One of the lesser bombshells in Bob Woodward’s new book is Trump’s brag that he has a secret new super weapon. I have some ideas about what he’s talking about - with the caveat that Trump often doesn’t know what he’s talking about and often just makes stuff up. 1/
Most likely, he means the “low-yield” warhead the Navy deployed on its strategic subs late last year. It is about a 5-kiloton yield (about 1/3 the size of the Hiroshima bomb and 1/30 to 1/90th the size of the warheads usually on the sub-launched missiles. theguardian.com/world/2019/jan…
Trump’s right that no one else has this weapon BECAUSE IT’S A STUPID IDEA. Listen to this @AtTheBrinkPod episode for more on why it’s idiotic to make nuclear weapons more usable, thus making nuclear war more likely. atthebrink.org/podcast/modern…
Trump could also be referring to the still-secret work on hyper velocity missiles (they go many times speed of sound) or even the newish B-21 bomber. But none are super weapons or will change the strategic balance. They are just more tinder for the fire. Nothing to brag about.
UPDATE: We just found out that the “nuclear” tape was Trump’s first interview with Woodward on 12/5/19. He was trying to impress Woodward. This makes me more confident that he’s talking about the “low-yield” warhead, which was secretly deployed a few weeks later. It fits.

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More from @Cirincione

1 Aug
<Thread> I was not a fan of @JoeBiden. I favored @BernieSanders and @ewarren, who had specific plans for fundamental change, esp. in national security. But Biden has proved to be a strong, effective candidate. He’s united the party and adopted many, vital progressive policies. 1/
Discussions - even arguments - I had with my colleagues during the primaries revolved around how progressive policies could expand and mobilize the base vs. positioning on issues so as to win over Trump voters. It looks like Biden can do both. 2/
I see his strong appeal to moderate voters and the white working class. He’s cut Trump’s advantage there in half - while keeping and even improving on Clinton’s support among non-white voters and women and young voters. 3/ google.com/amp/s/www.usne…
Read 7 tweets
23 May
<thread> There is no national security imperative for new US nuclear tests. We have almost 4,000 operational nuclear weapons. Enough to destroy the world 20x over. Here are some resources to help you understand how launching new nuclear tests makes us less secure. 1/
We've not tested a nuclear weapon since 1992. Since the India-Pakistan tests of 1998, the only other country to test has been North Korea. We have a global norm that Trump now wants to shatter . @ctbto_alerts is the go-to resource on nuclear testing. 2/ ctbto.org
.@ArmsControlNow is the premier expert organization. You can trust their analysis on the history of nuclear testing and the test ban. 3/ armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuc…
Read 9 tweets
12 May
<Thread> An important new development in the effort to redefine national security. “It is time to end our endless wars and adopt a new approach to international relations.” Over 50 groups demand we increase our security by cutting the Pentagon budget. 1/ huffpost.com/entry/antiwar-…
The most serious threats to our country are non-military and do not have a military solution, this broad coalition says. Read this excerpt from their letter. 2/
Donald Trump has increased the Pentagon budget by over $130 Billion in 3 years. Much of this is wasted. Much of the plan to build a new generation of nuclear weapons can be cut without risk, say the groups. 3/
Read 4 tweets
24 Feb
One of the less reported aspects of Grenell’s placement as acting DNI is his demand to see all the “raw intelligence” behind the assessment that Russia is working to sabotage US elections. This has serious national security implications. 1/3
This is the tactic Steve Cambone used in the run up to the Iraq War when Cheney and Rumsfeld installed him in DOD to set up their own intel operation. He then cherry-picked raw, unvetted data to “prove” Saddam had WMD. He bypassed the usual intel community joint assessments. 2/3
Worse, raw intel will include sources and methods. Grenell will pass that to Trump who could share it with the Russians. Cambone never would have shared intel with our enemies, but Trump and Grenell don’t see Russia as an adversary, but an ally. 3/3
Read 4 tweets
9 Feb
I have a short thread on the new, dangerous nuclear weapon that Donald Trump has just deployed. How "small" is it? How would we use it? Why did we make it?
First, get all the details here @FAScientists. They broke the news of the deployment ten days ago. The Pentagon admitted it just two days ago. fas.org/blogs/security…
Second, how small is it? 5 Kilotons. That is 5,000 tons of explosive force. It's 1/3 the size of the 15KT bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The other sub warheads are 90KT (or 6x Hiroshima) or 455KT (30x Hiroshima). We have other air-dropped bombs that "small" but not on missiles.
Read 7 tweets
31 Dec 19
Pulling out of an accord that had rolled back and contained Iran's nuclear program may be the worst blunder of Trump's presidency. There is no "better deal." Iran has more influence, not less. Anti-US sentiment growing. Everything has gotten worse since the US left the deal.
Listen to @barbaraslavin1 trace the failures flowing from Trump's decision to renege on America's promises in the Iran anti-nuclear deal. @hereandnow wbur.org/hereandnow/201…
Correct link for @barbaraslavin1 interview. wbur.org/hereandnow/201…
Read 4 tweets

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