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China Not an Obstacle to US Summit with North Korea
Last fall, as North Korea raced to demonstrate it could strike the United States with a nuclear-armed missile, the Chinese government acceded to strict international economic sanctions it previously...
View ArticleMore Comments on the IDA Boost-Phase Missile Defense Study
Part 1 of this post discusses one aspect of the 2011 letter from Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to then-Senator Kyl about the IDA study of space-based missile defense. The letter raises several...
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24 Space-Based Missile Defense Satellites Cannot Defend Against ICBMs
UPDATE: In September 2018, UCS released an animated feature and video that explains how space-based missile defense works. Check it out here. — Articles citing a classified 2011 report by the Institute...
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How to Think about Space-Based Missile Defense
UPDATE: In September 2018, UCS released an animated feature and video that explains how space-based missile defense works. Check it out here. — The idea of space-based missile defense system has been...
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New Analysis: US Missile Defense Tests Lack Realistic Decoys
Rumor has it that the administration’s Missile Defense Review (MDR) may finally be released this week. As policy makers discuss its recommendations and consider expanding US missile defenses in various...
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China and North Korea: A Viewer’s Guide
Translation: The Last “Celestial Empire”—Mao Zedong. Kim Il-sung and China-North Korea Relations” US analysts and officials often refer to North Korea as China’s ally, as if it were a diplomatic or...
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North Korea’s Missiles and the US-NK Summit
In April 2018, shortly before last June’s summit with President Trump, North Korea announced it was discontinuing its flight testing of ballistic missiles. For over a year now, it has not conducted any...
View ArticleDo Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Hold the Key to Peace in Northeast Asia?
I’m not a Rolling Stones fan. There’s something a little dark about their music. I prefer the Beatles, who offered more light and love to listeners. But when it comes to hope for a peaceful way out of...
View ArticleNorth Korea’s Latest Missile Test
Various sources are reporting that North Korea test-launched two ballistic missiles tonight on lofted trajectories. One of the missiles is reported to have reached a maximum altitude of 910 km (570...
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US Presidential Hopefuls Should Signal North Korea ASAP
Is Kim Jong-un preparing a dramatic provocation worthy of his predecessors? International analysts of the North Korean nuclear weapons program warn the United States should take his end-of-the-year...
View ArticleNorth Korea’s Longest Missile Test Yet
After more than two months without a missile launch, North Korea did a middle-of-the-night test (3:17 a.m. in Japan) today that appears to be its longest yet. Reports are saying that the missile test...
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Did Pilots See North Korea’s Missile Fail during Reentry?
News reports say that a Cathay Airlines flight crew on November 29 reported seeing North Korea’s missile “blow up and fall apart” during its recent flight test. Since reports also refer to this as...
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Reentry of North Korea’s Hwasong-15 Missile
Photos of the Hwasong-15 missile North Korea launched on its November 29 test suggest it is considerably more capable than the long-range missiles it tested in July. This missile’s length and diameter...
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Pressuring China on North Korea Could Be a Mistake
The Trump administration is intentionally putting China in very tough spot. It is attempting to make the Chinese leadership believe it must choose between a preemptive US attack on North Korea or...
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An Ounce of Prevention…is Worth a Kiloton of Cure
As part of its ongoing online training system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scheduled a webinar later this month titled “Public Health Response to a Nuclear Detonation.” The...
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Japan’s Role in the North Korea Nuclear Crisis
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (second from left) consults with US President Barack Obama during a 2010 summit on nuclear security. During a recent trip to Japan I had the opportunity to...
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Hawaii’s False Missile Alert
I was using my home computer a few minutes after 8 AM on January 13 when the phone rang. My daughter called to tell me that she had received an alert message on her smart phone that a missile was...
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Reason for Optimism AND Concern in the Proposed US-North Korean Nuclear Summit
In the last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has continued to channel the good cop side of his personae, which started with his New Year’s Day offer to take part in the South Korean Olympics....
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What Does the US Want from North Korea?
President Trump is planning to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in May or June. In preparing for the summit, the administration must be clear about what it wants from the process—both...
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What Does North Korea Want—and What is the US Prepared to Give?
North Korea is not likely to negotiate in earnest unless it is convinced the United States is committed to the process. It is important that the administration put together a package of what it is...
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Closing North Korea’s Nuclear Test Site
Of the surprising announcements North Korea has made in recent weeks, one of the most surprising was its statement that it would not only end nuclear tests but shut down its nuclear test site with...
View ArticleBiden Should Reset US Nuclear Weapons Policy in East Asia
President Biden should use his visit to South Korea and Japan to make it clear that the only role for US nuclear weapons in East Asia is to retaliate if US forces or the allies who host them are...
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Why the Senate Should Reject Pompeo as Secretary of State
After ousting Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, Donald Trump has decided to replace him with Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director. Pompeo’s views on Iran and North Korea, and more generally his...
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Why Would North Korea Conduct Another Nuclear Test?
On March 28th, North Korea unveiled a new type of nuclear warhead—a smaller, more compact tactical warhead with battlefield advantages. The news comes days after North Korea unveiled an underwater...
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