David Schmerler Articles

Left to right: Dave Schmerler, Jeffrey Lewis, and Melissa Hanham

True Detectives

On California’s magnificent Central Coast, a group of North Korea experts track Pyongyang’s every nuclear move. But—if we’re listening—the story they’re telling us is also about ourselves.

Richard Engel of NBC News interviews Jeffrey Lewis in Monterey.

NBC News Features Innovative Work of CNS Researchers

“Middlebury isn’t a secret department of the CIA, the NSA, – it is part of a liberal arts college. There are no spies here, just a team of researchers working what is known as open source intelligence.”

Minecraft Underground Bunkers

It’s Nuclear War. Do You Know Where Your Leaders Are?

Take a virtual reality tour of the government’s apocalypse digs. Really.

DPRK missile graphic

When a North Korean Missile Accidentally Hit a North Korean City

Early last year, a North Korean IRBM crashed in a populated area. What does that tell us?

Jeffrey Lewis

With Technology, These Researchers Are Figuring Out North Korea’s Nuclear Secrets

Did North Korea just test another missile engine? Satellite images suggest it did.

North Korea boasts about its nuclear weapons program by releasing photos and videos of its missiles. But in them are tiny clues to their true capability. A team of US analysts, working outside the government, shows how they decode these images to determine when North Korea is bluffing—and when it is showing true power.

Wall Street Journal Video Spotlights CNS “Decoders”

Cutting-edge intelligence tools aren’t just for governments anymore.

North Korea’s Ballistic Missile Program: How We Got Here

For a country with such limited resources, how has North Korea’s ballistic missile program progressed so far?

Melissa Hanham on PBS NewsHour

Technical and Political Insights into North Korea

Warring words, nuclear tests, and increased missile capabilities: CNS experts on the developments and implications.

OP#28: Geo4nonpro.org: A Geospatial Crowd-Sourcing Platform for WMD Verification

OP#28: Geo4nonpro.org: A Geospatial Crowd-Sourcing Platform for WMD Verification

Occasional Paper #28: Geo4nonpro is a web-based platform for public viewing and annotating satellite imagery.

North Korea’s Military Parade: What We Didn’t See

North Korea’s “Day of the Sun” parade suggests shifts in the country’s nuclear ambition.