The United States will be able to hit any target in Russia from space by 2030, the commander of Russia's air force said on Tuesday, announcing that Moscow will develop a new air defense system to avert the threat. [More]
The Obama administration has informed China, Japan, Russia and other nations of its intent to win Senate approval for U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty ahead of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference in May 2010. [More]
The changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say. [More]
Despite Iran's progress since 2007 toward producing enriched uranium, the State Department's intelligence analysts continue to think that Tehran will not be able to produce weapons-grade material before 2013, according to a newly disclosed congressional document. [More]
Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast of U.S. — Thom Shanker and Mark Mazzetti —New York Times — Aug 04, 2009
A pair of nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines has been patrolling off the eastern seaboard of the United States in recent days, a rare mission that has raised concerns inside the Pentagon and intelligence agencies about a more assertive stance by the Russian military. [More]
An international debate is needed on the use of autonomous military robots, a leading academic has said. Noel Sharkey of the University of Sheffield said that a push toward more robotic technology used in warfare would put civilian life at grave risk. [More]
The Pentagon is seeking to speed deployment of an ultra-large "bunker-buster" bomb on the most advanced U.S. bomber as soon as July 2010, the Air Force said on Sunday, amid concerns over perceived nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran. "It's very possible that the Pentagon wants to send a signal to various countries, particularly Iran and North Korea, that the United States is developing a viable military option against their nuclear programs," said Kenneth Katzman, an expert on Iran at the Congressional Research Service, the research arm of Congress. [More]
Halted 03 Iraq Plan Illustrates U.S. Fear of Cyberwar Risk — John Markoff and Thom Shanker —New York Times — Jul 31, 2009
In 2003, the Pentagon and American intelligence agencies made plans for a cyberattack to freeze billions of dollars in the bank accounts of Saddam Hussein and cripple his governments financial system but cancelled it out of concern that the attack would create widespread financial havoc. Fears of such collateral damage are at the heart of the debate as the Obama administration and its Pentagon leadership struggle to develop rules and tactics for carrying out attacks in cyberspace. [More]
U.S. Takes Steps to Boost Security Cooperation With Russia — Walter Pincus —Washington Post — Jul 30, 2009
A team of U.S. military experts went to Moscow for the first round of discussions on an early warning center that would assess the threat of ballistic missiles, including any from Iran or North Korea, as part of the Obama administration's effort to "reset" relations with Moscow. [More]
As Emerging Technologies Converge, So Should Ethical Discussion — Andrew Plemmons Pratt and Vivian Cheng —Science Progress — Jul 28, 2009
A recent report from the Hastings Center and the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars argue that because emerging technologies are not diverging from one another but converging, researchers should pursue an ethics of emerging technologies. [More]