Avatar photoFrom Russia, With MIRVs

The Bush Adminstration has said, time and time again, that the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, or SORT, more commonly known as the Moscow Treaty, shows that relations with Russia are just fine. This came up, naturally, in the context of the Bush administration’s withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, which prohibited nationwide missile defenses. …

Avatar photoWelcome Stephen Young

Sorry for the light blogging this week. So, the deal is: I am off to Hawaii to marry off a friend. That—and the fact that the lovely other wishes for a tranquil vacation in Hawaii—conspires to deprive you of my blogging services. In my stead, welcome Stephen Young (left) of the Union of Concerned Scientists. …

Avatar photoRussian Subs Just Don't Patrol Like They Used To

Hans Kristensen has pieced together a history of Russian nuclear submarine patrols over 1981-2004: The Russian nuclear submarine force is far less active than during the Cold War. Since 1984, according to information obtained from the U.S. Navy, the annual number of extended patrols performed by strategic nuclear submarines and nuclear-powered attack submarines has dropped …

Avatar photoHow Far is Iran From A Bomb?

Dafna Linzer has a long article in the Washington Post describing a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) placing an Iranian bomb a decade or so away: A major U.S. intelligence review has projected that Iran is about a decade away from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly doubling the previous estimate of …