U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a compete audit of all U.S. nuclear weapons and materials amid concerns about the military’s management of its atomic assets. The order comes days after the Pentagon learned it had mistakenly sent nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan (Alex Wong/Getty Images). U.S. to Conduct Complete Nuclear Weapons Inventory Defense Secretary Robert Gates has demanded a full-scale audit of all U.S. nuclear weapons and related technology after learning last week that the Pentagon mistakenly shipped four nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan in 2006, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, March 27). Gates ordered the Defense Logistics Agency, the Air Force and the Navy “to verify positive control and accountability” of all nuclear weapons and related materials within 60 days (Josh White, Washington Post, March 28)...Full Story

North Korea Threatens Nuclear Disablement Slowdown North Korea threatened today to slow the process of disablement at its Yongbyon nuclear complex unless the United States stops issuing “unjust demands” during the disarmament process, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, March 27)...Full Story

Progress Seen in U.S.-Russian Strategic Talks U.S. and Russian negotiators in talks this week moved closer to producing a document on strategic areas of agreement, possibly including missile defense, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 19)...Full Story

	Friday, March 28, 2008

Pentagon Proposes Small CTR Budget Cut The U.S. Defense Department is $414.1 million for Cooperative Threat Reduction programs in its next budget, a roughly $11 million drop from the amount it received for this fiscal year, the Partnership for Global Security said Wednesday (see GSN, March 24). The requested budget for fiscal 2009, however, represents a $66 million increase from the CTR funding first sought for fiscal 2008 by the Bush administration.  The next budget year begins Oct. 1. “The major trends in the CTR budget are the continued increase in funding for biological proliferation prevention activities in the former Soviet states and the winding down of nuclear and chemical programs that are nearing completion,” according to the group’s budget analysis. The Pentagon’s Biological Threat Reduction program would receive $184.5 million, a $26-million increase from the current budget. The requested budget would cut funds for securing nuclear weapons storage sites by more than $21 million, from $45.5 million in the current budget to $24.1 million for fiscal 2009. Funds for eliminating Russian strategic armaments would be reduced by slightly more than $10 million under the budget proposal — from $90.6 million to $79.9 million — but the request would boost funds for removing Ukrainian missile components from $2.2 million to $6.4 million. The request eliminates all funds for Russian chemical weapons disposal.  The Defense Department said it has finished deploying disposal equipment and training workers to operate the Russian chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuchye (Partnership for Global Security release, March 26). Back to top

