Matt Korda
@mattkorda
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Counting nukes @ScientistsOrg + @SIPRIorg. Prev: @NATO @KCL_CSSS. maple syrup fan | “long-legged socialist” | forest dweller | views my own 🇨🇦
Washington/Toronto
Joined May 2015
🗣️ PSA: don't share workout pics on Instagram, otherwise a big nerd (me) might use them to learn things about your nuclear weapons. My new @scientistsorg piece shows how the Indian Navy's yoga pics reveal the likely retirement of a nuclear missile. 👇.
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Nothing, I repeat, nothing on twitter today will top Kim Jong Un and his bro-squad absolutely chillin atop this mound of potatoes #SpudsNotScuds . (unreal photo via @jljzen)
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Cumulative list of Presidential candidates who have condemned Trump’s incitement of violence against Ilhan Omar:. - Bernie Sanders.- Elizabeth Warren. The rest of you: your silence is deafening. #IStandWithIlhan.
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🚨 Big China news 🚨. I found China's 2nd nuclear silo field, in Eastern Xinjiang. @nukestrat + I estimate that it could eventually house 110 silos. In total, China seems to be building ~250 new silos––the largest expansion of China's nuclear force ever.
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When a Russian mapping service tried to obscure every military facility in Turkey and Israel, it had the unintended effect of *revealing* the exact locations of over 300 distinct sites (whoops) 😬. See the juicy details in my latest piece for @FAScientists.
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Not a “nuclear weapons convoy,” but a transport of specialized trucks, which could mean:.- nuclear exercise/signalling.- modernization/replacement.- wartime requisition of 12 GUMO security trucks. Different than moving warheads to battlefield, which isn’t needed for nuclear use.
⚠️ Nuclear weapons convoy spotted in central Russia sparks fears Putin could be preparing test to send ‘signal to the West’. Thread ⤵️.
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what stage of capitalism is this.
💖 I just became a supporter of 🇺🇦 Ukraine's army for $1,000/mo. Do the same and buy them some tanks and missiles if you can 👉
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This video has broken way too many brains. The backlash against seeing an intelligent, articulate woman making a wonky issue accessible to the general public highlights exactly why we need new voices and perspectives in this field.
“A world without nuclear weapons is totally possible,” says @Emma_Pike_, a nuclear disarmament consultant and activist. She shared her thoughts with Times Opinion on TikTok:
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The real kicker here is the Mk-41 launcher. Russia has said for years that those deployed in Europe could launch Tomahawks, and therefore violate INF. US denied it. 16 days after the INF Treaty died, what does the US do?. Launch a Tomahawk from a ground-based Mk-41 launcher.
WATCH: U.S. flight-tests ground launched Tomahawk variant off of California in a test that went "more than 500km", a first since the end of the INF treaty earlier this month. Notable that they chose the Tomahawk as the original ground-launched version of it was killed by INF
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literally no one:. billionaire super-villains:.
Nuke Mars!.
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The best thing to come out of #CanadaElection2019:. A joke party decided to run a candidate with the *same name* as the leader of the Canadian white supremacist party—in his own riding—and it helped him lose his seat.
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The Secretary of Defense's previous workplace was just awarded a massive, sole-source weapons contract *2 years* ahead of schedule. What a wacky coincidence! 🧐
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tbh one of my biggest regrets about not being a US citizen is that I'm legally not allowed to buy any of these 😢.
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Dear US military,. There is no such thing as an "anti-border wall extremist.". The "extremists" are the ones *in favour* of the wall. It's really not that hard.
The U.S. military is monitoring anti-border wall groups, including an interfaith group peacefully protesting Trump's family separation policy, according to internal Pentagon documents leaked to me: (for @tytinvestigates)
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ranking the top 10 images from the indian government's annual cruise missile calendar 👇 (yes, this exists).
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@KateKizer @Ilhan I clipped @IlhanMN's entire line of questioning, including Abram's refusal to answer. Pretty wild stuff.
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Not only is this piece littered with bad analogies and flawed assumptions, but publishing a piece called “The US Needs More Nukes” on the 74th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing is damn near sociopathic.
