By Matthew Buongiorno Scoville Fellow Shortly after the United States invaded Iraq and disbanded its army, the Bush Administration concluded that a key to stabilizing the country was the creation of a self-sufficient and effective Iraqi Security Force (ISF). To this end, the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) – later succeeded by the Iraq […]
A Russian brochure misrepresents the size of the Russian arsenal. Click image to download copy of full procure . By Hans M. Kristensen A brochure handed out by the Russian government at the ongoing nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York appears to misrepresent the size of the Russian nuclear arsenal. The brochure Practical […]
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference is Underway in New York By Hans M. Kristensen I gave two talks at the review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, both on non-strategic nuclear weapons. The first was an FAS/BASIC panel on May 10 on Prospects for a shift in NATO’s nuclear posture. The second was a panel organized […]
The Obama administration has declassified the history and size of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, a long-held national secret. Click image to get the fact sheet. By Hans M. Kristensen The Obama administration has formally disclosed the size of the Defense Department’s stockpile of nuclear weapons: 5,113 warheads as of September 30, 2009. For a […]
by Alicia Godsberg Today marked the opening of the 8th Review Conference to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations. The general debate began today and will continue through Thursday, with an NGO presentation to the delegates this Friday to end the week. Today’s plenary provided a few revelations from […]
Current pace of U.S. strategic warhead downloading could reach New START limit in 2010. By Hans M. Kristensen The United States appears to be moving toward early implementation of the New START treaty signed with Russian less than one month ago. The rapid implementation is evident in the State Department’s latest fact sheet, which declares […]
by: Alicia Godsberg The 2010 Review Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (or NPT RevCon) will be taking place at the United Nations in New York from 3-28 May. You can follow the events of the RevCon here on the SSP blog, which will be updated every […]
Imagine that: a nuclear weapons free NATO working for nuclear disarmament? By Hans M. Kristensen While NATO struggles with whether and how it can discuss the future of nuclear weapons in the alliance, the Obama administration timidly avoids addressing the issue head on, and NGOs try to play government by proposing sensible steps such as […]
by: Alicia Godsberg On Tuesday May 11 FAS will be premiering our documentary, “Paths to Zero,” at the United Nations during the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT RevCon). The screening will be part of FAS’s official UN Office of Disarmament Affairs side event for […]
By Matt Schroeder Arms sold by the Defense Department to foreign recipients totaled more than $15 billion in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2009, according to a report obtained by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The quarterly report, which is dated February 2009 and is required by Section 36(a) of the Arms Export […]
Click image for large version . By Hans M. Kristensen The Chinese navy has constructed what appears to be a demagnetization facility near an East Sea Fleet submarine base. The facility is the second spotted at Chinese naval bases since 2008. Chinese Naval Demagnetization Facilities The new demagnetization facility is located less than 10 km […]
On Tuesday, the Secretary of Defense released the new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). I was quite disappointed in the document, thinking it is timid and gradualist. So you can imagine how distracting it is when I am part way through writing a blog trashing the new doctrine for not going far enough that I see […]