Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
@mknight.bsky.social
Senior Research Associate @ Federation of American Scientists - Nuclear Information Project
Mother to a demonic chihuahua named Pippin 🐾
Views are my own
Mother to a demonic chihuahua named Pippin 🐾
Views are my own
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
Three days after Trump created a storm of confusion and concern by announcing he had directed Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons, Secretary of Energy finally clarifies US tests are”noncritical” that don’t produce a nuclear explosion. apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump's testing plans for US nuclear weapons won't include explosions, energy secretary says
Energy Secretary Chris Wright says that new tests of the U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered up by President Donald Trump will not include nuclear explosions.
apnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Three days after Trump created a storm of confusion and concern by announcing he had directed Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons, Secretary of Energy finally clarifies US tests are”noncritical” that don’t produce a nuclear explosion. apnews.com/article/trum...
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
Nuclear Information Project Senior Research Associates + Nuclear Notebook co-authors @mknight.bsky.social and @elianajjohns.bsky.social break down the President's interesting post about a return to nuclear testing line by line.
📍 www.instagram.com/reel/DQegwky...
📍 www.instagram.com/reel/DQegwky...
October 31, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Nuclear Information Project Senior Research Associates + Nuclear Notebook co-authors @mknight.bsky.social and @elianajjohns.bsky.social break down the President's interesting post about a return to nuclear testing line by line.
📍 www.instagram.com/reel/DQegwky...
📍 www.instagram.com/reel/DQegwky...
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
1/n - Trump says something about nuclear weapons tests...It’s hard to know what he means. As usual, he’s unclear, all over the map, and wrong.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
October 30, 2025 at 6:22 AM
1/n - Trump says something about nuclear weapons tests...It’s hard to know what he means. As usual, he’s unclear, all over the map, and wrong.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
We're getting nights like this basically monthly now, and the major funders of nuclear policy work are still retreating
October 30, 2025 at 1:42 AM
We're getting nights like this basically monthly now, and the major funders of nuclear policy work are still retreating
Me making a social media appearance for the first time in months to make fun of Donald Trump
a woman in a pink skirt is standing in a doorway
ALT: a woman in a pink skirt is standing in a doorway
media.tenor.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Me making a social media appearance for the first time in months to make fun of Donald Trump
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
[sigh]
- We don't have the most
- We're just getting started on "update and renovation"
- Other countries aren't testing
- DOW (DOD) doesn't do that
- It's not happening immediately lol
- We don't have the most
- We're just getting started on "update and renovation"
- Other countries aren't testing
- DOW (DOD) doesn't do that
- It's not happening immediately lol
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”
October 30, 2025 at 1:11 AM
[sigh]
- We don't have the most
- We're just getting started on "update and renovation"
- Other countries aren't testing
- DOW (DOD) doesn't do that
- It's not happening immediately lol
- We don't have the most
- We're just getting started on "update and renovation"
- Other countries aren't testing
- DOW (DOD) doesn't do that
- It's not happening immediately lol
I’ll give someone $1000 if they can find one factually correct statement in this post
October 30, 2025 at 1:37 AM
I’ll give someone $1000 if they can find one factually correct statement in this post
Interestingly, following recent reports that Sentinel would require "predominantly" new silos, the GAO report says only: "the Air Force is reassessing all aspects of its plan to field Sentinel, including the extent to which Sentinel will use the existing Minuteman III launch facilities."
New report from the GAO on the Sentinel ICBM program 👀 this should be good
www.gao.gov
September 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Interestingly, following recent reports that Sentinel would require "predominantly" new silos, the GAO report says only: "the Air Force is reassessing all aspects of its plan to field Sentinel, including the extent to which Sentinel will use the existing Minuteman III launch facilities."
With the new GAO Sentinel report out, this feels like a great time to promote @mattkorda.bsky.social and I's recent report on Sentinel: The Two-Hundred Billion Dollar Boondoggle.
We knew the Air Force would have to life-extend MMIII (and that they could have all along). Read more below 👇
We knew the Air Force would have to life-extend MMIII (and that they could have all along). Read more below 👇
The Two-Hundred Billion Dollar Boondoggle - Federation of American Scientists
Nearly one year after the Pentagon certified the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program to continue after it incurred critical cost and schedule overruns, the new nuclear missile could on...
fas.org
September 10, 2025 at 3:22 PM
With the new GAO Sentinel report out, this feels like a great time to promote @mattkorda.bsky.social and I's recent report on Sentinel: The Two-Hundred Billion Dollar Boondoggle.
