BASIC Senior Consultant Ted Seay briefly reviews the military and arms control history of TNWs and highlights Russian concerns around forging a new agreement on remaining U.S. and Russian warheads. He concludes the paper by assessing several options for the United States and NATO.
Analysis
Iran meets with IAEA representatives again
Representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran will meet in Tehran on Wednesday of this week to discuss inspections and verification arrangements. The meeting follows several previous unsuccessful attempts between the two sides to agree on a path forward on how to address the possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program.
Obama nominates Republican Senator for Pentagon Head
On Monday, President Obama announced the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel for the position of U.S. Secretary of Defense. Hagel previously served two six-year terms in the Senate, as the Republican representative for Nebraska from 1997-2009.
Trident Publications
Posts about Trident
Trident publications
Publications on Trident
Trident Publications
Publications about Trident
Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty
An FMCT would require that all member states refrain from producing additional bomb-grade fuel for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, but would not obligate them to reduce existing stockpiles. There is no agreed-upon text for such a treaty. The Conference on Disarmament (CD) has been the main venue for negotiations.
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
The Obama Administration committed itself to submitting the CTBT to the Senate for ratification, but support there is uncertain (it requires the support of 67 Senators). This is crucial to several other key states' ratification, and necessary for the Treaty to come into force.
Treaty text (has not entered into force), Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization