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Maj. Don Vandergirff has the extended remarks of Col. Bacevich before Congress.

Dr. Andrew Bacevich was also featured recently by Jeremy Young over at Progressive Historians

 Watched No Country for Old Men last night and enjoyed Javier Bardem’s creepy portrayal the relentlessly driven professional killer, Anton Chigurh. The world-weariness of Tommy Lee Jones’ sherrif and the blue collar, good ol’ boy amateurishness of protagonist Josh Brolin only serve to highlight Bardem’s performance.

Cheryl Rofer called for national security/ foreign policy/defense bloggers to think hard regarding the strategic calculus of a state possessing just a few nuclear weapons:

What strategies are available to a country with fissionable material sufficient for 1-5 nuclear weapons, some of which may be assembled? Take into account probable responses, and assume some sort of rationality on the holders of these weapons and material. You may specifically refer to Iran and North Korea, or any other nation, or make the scenario(s) more general. Flesh out the scenario with some support

Many have answered the call ( I am still working on my response) and here they are with key excerpts:

Wizards of Oz

….Therefore, we will pursue a four-fold strategy we call “Deterrence Light”:

1. INTERNAL SECURITY: Ensure the secrecy of our fissile material. Maximize employment of decoys and spoofs so as to preserve this material should it ever be needed….

2. EXTERNAL AWARENESS: Inform the world of our technological accomplishment — and embed in our announcements disinformation regarding the exact disposition of our research establishment and weapons complexes….

Hidden Unities

….Yesterday, the Iraqi Kurds announced the formation of a Kurdish confederation, minutes after introducing shocked IAEA officials inspecting Turkish nuclear facilities to a mountain bunker where two nuclear warheads (one loaded on a hybrid American-Israeli missile) were housed. Iraqi Kurdistan leaders informed the Iraqi government they were joining a Kurdish confederation but were not (as of this moment) interested in seceding entirely from Iraq. Revenues would continue to be shared as previously agreed and Kurdish units would be available to defend Iraq against Iranian aggression. Iranian Kurdish leaders explained their position to the Supreme Leader of Iran and noted targeting of Tehran and Iranian oil fields by several nuclear devices was existent. The Syrians were equally appraised of their own prime real estate being targeted

Armchair Generalist

….Next, I will want to develop an indigenous capability. I won’t let any Proliferation Security Initiatives stop valuable material shipments. My engineers and scientists will train in the best universities overseas as I develop my “nuclear technology” program, which will have the purpose of supplying my people with limitless, inexpensive electricity to power their homes. Now the United States and European nations will offer me low-enriched uranium, and that will do – for starters. Once I get the nuclear technology program, I’ll build a second reactor and centrifuges for the HEU processing.

Dreaming 5GW (Arherring)

…. The 5GW Strategy: Ironically, even though the 4GW Operation benefits from more weapons being available, the 5GW strategy only requires one (and with the proper preparation you might even be able to get away with none, but that’s an advanced class). Essentially, the objective is to prove the potential of multiple weapons by openly displaying the existence of at least one weapon. Should you possess only two, one should be test-detonated and the other should be openly displayed to an authority that can realiably vouch for its authenticity. This very controlled transparency is a 5GW affect on observation that triggers existing assumptions, rule-sets and responses both in countries that are targeted and in countries that are merely in the audience

Ultraguy, who blogs at New Wineskins, was as unhappy as I was about the proposed new rules for internet usage by ongressman, so he wrote a letter to his, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and received this response from Congressman Frank, one of the House’s more liberal members:

Dear Mr. [ultraguy],

I had not been aware of this issue of linkages to Member’s websites and I am not supportive of restrictions here. I must say that I do not think that restricting what Members can link to in their websites is or will lead to “tyranny,” but I have generally been for no restrictions on speech and that is the perspective from which I start. There is a need to keep Members of Congress from subsidizing blatantly political activity with public funds, but I do not think that there needs to be this degree of restriction and I will be talking to my colleagues on the subject in the next couple of weeks. In fact, I wish people who are opposed to restrictions in one area had a consistent view in opposing restrictions on freedom of expression everywhere. That has generally been my position and I will maintain it here as well.

BARNEY FRANK

Ultraguy was not entirely satisfied with this stance but considering that Frank and Capuano come from the same state delegation I’m pleased to see Rep. Frank inclined to use his seniority to lobby against implementing such regulations, sponsored as they are by a close colleague. My own Congressman has yet to even respond to my inquiry. Sad.

Hat tip of the day goes to Ultraguy and to Representative Barney Frank!

My CTLab colleague Michael Tanji is calling for participants to play a prediction market built at the old groupintel site.

Sounds good. I did this once before, a few years back with a closed Google Group but my attention wandered when the topics drifted away from my core research interests. I suspect this one will be more to my liking.