In case you missed it, another voice joined the growing chorus of respected military leaders to suggest that cuts to the U.S. nuclear stockpile may be in the national interest: General Norton A. Schwartz, chief of staff of the Air Force.
Steering Clear of the Iceberg Ahead
Center Chairman Lt. Gen. Robert Gard (USA, ret.) has penned an op-ed arguing that unless Congress gets its act together, the US economy could be headed for disaster. Here’s how it begins: “Doomsday!” “Taxmageddon!” “Catastrophe!” Next year will begin w…
Whither the anti-terrorism budget?
I wrote my July Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists column on the Obama administration’s disappointing budget request for nuclear terrorism prevention programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Here’s an excerpt Despite the reductions to c…
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: A Reminder of the Importance of Arms Reductions and Nonproliferation
This month marks the 67th anniversary of the atomic bombings that brought the Second World War to an end. On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped a 16 kiloton nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing 140,000 people and immediately burning more than four square miles of the city. Three days later, another atomic bomb with an explosive power of 21 kilotons was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people and obliterating everything within a 1,000-yard radius. Thousands more were left homeless from the devastation and suffered radiation side effects for the rest of their lives.
Quote of the Day: Major Cost Discovery Edition
A senior Pentagon official describes the reaction of Pentagon analysts upon discovering that the cost of the B61 Life Extension Program could be $10 billion, $4 billion more than the National Nuclear Security Administration’s latest estimate.