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🚨 BIG EXCITING NEWS! 🚨. For the past year, @astowethurston and I have led a group of brilliant young folks in developing a progressive US foreign policy platform for the next generation. That platform launches today.
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Excited to share that I have joined the great team at @SIPRIorg as an Associate Researcher with the Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control & Non-proliferation Programme!. Catch yer boy in both the SIPRI Yearbook + @FAScientists Nuclear Notebook this summer! 👋.
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🚨 A new study shows that a *majority of both Democrats and Republicans* want to phase out nuclear ICBMs. This is huge, because it runs contrary to the Pentagon's current plan to replace the entire ICBM fleet for $100 BILLION. See my latest for @Forbes:.
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The number of new Chinese silos under construction exceeds the number of silo-based ICBMs operated by Russia, and constitutes more than half of the size of the entire US ICBM force. That being said, Russian + US nuclear arsenals still dwarf China's by a significant margin.
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This is weird. 🧐. The Republicans are now unironically endorsing socialist candidates on their new website, featuring this amazing banner.
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QAnon latching onto Chuck Grassley's twitter was inevitable, his tweets are like ancient runes that can only be deciphered by soothsayers.
QAnon people are convinced that a Chuck Grassley tweet about harvesting corn is a sign that all the Dems are about to get arrested.
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I'm hearing from US military friends that @DeptofDefense is:.- refusing to pause trainings.- keeping at-risk folks on-base.- not closing base gyms.- flying folks from ITALY to US for training (w/o isolating them!). @EsperDoD Why are you exposing trainees to COVID-19?.
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🇺🇸 Our 2020 US Nuclear Notebook is out today! . - 5,800 warheads total (2,000 awaiting dismantlement):.💣 ~1,750 deployed warheads:.🚀 400 on ICBMs.✈️ 450 at bomber bases (150 in Europe).⚓️ 900 on sub-launched missiles. P.S. The US spends $100,000/minute on its nuclear forces! 💸
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I would ask the folks living in the "nuclear sponge" some questions:. 1) do they know that nuclear policymakers refer to their homes as the "nuclear sponge?".2) do they appreciate that their elected officials fight tooth and nail to make them the target of a nuclear first strike?
If you could poll the American public about nuclear weapons, what would you ask? 🚀.
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Always willing to be wrong of course, but the implication that “Russia is moving warheads to Ukraine” is a *very* strong claim and at this stage the available evidence doesn’t back it up.
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Very excited to announce that I've been promoted to Senior Research Fellow for the Nuclear Information Project at @FAScientists 👀. So grateful that I get to work with @nukestrat, @elianajjohns, and the fantastic FAS team every day. Lots of exciting things from us coming soon! 🚀.
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Thrilled to announce that I am assuming some new responsibilities as Associate Director for the Nuclear Information Project at @scientistsorg 🚀. In the 6 years since joining FAS as an RA, it's been amazing to see our team grow. So excited to keep working with this stellar group!.
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🇮🇳 India tested a "next-generation" nuclear-capable ballistic missile over the weekend. Our friends at @planet managed to snap a photo of the Agni-P pre-launch, and @nukestrat and I took a deep dive into what the test means for India's nuclear forces.
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Using some phenomenal new imagery from @planet and @Maxar, @nukestrat and I put together a big update on China’s suspected missile silos. We break down the different types of inflatable domes, as well as what’s underneath them. 👀.
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Was just politely informed that researching Russian missiles in the airport is “highly unusual and sort of alarming”.
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In addition to @WilliamJBroad + @SangerNYT's great piece, @nukestrat and I have written up our take on the discovery for the @FAScientists blog, where we analyze the Hami site in detail and take a broad look at what's happening with China's nuclear policy.
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"Our concentration camps aren't as bad as Auschwitz".
Please @AOC do us all a favor and spend just a few minutes learning some actual history. 6 million Jews were exterminated in the Holocaust. You demean their memory and disgrace yourself with comments like this.
