Talking frankly about nukes

August 1, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized · Comment

Ares has a very interesting report on a recent symposium held by the US STRATCOM on matters of nuclear deterrence. The real value of the meeting was at the number of foreign experts involved, and the wide variety of doctrines and ideas expressed:

With the understandable exceptions of Iran and Korea, every nuclear power in the world was represented at the symposium. Speakers and delegates included the Catholic archbishop of Baltimore and arms-control advocates, senior US and non-US officers (including the UK’s First Sea Lord, Adm Sir Mark Stanhope), and an array of nuclear scientists and engineers including the "retirement-flunking" Dr John Foster, who started his career in electronic warfare with the US Army Air Force in 1943. Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak said it was "the only two-day sumposium where I never wanted to miss a single panel."

Major media covered the event heavily, if by major media you mean me, the Omaha World-Herald, the National Catholic Reporter and an arms-control website. But NBC nailed an interview with Michael Jackson’s chef on Thursday morning, so it’s all good.

Lots of very interesting doctrinal material in the report; a must-read.

Tags: nuclear weapons

Rafale carrier ops

July 31, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized · Comment

Via ELP.

Tags: France, Rafale

USN cancels ASDS mini-sub

July 30, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized · Comment

Via Kobus:

The U.S. Special Operations Command has canceled its mini-submarine program, a project designed to deliver Navy commando s close to their target and protect them on the way.

Northrop Grumman’s Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) hit numerous hurdles since it was conceived in the late 1990s. The latest, in November, was a fire that burned for six hours while the sub’s batteries were charging at a Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, shipyard.

Tags: ASDS, USN

How the F-22 was axed

July 27, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized · Comment

images Politics as usual. A rather self-patting recount by the very newspaper that contributed to the result with its reporting of alleged RAM problems:

It was a dogfight almost to the end over $1.75 billion and the need to remake military readiness. Threats and promises, blunt talk and grand gestures — all were deployed to support an appeal to common sense and for urgent change, according to principals involved. The White House coordinated the ultimately successful vote-wrangling, and its specific tactics may show up again in another epic battle now unfolding: getting Congress to draft and pass health-care reform.

Tags: F-22, US