Current Events

Blunt arrows: the limited utility of ASATs by Dwayne Day Excerpt from The Space Review Monday, June 6, 2005 Last week in The Space Review Mark Listner wrote about the Outer Space Treaty and anti-satellite weapons (ASATs): “Although technically the treaty does not allow these types of weapons (considering the ban on military activities), the fact is that these have been under development at times in the past, and may be so today.” (See “It’s time to rethink international space law”, May 31, 2005) This is false. The Outer Space Treaty places no limits on anti-satellite weapons and never has. During the Cold War neither superpower actively sought an international …

From The Virginian-Pilot Nuclear ships: Millions to build, and now millions to trash By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot © July 4, 2007 For more than two decades, the Hyman G. Rickover plied the North Atlantic and other oceans, stealthily traveling the equivalent of 26 times around the world. The nuclear-powered sub and its crew of 160 sailors packed torpedoes and missiles to help keep Cold War foes in check and support ground troops in the war on terror. The Rickover will soon face its demise when it is shredded into millions of pounds of recyclable steel and lead, plus lesser bundles of aluminum, brass, bronze, copper and zinc. Only its radioactive “hea…

This month's issue of Foreign Affairs has several thought provoking articles that you may want to check out, including: The Logic of Zero, Toward a World Without Nuclear Weapons, by Ivo Daalder and Jan Lodal Summary: Washington must lead the way to a world without nuclear weapons. The first step will be dramatically limiting the U.S. nuclear arsenal's declared size and purpose.

2014 NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index released (Nuclear Threat Initiative)

From Defense Aerospace DRS Technologies to Develop Shaftless Propulsion Technology for Next-Generation Nuclear Submarine Design (Source: DRS Technologies, Inc.; issued June 28, 2005) PARSIPPANY, N.J. --- DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today that it was awarded a new $30 million contract, including options, to develop advanced shaftless propulsion technology for a next-generation U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine design study under the Tango Bravo program. Tango Bravo is a joint effort established by the U.S. Navy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Advanced Technology Office (ATO), in Arlington, Virginia, to develop a demonstrati…

The March 2007 issue of Proceedings contains Eric Wertheim's article "World Navies in Review". You can find it here.

From Stratfor The Maneuvering Before the Storm: Second Quarter Forecast 2007 The second quarter of 2007 will brim with fury and froth as two states attempt to challenge the geopolitical order imposed by others to stem their expansion, in hopes of regaining their long-lost position as major powers. Throughout the quarter, these two states will seek a louder voice and a stronger hand. The real conflicts, however, will come later. For the first country -- Iran -- the more aggressive tone is part and parcel of the diplomatic dance with the United States. Both countries realize that their ideal for Iraq -- unified and pro-American for Washington, unified and pro-Ir…

JFCOM releases study on future threats By John T. Bennett - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Dec 4, 2008 15:49:23 EST A new U.S. Joint Forces Command planning document offers insights into planning for irregular conflicts, urges long-promised acquisition reform, and outlines potential threats and enemies. Released Thursday, the “Joint Operating Environment” document is a “historically informed, forward-looking effort to discern most accurately the challenges we will face at the operational level of war, and to determine their inherent implications,” Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, JFCOM commander, writes in its foreword. “Its purpose is not to predict, but to s…

Fleet Battle School: Innovative Ideas through Wargaming (CIMSEC)

Source: http://personal.inet.fi/cool/foxfour/sovmis/sovmis-ss.html http://www.nti.org/db/nisprofs/russia/expo...eral/expmsl.htm http://www.missilethreat.com/missiles/ss-26_russia.html

In light of Lt Col Petrov's recent Dresden Prize award, I thought this was an interesting article ... Why America Reserves the Right to Nuke You First (Foreign Policy)

I will try to post in this thread articles, links or news relatives to the current Second Cold War and perhaps Second Fake War. This first one is about the current relevance of the GIUK gap: http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/03/russian-subs-are-reheating-cold-war-chokepoint/126428/

Air Power Abandoned: Dropping the F-22 in 2009 (Defense Media Network)

2018 World Navies in Review (Proceedings, March 2018)

From Aviation Week [excerpt] CV32: I thought this part was particularly interesting.

I did reference it other time, but I think the site is improved and expanded: http://www.hisutton.com/Analysis%20-%20Russian%20Status-6%20aka%20KANYON%20nuclear%20deterrence%20and%20Pr%2009851%20submarine.html

How US nuclear force modernization is undermining strategic stability: The burst-height compensating super-fuze (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Maybe I am morbid, but this stuff is fascinating.

Nightfall: Machine Autonomy in Air-to-Air Combat (Air and Space Power Journal, May-June 2014, pdf)

From The Wargamer Rumored: Matrix to Publish Harpoon Titles? Posted by Chris Abele @ 11:56 EST Harpoon – Commander’s Edition and Harpoon 3 Advanced Naval Warfare to be added to Matrix catalog "Sources close to the matter have revealed to The Wargamer that Advanced Gaming Systems' Harpoon line of products will be re-published by Matrix Games. Two of the classic naval simulation games will be re-released: Harpoon Classic will be renamed Harpoon – Commander’s Edition and will feature improved AI and database elements. It is unclear how this game is related to the "Harpoon Classic 2005" game mentioned on the AGS web site. The more recent Harpoon 3 will be published …