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And there it is. In the midst of a pandemic, an election, and a recession, the Air Force is moving full-speed ahead on its project to rebuild the entire US ICBM arsenal––at a total cost of ~$100 billion. This is an investment in the wrong kind of security. #MasksNotMissiles.
JUST IN: Air Force awards Northrop Grumman $13.3 billion prime contract to develop the military's next intercontinental ballistic missile system - the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent.
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🚨 Our 2022 estimates of US nuclear weapons are out in @BulletinAtomic! 🇺🇸. @nukestrat and I estimate a total inventory of 5,428 warheads, 3,708 of which are operationally available as the "military stockpile:".✈️ 788 for bombers.🚀 400 for ICBMs.⚓️ 1,920 for subs. 200 tactical
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Frustrating to see that in the year 2020 there are multibillion $$$ think tanks that are still trying to justify full-time, unpaid internships. Unpaid internships entrench the white, male, & affluent power structures that permeate the policy world. Abolishing them is essential.
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A follow-up to last week's Yandex story: Israel's official map has painted over several of its nuclear and military facilities with fake farms and deserts! 🤫. Check out some very weird (and sometimes hilarious) examples in my new piece for @FAScientists.
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🚨 Our analysis of Pakistan's 2023 nuclear weapons arsenal was just published in @BulletinAtomic. 🇵🇰 @nukestrat, @elianajjohns, and I estimate that Pakistan has ~170 warheads––a slight increase from 2022. Our research is freely available below 👇.
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#1––Nov/Dec 2014. an absolutely perfect calendar image. vibes are off the charts. no notes whatsoever. i want this on my wall. 5/5 stars
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The defense bill cannot facilitate a return to nuclear testing. House leadership must send a strong message and rebut Cotton’s amendment with a clear prohibition on testing. This is a big enough deal to hold the whole NDAA hostage.
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The US Air Force's new budget documents state that they are building a "surety dormitory" at RAF Lakenheath. "Surety" is a military term often associated with nuclear weapons. After 15 years, the US Air Force's nuclear mission may be returning to UK soil.
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💥With all eyes on Ukraine, it was easy to miss a historical first: a nuclear-armed state (🇮🇳) *accidentally* launching a missile at another nuclear-armed state (🇵🇰). My deep OSINT dive into this bizarre + scary incident is now on the @FAScientists blog.
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Thanks to the incredible @triciawh1te and @kathrwn, our ICBM Information Project webpage now has an *interactive* map! 💫. You can see the role and location of every ICBM silo, launch control centre, and associated facility in the USA. Check it out here:
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Check out my latest piece for @FAScientists, in which I geolocate Israeli Patriot batteries using weirdly-shaped radar interference! 🛰️. Huge shoutout to @HarelDan for discovering this very cool and unique OSINT technique.
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Very excited to publish my first *ever* @inkstickmedia piece, in which I consider how #nukefest failed to address the most critical issue in the nuclear field: . The health and sustainability of the field itself.
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🚨 Our 2021 estimate of China's nuclear forces––by @nukestrat and me––is out today via @BulletinAtomic:. 💣 ~350 warheads, for delivery by:.🚀 ~280 land-based missiles.⚓️ ~72 SLBMs.🛩️ ~20 gravity bombs. 🇨🇳's arsenal is growing, but it remains a fraction of the size of 🇷🇺 and 🇺🇸.
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Our work on China’s new missile silos is the top story on today’s episode of @nytimes’ The Daily! 💫. @SangerNYT does a great job of clearly laying out the discoveries + analyses from @dex_eve @ArmsControlWonk @nukestrat and me in a really digestible way.
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TLDR: Yandex has selectively blurred out 300+ military facilities in Turkey and Israel. Many sites were already known, but many others look completely innocuous through sat imagery (e.g. apartment blocks like this). Blurring indicates that they likely have a military function.
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🚨 For the first time since 2014, @nukestrat and I take a deep dive into Israel's nuclear forces. 🇮🇱 Israel doesn't acknowledge its own possession of nuclear weapons, but we cautiously estimate 90 warheads for delivery by bombers and ballistic (and possibly cruise) missiles.