We knew the Air Force would have to life-extend MMIII (and that they could have all along). Read more below 👇
We knew the Air Force would have to life-extend MMIII (and that they could have all along). Read more below 👇
GAO confirms what Defense Daily reported back in January: "Air Force officials are assessing options to potentially operate Minuteman III through 2050."
I seem to recall many arguments in favor of Sentinel resting on the premise that Minuteman could not be life extended 🤔
I seem to recall many arguments in favor of Sentinel resting on the premise that Minuteman could not be life extended 🤔
New report from the GAO on the Sentinel ICBM program 👀 this should be good
www.gao.gov
September 10, 2025 at 3:12 PM
GAO confirms what Defense Daily reported back in January: "Air Force officials are assessing options to potentially operate Minuteman III through 2050."
I seem to recall many arguments in favor of Sentinel resting on the premise that Minuteman could not be life extended 🤔
I seem to recall many arguments in favor of Sentinel resting on the premise that Minuteman could not be life extended 🤔
New report from the GAO on the Sentinel ICBM program 👀 this should be good
www.gao.gov
September 10, 2025 at 3:00 PM
New report from the GAO on the Sentinel ICBM program 👀 this should be good
don't worry guys there's gonna be a coffee bar at the new F-35 complex at Kleine-Brogel
www.jandenul.com/news/foundat...
www.jandenul.com/news/foundat...
September 9, 2025 at 7:19 PM
don't worry guys there's gonna be a coffee bar at the new F-35 complex at Kleine-Brogel
www.jandenul.com/news/foundat...
www.jandenul.com/news/foundat...
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
With deranged chest-thumper in Oval Office, what to think about president having sole authority to order launch of US nukes? My colleague @mknight.bsky.social does deep dive on history, mechanics, and proposed changes to this arrangement. It’s not a black and white as you might think.👇
The president has sole authority to order nuclear use- How did we get here? How does it work? What’s the issue? Can we solve it?
My new @scientistsorg.bsky.social report on nuclear launch authority in the U.S. - “All the King’s Weapons” - is out! Read it below 👇
fas.org/publication/...
My new @scientistsorg.bsky.social report on nuclear launch authority in the U.S. - “All the King’s Weapons” - is out! Read it below 👇
fas.org/publication/...
September 5, 2025 at 6:17 PM
With deranged chest-thumper in Oval Office, what to think about president having sole authority to order launch of US nukes? My colleague @mknight.bsky.social does deep dive on history, mechanics, and proposed changes to this arrangement. It’s not a black and white as you might think.👇
The president has sole authority to order nuclear use- How did we get here? How does it work? What’s the issue? Can we solve it?
My new @scientistsorg.bsky.social report on nuclear launch authority in the U.S. - “All the King’s Weapons” - is out! Read it below 👇
fas.org/publication/...
My new @scientistsorg.bsky.social report on nuclear launch authority in the U.S. - “All the King’s Weapons” - is out! Read it below 👇
fas.org/publication/...
September 5, 2025 at 1:37 PM
The president has sole authority to order nuclear use- How did we get here? How does it work? What’s the issue? Can we solve it?
My new @scientistsorg.bsky.social report on nuclear launch authority in the U.S. - “All the King’s Weapons” - is out! Read it below 👇
fas.org/publication/...
My new @scientistsorg.bsky.social report on nuclear launch authority in the U.S. - “All the King’s Weapons” - is out! Read it below 👇
fas.org/publication/...
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
My colleagues and I here at the FAS Nuclear Information Project have posted this analysis of the nukes at the Chinese victory day parade. If you have corrections/suggestions, please let us know. fas.org/publication/...
Nuclear Weapons At China's 2025 Victory Day Parade - Federation of American Scientists
This buildup appears to contradict China's obligations under the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and could well stimulate nuclear buildups in the United States and India.
fas.org
September 4, 2025 at 1:47 PM
My colleagues and I here at the FAS Nuclear Information Project have posted this analysis of the nukes at the Chinese victory day parade. If you have corrections/suggestions, please let us know. fas.org/publication/...