U.S. to Conduct Complete Nuclear Weapons Inventory Defense Secretary Robert Gates has demanded a full-scale audit of all U.S. nuclear weapons and related technology after learning last week that the Pentagon mistakenly shipped four nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan in 2006, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, March 27). Gates ordered the Defense Logistics Agency, the Air Force and the Navy “to verify positive control and accountability” of all nuclear weapons and related materials within 60 days (Josh White, Washington Post, March 28). “At a minimum, your report should include the results of the inventory and your personal assessment of the adequacy of your respective department or agency's positive inventory control policies and procedures,” the defense secretary said in a memo (Barbara Starr, CNN, March 27). Defense officials said the inventory was ordered in response to the “extremely embarrassing” missile fuse incident, which came to light while the Pentagon was still dealing with fallout from the accidental flight of six nuclear-armed cruise missiles across the country last August, the Post reported (see GSN, Nov. 8, 2007). The United States sent the electronic ICBM components to Taiwan in place of helicopter batteries despite rigorous command-and-control procedures governing all U.S. nuclear weapon materials.  The blunder remained undiscovered for 1 1/2 years until Taiwan informed Washington last week that it had received classified warhead technology.  Gates has already ordered a probe of the incident. “This is about the trust and confidence of the American people and our stewardship of the most dangerous weapons in the world,” said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell.  “Getting to the bottom of this incident and ensuring our nuclear arsenal and associated components are properly safeguarded must be a top priority of this department.  Secretary Gates believes this situation is totally and completely unacceptable.” U.S. Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.), co-chairman of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation, said the fuse incident draws attention to the Pentagon’s need to reform its management of nuclear materials (see GSN, March 27). “Otherwise, we run the risk that the next time our sensitive equipment ends up in the wrong hands, it won't simply be a matter of ‘return to sender,’” Markey said in a statement (White, Washington Post, March 28). Back to top       North Korea Threatens Nuclear Disablement Slowdown North Korea threatened today to slow the process of disablement at its Yongbyon nuclear complex unless the United States stops issuing “unjust demands” during the disarmament process, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, March 27). The second phase of a 2007 denuclearization agreement calls for Pyongyang to provide a full declaration of its atomic activities and to disable three key facilities, including the nation’s plutonium-producing reactor.  The deal has faltered this year after Washington charged that North Korea missed the Dec. 31 deadline to completely unveil its nuclear efforts, including suspected uranium enrichment efforts and support for programs in nations such as Syria. “If the U.S. keeps insisting that what does not exist exists and delays the settlement of the nuclear issue, it would have a serious impact on the disablement of nuclear facilities,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a prepared statement. “We make it clear that we have no uranium enrichment program, we have not extended any nuclear help to any country.  We have never dreamed of such things.  There will be never, ever such things,” he added. The United States has failed to meet its obligation under an October agreement to remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the spokesman said.  Removal is one of the economic, diplomatic and security benefits Pyongyang stands to receive for giving up its nuclear sector (Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, March 28). Pyongyang punctuated its rhetoric by launching several short-range, ship-to-ship missiles today, the Associated Press reported.  The launches appear to be a response to the harder line taken by the new South Korean government in relations with its neighbor. South Korean presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan characterized the launches as routine training.  “I believe North Korea would also not want a strain in inter-Korean relations,” he said (Burt Herman, Associated Press I/Washington Post, March 28). “This kind of activity is not constructive,” said U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe, who called on North Korea instead to finish the nuclear declaration (Associated Press II/Time, March 28). South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said he hoped to see the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program resume in April, the Korea Times reported.  The U.S. presidential election in November limits the amount of time left for China, Japan, Russia, the United States and both Koreas to make significant progress in the disarmament effort, he said. “Given the political schedule in the United States, after August, it will become difficult for Washington to implement any significant agreements,” Yu said while in the U.S. capital.  “I’m pointing out that if this is taken into account, we really don’t have much time” (Jung Sung-ki, Korea Times, March 28). U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, Washington’s top envoy to the nuclear negotiations, is scheduled to visit South Korea next week, AP reported.  He is not expected to meet with North Korean officials (Foster Klug, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, March 27). Back to top       More Nuclear Material Shipped from Livermore The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has reduced its stockpile of special nuclear material by 25 percent, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration said yesterday (see GSN, March 18). The agency, a semiautonomous arm of the Energy Department, said a third shipment of fissile material had recently been sent to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.  All special material, which includes plutonium and highly enriched uranium, is scheduled to be removed from Lawrence Livermore by 2012. “We continue to do this safely and securely and within the timeframe we’ve outlined,” NNSA chief Thomas D’Agostino said in a press release.  “I accelerated this project by two years, and we have now reduced our inventory at Livermore by approximately 25 percent.  We are well on our way to keeping our commitment to the Livermore community and the nation as a whole.” Under the Complex Transformation plan, the agency plans to consolidate atomic materials and reduce the square footage of the U.S. nuclear complex.  The intent is to strengthen security while reducing costs and turning the “Cold War-era nuclear complex into a 21st century nuclear security enterprise,” according to the press release (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, March 27). Back to top       Russia Dismantles Six Topol Missiles The Russian military announced yesterday that it had taken apart six Topol mobile missile systems under a 1991 arms control treaty, RIA Novosti reported (see GSN, Oct. 24, 2007). “We scrapped six outdated Topol mobile systems between March 17 and 26,” Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces said in a statement.  “It is the first such procedure conducted this year.” Known in the West as the SS-25 Sickle, the Topol is a single-warhead ICBM whose dimensions are comparable to the U.S. Minuteman missile.  Russia destroyed 36 Topol missiles last year under U.S. supervision. The United States and the Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in July 1991, shortly before the collapse of the communist superpower.  Under the pact, Russia and the United States can deploy no more than 6,000 nuclear warheads on 1,600 delivery vehicles.  The other present-day signatories — Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine — have relinquished their nuclear weapons. The treaty is scheduled to expire in December 2009 (RIA Novosti, March 27). Back to top       Canada Lashed French Missile Tests, Documents Show Canada has urged France to reconsider conducting ballistic missile tests over the northern Atlantic Ocean due to concerns that the exercises could threaten regional air traffic, the Globe and Mail reported today (see GSN, June 21, 2007) The Canadian Foreign Affairs and International Trade Department has filed two grievances with the French government over strategic missile tests in the past 16 months, according to briefing documents obtained by the newspaper. In August 2006, the agency “sent an interim response to the French Embassy in Ottawa outlining Canada's strong concerns over the French plans and asking France to reconsider its intention to proceed with the test,” which was scheduled for the following November, according to one document. When France tested its M-51 missile on Nov. 9, Canadian aviation officials ordered aircraft to fly 300 miles around test areas as a safeguard against “falling rocket debris” (see GSN, Nov. 10, 2006). In 2007, Canada expressed disapproval of another North Atlantic missile test France had scheduled for June of that year. "The government of Canada expressed strong concerns over France's proposed missile test, on the grounds of public safety, potentially high costs to airlines and the general additional uncertainty this imposes on air traffic," according to a Canadian document. Canada barred flights from moving within 180 nautical miles of areas affected by the June 21 test.  The test missile landed in U.S. waters, just short of entering Canadian airspace, according to officials (Steven Chase, Globe and Mail, March 28). Back to top

