Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 12/09/2026direct.mit.edu/isec/article...direct.mit.eduU.S. Space Power and Alliance Dynamics in the Cold WarAbstract. U.S. space power has long been anchored to terrestrial geography. In the Cold War, the United States depended on a global network of facilities to track and communicate with military, intell... 010
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 12/09/2026This Defense Priorities report calls for downgrading the U.S. - Aus alliance (among others), bad idea! U.S. global military power projection depends on facilities in Aus as I detail in my Intl Security article published last year (see first comment below) www.defensepriorities.org/explainers/a...defensepriorities.orgA second island chain strategy for Asia - Defense PrioritiesKey points The United States has two core interests in Asia worth protecting with military power: defending the U.S. homeland […] 130
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Recruitment ad from the 1950s for technical manpower to operate and maintain the DEW Line radars and White Alice communications networks, key parts of the early U.S. NC3 infrastructure. 084
Reposted by Aaron BatemanJacqueline L. Hazelton @drjlhazelton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Here's @fionacunningham.bsky.social and Kristin Bruusgaard on nuclear strategy, from their piece in @intsecurity.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social @pearson-edits.bsky.social www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...lawfaremedia.orgThe Risks of Getting Russian and Chinese Nuclear Strategy WrongStrategists must understand the great powers’ different approaches to nuclear use. 054
Reposted by Aaron BatemanFiona Cunningham @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social · 08/09/2026I’m thrilled to share that my @princetonupress.bsky.social book “Under the Nuclear Shadow” has won the @mershoncenter.bsky.social ‘s Edgar S. Furniss award! Thank you to the selection committee for this honor! mershoncenter.osu.edu/news/fiona-c...mershoncenter.osu.eduFiona Cunningham receives 2025 Edgar S. Furniss Book AwardThe Mershon Center for International Security Studies is pleased to announce that Fiona S. Cunningham has been selected to receive the 2025 Edgar S. Furniss Book Award for Under the Nuclear Shadow: Ch... 0103
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026I'm delighted to share that our inaugural workshop "Intelligence in the Southern Hemisphere: Past and Present" at Macquarie University in Sydney was a great success. We look forward to continuing the conversation at future events! 070
Reposted by Aaron Batemanpetercgrace.bsky.social @petercgrace.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Fantastic meeting of intelligence studies people in Sydney at Macquarie University with MQ @socintelhist.bsky.social. Thanks to @melaniebrand.bsky.social, Brian Cuddy and @aaronbateman.bsky.social for organising. Very valuable and hope to do it again soon. 053
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 08/08/2026It's always a good time visiting NASA's Deep Space Communications Network site near Canberra, Australia. Watching the kangaroos grazing nearby was an added bonus. 060
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026The declassified 1962 memo for the UK prime minister informing him (in shakespearean prose) that the US accidentally fried Britain's Ariel satellite with its Starfish Prime nuclear test. 05016
Reposted by Aaron BatemanFiona Cunningham @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social · 06/07/2026I am so honored that my book received the Peter Katzenstein Book Prize! The nuclear chapter also provides useful context on China’s SLBM test today. 0131
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 29/06/2026I'm excited to share that I have a volume co-edited with Anthony Eames under contract with Cornell University Press, called Racing for Technology: An International History of SDI. The volume covers NATO , China, Japan, South Korea, Israel, and the Warsaw Pact. 0123
Reposted by Aaron BatemanFiona Cunningham @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social · 24/06/2026I am thrilled to share that my @princetonupress.bsky.social book “Under the Nuclear Shadow: China’s Information-Age Weapons in International Security” has won the 2026 Peter Katzenstein Book Prize! Thank you to the selection committee, I am so honored! government.cornell.edu/peter-katzen...government.cornell.eduPeter Katzenstein Book PrizeThe Katzenstein Prize, in honor of Peter J. Katzenstein, the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies at Cornell University, recognizes an outstanding first book in International Re... 9325
Reposted by Aaron BatemanJames Cameron @jjjcameron.bsky.social · 27/05/2026Norway will participate in France's "forward deterrence" nuclear initiative. Norway will also sign a mutual defense treaty with France, known as the Narvik Agreement. www.tv2.no/nyheter/plan...tv2.no«Plan B» tar form: – Et taktskifte i samarbeidetPARIS (TV 2): Norge vil være med på Frankrikes atomparaply-initiativ i et nytt forsvarssamarbeid. 713136
