Avatar photoOff to Beijing (and Mianyang)!

Hey folks. Posting may be a little light over the next couple of days. Jane is still settling in at Hahvahd, and me … well … I am heading off to Beijing and Mianyang for two weeks. (The picture is from my last trip. The tiny speck of blue in the back is my friend …

Avatar photoThe Great Algerian Nuclear Weapons Scare

The National Security Archive has published an essay, as well as declassified documents, describing the 1991 crisis that ensued after the discovery that Algeria was constructing an unsafeguarded nuclear reactor: The Algerian situation is an example of the complexities and difficulties of nuclear weapons intelligence. Questions about the capabilities and intentions of potential members of …

Avatar photoDisablement, Revisited

Looks like we are starting to get a sense of what “disablement” of the Yongbyon reactor might mean. Chris Hill explains that a US team will visit Yongbyon to conduct a site survey, and hints at some of the disablement measures: AMBASSADOR HILL: Well, I think this invitation grew out of the visit, the meeting, …

Avatar photoOrg Theory and the Barksdale Bombs

I do not find compelling the speculation, suggested by Larry Johnson and others, that the nuclear-armed Advanced Cruise Missiles that mistakenly ended up at Barksdale Air Force Base were being staged for an attack on Iran. Pilots, crews and all those associated with handling nuclear weapons do make mistakes, as a casual reading of Scott …