Avatar photoW-76, Nuclear Testing and the Reliable Replacement Warhead Program

Bill Broad writes in the New York Times about a “fierce debate among experts inside and outside the government over [the W-76 nuclear warhead’s] reliability and its place in the nuclear arsenal.” Broad’s story builds on John Fleck’s excellent reporting for the Albuquerque Journal about a March 2004 meeting where “nuclear weapons experts” suggested the …

Avatar photoKissinger Undergoes Heart Procedure

I am just shocked he has one.

Avatar photoA Financial Link in that AQ Khan-North Korea-Libya UF6 Daisy Chain?

David Sanger and Bill Broad have a summary of the North Korea UF6 story based on recent interviews with administration officials and foreign diplomats. The big revelation: Libyan officials have surrendered financial ledgers that reveal front companies for the AQ Khan network and may link North Korea directly to the shipment of UF6 that turned …

Avatar photoMDA R2s: Initial Reactions

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has released its Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) Budget Estimate Overview, complete with descriptive summaries (R2s for those in the know). The R2s provide some answers to our questions: Why did classified MDA spending jump by nearly $200 M, from $159.9 M to $349.5 M? STSS Block 2010 money probably went …