Avatar photoIraq: No Large-Scale Chemical Warfare Efforts Since Early 1990s

No kidding. Arm Chair Generalist, a promising progressive international security blog, beats me to this one: The LA Times reports that the CIA has released a classified document noting that Baghdad abandoned its chemical weapons program in 1991 and “Iraq probably did not pursue chemical warfare efforts after 1991.” This report, dated January 18, is …

Avatar photoRNEP Returns

Post-test B61-11 mock-up (source) The Washington Post is reporting the the FY2006 budget due out in a few days will request $10.3 million to restart study of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP)— a “bunker busting” nuclear weapon. The RNEP would convert existing B61 or B83 nuclear bombs to an earth penetrator configuration, replacing the …

Avatar photoElBaradei in the News

Tom Hundley, foreign correspondant for the Chicago Tribune, extensively quotes former US U.S. ambassador to UN organizations in Vienna John Rich in defense of Mohamed ElBaradei: “ElBaradei is exactly the kind of person you would want in the role—someone from a developing country who has a Western intellect but a Third World sensitivity,” said John …

Avatar photoWhirledview: A New Blog of Note

Cheryl Rofer over at Whirledview, a nice blog maintained by three persons with excellent national security bona fides, has a sensible post about dropping the total U.S. nuclear arsenal to a few hundred deployed warheads. Check it out. I would only quibble with Rofer’s mention that China “holds about 400 nuclear weapons.” As I’ve said, …