Advanced Weapon, June 15, 2008; David Sanger and Bill Broad, Officials Fear Bomb Design Went to Others, June 16, 2008; Joby Warrick, …