Lots to read from our team today!
🚨 Our latest @scientistsorg.bsky.social nuclear notebook is out in @thebulletin.org:
🇵🇰 Pakistan nuclear weapons, 2025
by @nukestrat.bsky.social, @mattkorda.bsky.social, @elianajjohns.bsky.social, and yours truly
Read it below ⬇️
🚨 Our latest @scientistsorg.bsky.social nuclear notebook is out in @thebulletin.org:
🇵🇰 Pakistan nuclear weapons, 2025
by @nukestrat.bsky.social, @mattkorda.bsky.social, @elianajjohns.bsky.social, and yours truly
Read it below ⬇️
Pakistan nuclear weapons, 2025
Pakistan currently has a stockpile of approximately 170 nuclear warheads—a number that could potentially grow to around 200 by the late 2020s.
thebulletin.org
September 4, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Lots to read from our team today!
🚨 Our latest @scientistsorg.bsky.social nuclear notebook is out in @thebulletin.org:
🇵🇰 Pakistan nuclear weapons, 2025
by @nukestrat.bsky.social, @mattkorda.bsky.social, @elianajjohns.bsky.social, and yours truly
Read it below ⬇️
🚨 Our latest @scientistsorg.bsky.social nuclear notebook is out in @thebulletin.org:
🇵🇰 Pakistan nuclear weapons, 2025
by @nukestrat.bsky.social, @mattkorda.bsky.social, @elianajjohns.bsky.social, and yours truly
Read it below ⬇️
TL;DR of nukes at China's military parade yesterday:
🤔 DF-61 - new ICBM??
🕳️ DF-31BJ - silo loader?
✈️ air-launched ballistic missile?
🔺 entire nuclear triad displayed for first time
Read our @scientistsorg.bsky.social team's full analysis below:
🤔 DF-61 - new ICBM??
🕳️ DF-31BJ - silo loader?
✈️ air-launched ballistic missile?
🔺 entire nuclear triad displayed for first time
Read our @scientistsorg.bsky.social team's full analysis below:
Nuclear Weapons At China's 2025 Victory Day Parade - Federation of American Scientists
This buildup appears to contradict China's obligations under the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and could well stimulate nuclear buildups in the United States and India.
fas.org
September 4, 2025 at 1:48 PM
TL;DR of nukes at China's military parade yesterday:
🤔 DF-61 - new ICBM??
🕳️ DF-31BJ - silo loader?
✈️ air-launched ballistic missile?
🔺 entire nuclear triad displayed for first time
Read our @scientistsorg.bsky.social team's full analysis below:
🤔 DF-61 - new ICBM??
🕳️ DF-31BJ - silo loader?
✈️ air-launched ballistic missile?
🔺 entire nuclear triad displayed for first time
Read our @scientistsorg.bsky.social team's full analysis below:
If u need me I'll be grumbling in the corner about China calling the new ALBM the JL-1
September 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
If u need me I'll be grumbling in the corner about China calling the new ALBM the JL-1
My sister and I are running the Chicago Marathon this October to raise money for the American Liver Foundation, and we’re just over $1000 away from our $5k goal! Please consider donating at the following link to help us reach the finish line 🤩🏁: liverlifechallenge.org/chicago/supp...
August 27, 2025 at 5:49 PM
My sister and I are running the Chicago Marathon this October to raise money for the American Liver Foundation, and we’re just over $1000 away from our $5k goal! Please consider donating at the following link to help us reach the finish line 🤩🏁: liverlifechallenge.org/chicago/supp...
80 years since the US dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. This is not history - there are still survivors of this bombing alive today. It is our duty, as the last generation capable of hearing their direct testimony, to listen to their stories and ensure it never happens again.
August 6, 2025 at 5:12 PM
80 years since the US dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. This is not history - there are still survivors of this bombing alive today. It is our duty, as the last generation capable of hearing their direct testimony, to listen to their stories and ensure it never happens again.
Absolutely disgusted and disappointed to be a Hoosier with this news. Giving a literal concentration camp a quirky alliterative name - especially one that’s supposed to invoke some sort of Indiana pride - is pure evil.
A new immigrant detention center will be opening in Indiana called the “Speedway Slammer,” modeled after Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz.”
On #playbookpod, Megan Messerly explains why the rhetoric used by the administration to describe these centers is significant.
