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. …
Russian 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 …
How 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 …
ROK Intel on North Korean Nukes
South Korea National Intelligence Service (NIS) HQ Both Jeffrey and I have written before, about whether North Korea has a deliverable nuclear weapon. Just to provide another data point, ROK intelligence reportedly assessed in February that Seoul’s northern neighbor may have nuclear devices, but probably can’t deliver them because they’re too heavy. The relevant excerpt: …
