The U.S.S.R. dramatically accelerated its atomic weapons program following the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and successfully tested its first plutonium bomb in 1949. An arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union quickly ensued, leading to a massive stockpile build-up, the development of even deadlier thermonuclear weapons, and new vehicles by […]
On Royal Succession and Command and Control
By John Erath No, this will not be another House of the Dragon post. Although, given the number of views that one received, perhaps I should focus on covering TV rather than nuclear weapons. In this case, the subject is the royal succession in the United Kingdom and its nuclear command and control. When Queen […]
Rejecting Russia’s blackmail means RevCon was a success
By John Erath The much-delayed 2020 NPT Review Conference (RevCon) has ended and, as expected, not produced a Final Document. This has predictably led a number of commentators to label the RevCon a failure, primarily for not making “progress” toward nuclear disarmament. Despite the lack of a splashy headline, the RevCon did produce some positive […]
Nuclear Inheritance Part 2: Ukraine and the Bomb
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought us closer to nuclear escalation than ever in a post Cold War world. One major question hangs overhead: what if Ukraine had kept its nuclear arsenal after the USSR’s dissolution? Host Geoff Wilson speaks with Mariana Budjeryn, author of Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and […]
‘Weaponizing Winter’: NOW Tonight with Joshua Johnson – Aug. 19 | NBC News NOW
Senior Policy Director John Erath was a guest on NBC Now Tonight, discussing the latest situation in Ukraine and how Russia might seek to weaponize winter. His segment begins around the 8-minute mark.