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Like it or not, @Emma_Pike_ is a phenomenal communicator; there’s a reason why she has 150K followers and gets NYT hits. People can obviously disagree with her opinions without being creepy, sexist, and dismissive of her credentials—but that’s not what’s going on in the replies.
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The Acting Secretary of Defense just called the F-35 is a piece of shit and then described deterrence theory as “blah blah bluh bluh.” .
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Neat thing spotted at @NPG: @trevorpaglen’s exhibit featuring a piece of trinitite encased in irradiated glass from the Fukushima reactor meltdown.
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🚨 In our 2024 assessment of China's nuclear forces, we estimate that China has ~440 operational warheads for its:.🚀 350 land-based missiles (including ~135 ICBMs).⚓️ 6 SSBNs.✈️ revitalized bomber force. ~60 warheads for incoming systems. Full article 👇.
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The main takeaways here are:.1) Needless attempts to censor information that can/should be made freely available will often backfire. 2) OSINT can increasingly play a critical role in promoting transparency. 3) Wow there are a lot of military facilities in Israel. Like. a lot.
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found something big with the satellites, time to dust off the ole twitter fingers.
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REMINDER: The United States is spending nearly $100,000 PER MINUTE on its nuclear forces. 🤯. #NoNewNukes
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Just received my hard copy of the 2021 @SIPRIorg Yearbook, and wow—it is genuinely such a cool feeling to see something we worked on for so long be published in physical form 📚
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Hi twitter! Who are some of the best emerging (under 30) progressive voices on foreign policy? 💡. Mid-career and senior mentors, looking at you especially to tag some young, diverse, smart cookies!.
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Wild to see orgs posting unpaid internships and getting ratio'd so bad that they delete their tweets––on multiple separate occasions!. The postings haven't been deleted, just the tweets. So we can assume that for these orgs, optics > equity. But the optics of that are. also bad?.
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🔎 New satellite imagery shows that Russia is preparing its silos to receive the first units of its new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. 👇New analysis from @nukestrat and me, featuring some construction timelapses from our friends at @planet.
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🚨 Come work with us! . @nukestrat and I are looking for a brilliant new Research Associate to join the Nuclear Information Project on a full-time basis. 🚀. Job posting (and perks) below––please share widely!.
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Friendly reminder to everyone in DC to act in solidarity with rideshare workers who are striking today for better wages & job security ✊. If you gotta be somewhere today, walk, bike, take public transit, or scooter—but no rideshare apps! #UberLyftStrike .
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Rest of world: war with iran, australia on fire, puerto rico earthquakes—holy shit how is 2020 already this bad. Canada:.
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What does a progressive nuclear weapons policy look like?. In my latest piece for @BulletinAtomic, I argue that it looks a heck of a lot like the Green New Deal. 🌅.
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it took six hours and we somehow lit the table on fire, but we finally managed to feed the cat
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🚨 Air Force Global Strike Command says that they will provide the *official* name for the US’ next generation ICBM within the next 12 months. Apparently they’ve researched over 100 names, and none of them are “Missile McMissileFace.”. Any guesses?.
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For those unfamiliar with the "nuclear sponge" concept, here's a short primer via @plough_shares's @TomCollina and @Akshai_Vik:
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Nothing to see here, just Tesco inexplicably using the Julian calendar from 45 BC for its ‘best before’ dates.
@mattyjstock Hi Matthew, I have had a response from my support team. They have advised the date code on the relish only is the Julian date. 20140 is the 140th day. This translated into the Gregorian calendar is the 20th May 2020. Thanks - Maggie.
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🚨 Our 2023 overview of France's nuclear weapons arsenal is out today in @BulletinAtomic!. @nukestrat, @elianajjohns, and I estimate that France's stockpile has stayed stable at ~290 warheads, but modernization of its missiles, subs, + bombers continues.🇫🇷.
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Here's a fun thing: there are so many blurred Yandex sites in Israel that you can basically cover the country's *entire* landmass in pins.