Progress Seen in U.S.-Russian Strategic Talks U.S. and Russian negotiators in talks this week moved closer to producing a document on strategic areas of agreement, possibly including missile defense, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 19). The “strategic framework” is intended to address nonproliferation, foreign affairs and other areas where Moscow and Washington’s interests converge and to detail points where U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reached agreement. “We still have some more work to be done, but I think we have settled the bulk of the issues,” said Undersecretary of State John Rood, one of the leaders of the U.S. team that met for two days with Russian officials in Washington. “There are significant issues that still need to be resolved,” he added yesterday.  “Missile defense would be one of them.” It remains to be seen if the document can be finished before Bush and Putin meet next month in Russia, AP reported (see GSN, March 27).  Further communication is planned over the next few days, officials said.  Putin steps down as president in May — though he is set to become Russian prime minister — and Bush leaves office in January (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, March 28). “It is important that both countries complete a presidential transition,” said acting Undersecretary of State Daniel Fried, who joined Rood in the negotiations.  “We thought it was important to have this (strategic framework) document as a positive platform in the U.S.-Russian relationship as we go forward” (Pleming/Roberts, Reuters/Washington Post, March 27). Russia has been the most vocal opponent of the Bush administration’s plan to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic.  Russian leaders have argued that the European missile defense would threaten their country’s security while dismissing U.S. claims that the system is needed to counter an Iranian missile threat. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week presented Russian leaders with proposals intended to reduce their concerns about the system.  The measures include giving Russian officials access to the sites and keeping them nonoperational until Iran is proven to present a missile threat to Europe. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that the proposals are still being studied, AP reported. “We are convinced that the best way to assuage Russia’s concerns … will be to abandon such plans and turn to a truly collective project,” he said (AP, March 28). Back to top

U.S. Plays Down Colombia Uranium Threat There is little chance that uranium recovered in Colombia could have been used to produce a radiological “dirty bomb,” U.S. officials said in a Los Angeles Times article published today (see GSN, March 27). Colombia’s vice president said earlier this month that laptop computers recovered following a strike on a rebel site in Ecuador indicated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was seeking material that could be used in a radiological weapon.  The nation’s Defense Ministry announced this week that a 66-pound stash of uranium had been found near Bogota. Colombian officials have indicated that the material was depleted uranium, said State Department spokeswoman Heidi Bronke.  Depleted uranium would not possess the radioactivity needed for a dirty bomb, which would use conventional explosives to disperse dangerous material, said Charles Ferguson, a nuclear weapons analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations. A depleted uranium weapon could “have panicked people for a little while, but the alarm wouldn’t have lasted,” he said. The information on the computers has not yet been independently verified and could be part of a disinformation campaign against the rebel group, analysts said.  The U.S. intelligence community believes that at least some of the information is probably true, a senior official said. However, since the recovered material was “depleted, not enriched … what’s the use of that other than irritating people?” the official said. The rebel group might have been scammed into buying a form of uranium that is cheap and easily found, said another U.S. official. “The real story is the very fact that FARC is looking for uranium, even if they got scammed this time,” the official said.  “The very fact that they are out there looking for it is troubling” (Los Angeles Times, March 28). Back to top       Ontario to Conduct “Dirty Bomb” Drill Ontario emergency workers plan to respond to a simulated radiological “dirty bomb” detonation along a Canadian highway tomorrow in an exercise to prepare health personnel to handle large numbers of victims in a WMD attack, Centennial College said (see GSN, Feb. 19). The drill would follow a daylong conference on WMD preparedness and response in the city and is expected to involve doctors, nurses, administrators and specialists from two hospitals as well as crisis managers, social workers, security personnel, students and educators. Drill organizers plan to monitor hospital workers for their response to large numbers of patients seeking radiation exposure testing (Canada NewsWire release, March 27).   Back to top

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