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 27/03/2026David Holloway's new tome on the international history of nuclear weapons has arrived! 0103
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026Thanks so much to True Anomaly for having me out to their facility in Colorado to talk about my book "Weapons in Space." I thoroughly enjoyed touring their satellite fabrication facility and seeing some of their space defense projects. It's a very interesting time in the commercial space arena! 030
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 27/02/2026This is a declassified 1981 memo from Richard Allen (then national security advisor) about a recent test of the Soviet Union's co-orbital anti-satellite weapon. The Soviets were testing out a new optical sensor for target acquisition. 081
Reposted by Aaron BatemanFiona Cunningham @fiona-cunningham.bsky.social · 26/02/2026I am thrilled to share my new *open access* article in Security Studies, “Other than Law: Legitimizing China’s Nuclear Strategy.” www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 173
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Declassified 1982 study about improving the survivability of U.S. military and intelligence space systems. 0154
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 12/02/2026I'm still shocked when people ask, "aren't all archives online now" ... no, far from it. Most of the best stuff is buried away in dusty files in the most unexpected places. 0346
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 09/02/2026Yes, going back to the Cold War, aligning political and industrial goals in the context of joint defense projects proved to be v. difficult both between the US and Europe and within Europe. 081
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 29/01/2026Some of the recently declassified images of the NRO's Cold War-era JUMPSEAT HEO signals intelligence satellite program. lnkd.in/eGym2xBj 0319
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 28/01/2026The National Reconnaissance Office has declassified limited details about JUMPSEAT, a Cold War-era signals intelligence satellite program in HEO. www.nro.gov/news-media-f... 0217
Reposted by Aaron BatemanLawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 11/01/2026The U.S. competitive advantage in space depends on infrastructure hosted by allies. @aaronbateman.bsky.social explains the terrestrial space race in the Foreign Policy Essay.lawfaremedia.orgU.S.-China Space Competition Is Anchored to Geography on EarthThe U.S. competitive advantage in space depends on infrastructure hosted by allies. 25126
Reposted by Aaron BatemanBleddyn Bowen @bleddb.bsky.social · 07/01/2026And the imperial holdings of allied states. @aaronbateman.bsky.social wrote a good paper on US use of UK and US territories for critical military space infrastructure direct.mit.edu/isec/article...direct.mit.eduU.S. Space Power and Alliance Dynamics in the Cold WarAbstract. U.S. space power has long been anchored to terrestrial geography. In the Cold War, the United States depended on a global network of facilities to track and communicate with military, intell... 12111
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 21/11/2025Great discussion about subsea cable security at IISS in Singapore. The office view is pretty great too. 030
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Beautiful view this morning of the Singapore Strait 030
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 17/11/2025I’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Cold War-era subsea cable collections at the National Archives of Singapore. 061
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 13/11/2025Many thanks to Will James for hosting me at RSIS (Nanyang Technological University) in Singapore to give a talk on U.S. Spacepower and alliance politics from the Cold War to today. 091
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 03/11/2025I’m looking forward to giving a talk in Singapore next week on the role of terrestrial space infrastructure in shaping US alliances from the Cold War to today. If you are Singapore based and interested in attending, registration details can be found below: rsis.edu.sg/event/rsis-s... 020
Reposted by Aaron BatemanInternational Security @intsecurity.bsky.social · 28/10/20251) ***Announcement*** The new Fall 2025 issue is online! Read articles by Marc Trachtenberg, @aaronbateman.bsky.social, @ajmount.bsky.social, Dong Jung Kim, and @mikegoldfien.bsky.social direct.mit.edu/isec/issue @mitpress.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.socialdirect.mit.eduVolume 50 Issue 2 | International Security | MIT Press 164
Reposted by Aaron BatemanInternational Security @intsecurity.bsky.social · 28/10/20253) “U.S. Space Power and Alliance Dynamics in the Cold War,” by @aaronbateman.bsky.social doi.org/10.1162/ISEC... This article is Open Access.doi.orgU.S. Space Power and Alliance Dynamics in the Cold WarAbstract. U.S. space power has long been anchored to terrestrial geography. In the Cold War, the United States depended on a global network of facilities to track and communicate with military, intell... 134
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 28/10/2025I'm pleased to share my open access article in International Security on the role of allies in U.S. space power. direct.mit.edu/isec/article... 03715
Reposted by Aaron BatemanJuliana Suess @julianasuess.bsky.social · 23/10/2025"Weapons in Space" by @aaronbateman.bsky.social is a must-read for those wanting to understand the origins of arms control in space - it's now open access! 🏃 063
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Many thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social for generously making the digital version of my book, Weapons in Space, open access! It can be accessed here: direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon... 02111
Reposted by Aaron BatemanAmanda Pearson @pearson-edits.bsky.social · 21/10/2025Fall 2025 issue preview @intsecurity.bsky.social! M. Trachtenberg | rules-based international order @aaronbateman.bsky.social | U.S. space power @ajmount.bsky.social | conventional deterrence of nuclear use DJ Kim | clients’ demand evasion @mikegoldfien.bsky.social | hawks, doves, & rapprochement 0165
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 21/10/2025I'm thrilled to have an article in the fall volume of International Security on the role of allies in U.S. space power during the Cold War! 24410
Reposted by Aaron BatemanEdward Jones-Imhotep @ejonesimhotep.bsky.social · 08/09/2025The IHPST is hiring! Assistant Professor - Philosophy of Science and/or Technology. jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...jobs.utoronto.caAssistant Professor - Philosophy of Science and/or TechnologyAssistant Professor - Philosophy of Science and/or Technology 22512
Reposted by Aaron BatemanDavid Fedman @dfeds.bsky.social · 26/09/2025job alert: My department is now running a search to fill a newly inaugurated endowed chair in the History of Technology. Please consider applying/share widely. I'm not on the committee, but happy to answer questions or connect you with those who are. Details here: recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09897 02118
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 03/10/2025Many thanks to RUSI for hosting me in London to talk about space security and the transatlantic alliance from the Cold War to today 0120
Reposted by Aaron BatemanWill Thomas @williamthomas.bsky.social · 30/09/2025After a long hiatus, AIP's postdoc position for historians of the physical sciences is back! 3 years, $77,500 per year + benefits. Work in the Washington, DC area, close to Univ of Maryland. Open to US citizens/permanent residents. Apply by Nov. 15! #histsci workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau... 03022
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 30/09/2025Beautiful approach into Heathrow this morning 080
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 27/09/2025At the Elliott School of International Affairs we are searching for a senior scholar (associate or full) of international security who will also be appointed to the Political Science Department. Elliott is a fantastic community. See details below: www.gwu.jobs/postings/122...gwu.jobsAssociate or Full Professor of Political Science and International AffairsSecurity studies: The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and Department of Political Science invite applications for a full-time, tenured faculty position in securi... 076
Reposted by Aaron BatemanAlex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2025Here's a post I've wanted to write up for awhile, tracing the history of the idea of a "Doomsday Machine," from fact to fiction (or maybe it was always, to some degree, fiction): doomsdaymachines.net/p/inventing-...doomsdaymachines.netInventing the Doomsday MachineTracing the idea of a weapon to automatically destroy the world 23911
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 24/09/2025I'm happy to share that my second book, Wiring an Empire: Information Networks and U.S. Global Power in the Cold War, is under advance contract with MIT Press. 0374
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 14/09/2025From the National Reconnaissance Office "Space Race Wasn't Just about the Moon." Good to see the NRO making its history as the single largest source of U.S. intelligence during the Cold War more accessible www.youtube.com/shorts/m4f0K...youtube.comSpace Race SecretsYouTube video by National Reconnaissance Office 0111
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 09/09/2025Interesting new article in JSS about Norwegian-US nuclear intelligence sharing www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 031
Aaron Bateman @aaronbateman.bsky.social · 09/09/2025On 3 Oct I'll be in London to give a talk at RUSI about the origins/ evolution of space-based missile defense and its implications for space security and the transatlantic alliance. If you happen to be in London and are interested, the registration details are below: my.rusi.org/events/the-e...my.rusi.orgThe Evolution of Weapons in Space: A Conversation with Aaron BatemanA conversation with Dr Aaron Bateman, exploring his research on the history of accelerating superpower military competition in space during the late Cold War and thereafter. 0136