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🚨 Come work with me! 🚨. @FAScientists is hiring a remote, paid, part-time 6-month Project Intern to support our work on US nuclear weapons policy. This opportunity is specifically intended to help bring someone new into the nuke field, so please spread this far and wide!
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🚨 Our 2020 overview of China's nuclear forces is out @BulletinAtomic, w/ estimates by @nukestrat and myself:. 💣 350 warheads (~270 operational; >DoD's # b/c we include warheads for incoming weapons). for delivery by:.🚀 240 land-based missiles.✈️ 20 gravity bombs.🛥️ 48 SLBMs
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🚨 In the middle of a pandemic, Canada is buying armed drones. By the government's own admission, these drones will be used to surveil domestic protests and bomb targets in the Middle East. This should concern everyone. See my latest for @readpassage 🧵.
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🚨 NEW Nuclear Notebook is officially out today 🚨. For the first time *ever*, it's about missile defense! 🚀. The @FAScientists Nuclear Notebook is always free, written by me and @nukestrat, and published by @BulletinAtomic:
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🇷🇺 Our 2024 estimate of Russian nuclear forces is out today in @BulletinAtomic!. We estimate that Russia has a stockpile of ~4,380 warheads:.🚀 ~1,244 for ICBMs.✈️ ~586 for bombers.⚓️ ~992 for subs.💣 ~1,558 tactical weapons (a slight reduction based on new data + assumptions).
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🚨 Have you ever wanted to dip your toes into researching nuclear weapons?. Now’s your chance: with generous support from @macfound, we’re launching a paid(!) summer fellowship to bring new voices into the nuclear field. Applying is *very* easy👇 Please share with your networks!.
We're launching the NEW VOICES ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS FELLOWSHIP to empower young, creative innovators to jumpstart their careers and make their mark in nuclear deterrence. Learn more and apply by Feb. 17 🚀.
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🚨🇺🇸 The @FAScientists 2021 overview of USA's nuclear forces is out @BulletinAtomic. @nukestrat and I estimate 5,550 warheads in total US inventory 💣. ~1,800 *deployed* warheads:.🚀 400 on ICBMs.✈️ 300 at US bomber bases.🛩️ 100 at European bomber bases.🛥️ 1,000 on SLBMs
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☀️ If you're up-and-coming in the nuclear weapons field and would like to receive ad hoc emails from me about upcoming nuclear opportunities––either at @FAScientists or elsewhere––send me your email (replies or DMs)!.
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However, for the US to now do *exactly* the thing that Russia has been concerned about for years doesn't exactly help de-escalate tensions. And it confirms their suspicions about US missile defense deployments in Europe––that they could theoretically be used to launch Tomahawks.
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👇 Here's a weird piece of nuclear news:. A new Air Force environmental assessment reveals that it considered basing its next generation of ICBMs in underground railway tunnels––or possibly underwater. 👀.
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ATTENTION rocket nerds! 🚀 After some serious digging, I found the *original* patent (owned by the US Navy!) for the first cold launch missile ejection system! [THREAD] 1/
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This is an excellent statement from the Biden administration in response to Putin’s nuclear signalling.
On Putin’s nuclear threat, a U.S. nat sec official tells me: “At this time see no reason to change our own alert levels.”. “We think provocative rhetoric regarding nuclear weapons is dangerous, adds to the risk of miscalculation, should be avoided, and we will not indulge in it”.
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🚨🇷🇺 Our 2023 overview of Russian nuclear forces is out today in @BulletinAtomic. We estimate that Russia's stockpile includes ~4489 warheads:.🚀 1197 assigned to ICBMs.✈️ 580 assigned to bombers.⚓️ 896 assigned to subs. 1816 non-strategic in reserve.
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In a fun convergence of timelines, the list of blurred sites actually includes all four suspected Patriot batteries that I identified using radar interference in my previous @FAScientists blog post -- thus indicating that these sites are indeed military:
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Spotted in the Frankfurt airport: . “Germany must become a nuclear power, because the states that—up until now—have guaranteed our security and freedom can no longer be trusted.”
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mike pence is way more optimistic about a 5-front war than i am
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