Representative David Hobson (R-OH), chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee, eliminated almost $100 million worth of nuclear weapons related spending in the FY 2005 Appropriations Bill including: $27.6 million for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, $ 9.0 million for research into low-yield nuclear warheads, $29.8 million for the Modern Pit Facility, and …
Proliferation Security Initiative: Less than Meets the Eye?
by | 2004-06-11 | No Comments
Michael Roston makes the case that the Bush Administration is exaggerating the impact of the Proliferation Security Initiative, an effort to encourage states to develop national capabilities to WMD-related shipments. Bush, John Bolton and David Kay have all, Michael argues, have promoted the idea that one PSI interdiction in the Mediterranean, in which a German …
Chinese direct ascent ASAT
by | 2004-06-10 | No Comments
“China is believed to be conducting research and development on a direct-ascent ASAT system that could be fielded in the 2005-2010 timeframe.” Well that sounds very serious, but is it true? The statement, which comes from the 2003 edition of Chinese Military Power, is sometimes cited as a sign of impending Chinese ASAT capabilities. But …
Lies, damn lies and statistics: Reagan and the Cold War
by | 2004-06-09 | No Comments
The American Forces Press Service published a Reagan retrospective, entitled “Reagan/’s National Security Policy Targeted Soviet Threat”, that closes with this comment: History shows that 1980s Soviet military expenditures made in an attempt to keep up with the Americans eventually broke their bank. In 1989, within a year after Reagan had left office, the Berlin …
