November/December I&A, Future Plans

The November I&A has begun to filter out to subscribers. Expect to find it in your inbox today or tomorrow.

The December I&A will feature numerous topics related to the PLA, similar to what was seen in October for Russia. Topics being worked on so far incldue the following:

-The PLA's 2nd Artillery
-PLA Ballistic Missile Launch Sites
-The PLAN's SSBN Force
-Current Chinese SAM Developments
-Iranian Ghadir SSC Production

Once the December issue goes out to subscribers, I will make the 11 issues completed to date available for download here, along with the KML files distributed with each issue. I'll also post a list of the complete contents of each issue.

I&A November Update

With the tehnical problems involving the distribution of October's issue in the past, I'm already putting together the November issue. The November issue is going to be largely contributor-driven, thanks to a large number of submissions waiting in the wings for Red October to get out of the way!

Topics being prepared by contributors are as follows:

Current Events: Umm Aitiqah AB, Libya (the lack of airstrikes)
Facility Analysis: SLOCs in the South China Sea
Tech Notes: Iran's Nahang SSC
Conflict Analysis (a new area): Nagorno-Karabakh
Facility Analysis: Denial and Deception at Bandar-e-Abbas

I may or may not insert the obligatory air-defense related piece. Right now, the issue doesn't seem to need it, but if I get a good idea there may be one stuck in there by the time the issue is released.

At any rate, November is looking very good so far! I'm very pleased with the work the contributors are doing to date, and I hope to see more from them in the future.

Oh, and sometime later this week, I'll update the SAM Site Overview file again.

October's I&A

...has finally begun distribution. I ran into a few delays related to underestimating how long it would take to create the graphics, and real-life things to deal with (namely, the things I actually get paid for!).

November's I&A is shaping up nicely, with a host of contributor pieces and a few other interesting features. The good news is that lots of contributor features means that I can get started early on the centerpiece of December's I&A, a look at the PLA's 2nd Artillery.

EDIT: Yes, I know the link is broken. This is a problem with Google Documents, and apparently a common one following their "upgrade". However, I have defeated Google and figured out how to fix this. Everyone who got the link today will get the corrected version tomorrow, with the remaining subscribers getting the link on Sunday. Now, do I add "computer programmer" to my resume, or do I call it something else?

September's I&A

September's I&A has begun to go out to subscribers. If you did not get it in today's mailing, you will get it in tomorrow's. Remember to check your spam folder if you don't see it right away!

And what's this? I actually got one out on the 15th? Everyone head to your respective basements, as the end of the world is surely upon us!

I&A September Update, Other Notes

I&A's September issue has seen a few content changes to accomodate some things I've had going on around here, and is still on schedule to go out by the end of this week.

Here are the current topics being finalized:

-Current Events: The ex-Varyag goes to sea (and the implications thereof)
-Air Defense: China's Airborne Surveillance Platforms (a contributor piece, you'll get a charge out of this one!)
-Tech Notes: The RVV-BD (Russia's new BVR AAM, complete with fun graphics)
-Historical Perspective: China's Type 094 Force (assessing the force strength)

The October issue is still going to be Russian-centric. It will feature an air defense overview (including space surveillance and the fighter force), a nuclear forces overview (including bombers and SSBNs), facility analyses of Sary Shagan and Zhukovskiy (moved from September), and a historical look at former ICBM sites. The first two articles are already in progress, and will not be small!

In other news, expect a SAM Site Overview update to be posted later this week. Over 80 new sites have been incorporated, making this the largest update of the year by far.

Lastly, I am getting repeat requests for I&A subscriptions. If you think you've already subscribed, make sure you are checking your spam folder when I announce that the issue has gone out. Your e-mail provider might think I&A is spam since it is a mass e-mailing. Rest assured I add everyone who subscribes, so the problem shouldn't (in theory) be at my end.

I&A August Update, Notes

I&A's August issue just began distribution. If you didn't get it today, you'll get it tomorrow. Topics include Taiwan's SAM network, an analysis of the Tabriz S Silo Complex, and a new contributor piece by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Marv Gordner on intelligence integration.

A few other relevant notes:

1. Please stop asking for back issues when you subscribe! I don't have the time to process every single request, and you'll soon discover that when you get each month's subscription info, you get links to all of the back issues as well.

2. That being said, if you have a legitimate request for information, such as for doctoral or professional work, send me a separate e-mail outlining your request and I'll be happy to assist. I'm just trying to avoid a hundred people all asking for the back issues each month, when you're going to get them all anyway!

3. September topics: I haven't sorted out most of the content areas yet, but there will be a facility analysis of Zhukovskiy, and a software review piece on FalconView.

I&A: Subscribing & Contents So Far

It seems that the subscription info for I&A manages to be one of the most-requested items around here, so here it is again for those interested:

-Send an email to imintandanalysisATgmail.com with Subscribe PDF in the subject line.

That's it!

Every month you get a link to download the current PDF file through Google Documents, with additional links to download all of the previous issues for those who weren't among the initial group of subscribers.

Here's an overview of the major features published in the last six months, broken down by content area:

Air Defense
-Armenia
-Azerbaijan
-China's Hybrid SAM Sites
-China's Strategic SAM Network
-Contact Line: Armenia/Azerbaijan
-Nagorno Karabakh
-The S-300P/S-400

Current Events
-Iranian Silos "Unveiled"
-The J-20 in Imagery
-Latakia Port Facility
-The Libyan Lesson
-Pakistan and Bin Laden
-PRC NAVAIR Developments

Facility Analysis
-Fukushima
-Karachi Port Facility

Historical Perspective
-Analysis Over Time
-OTH-SW Deployment in China
-SAM Modernization in China
-SAM Site Analysis

Software
-Facility Drawings in GIMP
-Google Earth

Strategic Warfare
-Iranian SSM Facilities
-Pakistani Nuclear Facilities
-Soviet/Russian ABM Systems
-Soviet/Russian BMEW
-War of the Weird

Tech Notes
-China's New AAM
-IADS Classification
-The J-20's Real Impact