🎧 Listen here: ow.ly/yY5B50WAzH8
On #playbookpod, Megan Messerly explains why the rhetoric used by the administration to describe these centers is significant.
🎧 Listen here: ow.ly/yY5B50WAzH8
August 6, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Absolutely disgusted and disappointed to be a Hoosier with this news. Giving a literal concentration camp a quirky alliterative name - especially one that’s supposed to invoke some sort of Indiana pride - is pure evil.
It’s not every job where you get to teach a roomful of aspiring OSINT practitioners how to dissect and analyze satellite imagery for nuclear weapons research. But this is a real workplace hazard at @scientistsorg.bsky.social. Inaugural OSINT Bootcamp was 💯🤩
Let's do it again every day, ok guys? 🥹
Let's do it again every day, ok guys? 🥹
July 16, 2025 at 4:24 PM
It’s not every job where you get to teach a roomful of aspiring OSINT practitioners how to dissect and analyze satellite imagery for nuclear weapons research. But this is a real workplace hazard at @scientistsorg.bsky.social. Inaugural OSINT Bootcamp was 💯🤩
Let's do it again every day, ok guys? 🥹
Let's do it again every day, ok guys? 🥹
My latest in @postopinions.bsky.social - the 5th installment of our @scientistsorg.bsky.social series "The Next Nuclear Age"
How a president might come to launch a nuclear strike
Massive thanks to @sebphilippe.bsky.social for helping us model what a nuclear attack on DC might look like
⬇️⬇️
How a president might come to launch a nuclear strike
Massive thanks to @sebphilippe.bsky.social for helping us model what a nuclear attack on DC might look like
⬇️⬇️
Opinion | How a nuclear attack on the U.S. might unfold, step by step
A scenario of America’s response to an incoming nuclear attack.
wapo.st
July 2, 2025 at 2:28 PM
My latest in @postopinions.bsky.social - the 5th installment of our @scientistsorg.bsky.social series "The Next Nuclear Age"
How a president might come to launch a nuclear strike
Massive thanks to @sebphilippe.bsky.social for helping us model what a nuclear attack on DC might look like
⬇️⬇️
How a president might come to launch a nuclear strike
Massive thanks to @sebphilippe.bsky.social for helping us model what a nuclear attack on DC might look like
⬇️⬇️
Reposted by Mackenzie Knight-Boyle
NEW REPORT from @nukestrat.bsky.social, @mattkorda.bsky.social, @elianajjohns.bsky.social, and @mknight.bsky.social, with generous support from @norskfolkehjelp.bsky.social
🔗 fas.org/publication/targeting-strategies-nuclear-armed-states/
🔗 fas.org/publication/targeting-strategies-nuclear-armed-states/
June 30, 2025 at 2:09 PM
NEW REPORT from @nukestrat.bsky.social, @mattkorda.bsky.social, @elianajjohns.bsky.social, and @mknight.bsky.social, with generous support from @norskfolkehjelp.bsky.social
🔗 fas.org/publication/targeting-strategies-nuclear-armed-states/
🔗 fas.org/publication/targeting-strategies-nuclear-armed-states/
🚨Our @scientistsorg.bsky.social team's latest piece is out in our Next Nuclear Age series with @postopinions.bsky.social:🚨
@jonatomic.bsky.social, @nukestrat.bsky.social, and @mattkorda.bsky.social discuss the uncertain and worrisome future of nuclear proliferation in this phenomenal piece:
@jonatomic.bsky.social, @nukestrat.bsky.social, and @mattkorda.bsky.social discuss the uncertain and worrisome future of nuclear proliferation in this phenomenal piece:
Opinion | What’s making some countries daydream about nukes again?
With or without Iran, the number of nuclear states could double, raising the risk of catastrophe.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:49 PM
🚨Our @scientistsorg.bsky.social team's latest piece is out in our Next Nuclear Age series with @postopinions.bsky.social:🚨
@jonatomic.bsky.social, @nukestrat.bsky.social, and @mattkorda.bsky.social discuss the uncertain and worrisome future of nuclear proliferation in this phenomenal piece:
@jonatomic.bsky.social, @nukestrat.bsky.social, and @mattkorda.bsky.social discuss the uncertain and worrisome future of nuclear proliferation in this phenomenal piece: