This edition of TacNukes News includes updates on political developments in Germany and The Netherlands, and on the B-61 nuclear bomb Life Extension Program in the United States.
NATO
The Challenges of Coherent U.S. Extended Nuclear Deterrence and Assurance
In this brief paper, Paul Ingram discusses U.S. commitments on extended nuclear detterence and expectations among allies. He explores the issues facing NATO and focuses on the UK-US security relationship around Trident.
Nuclear Deterrence Summit: Extended Deterrence and Assurance
On February 12, 2014, BASIC partnered with the ExchangeMonitor to hold a panel discussion on “Extended Deterrence and Assurance” at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Arlington, Virginia, near the Pentagon.
Russian-U.S. nuclear arms control malaise
This week, while all eyes are on the Olympic games in Russia, there may be brewing a quandary for the Obama Administration over how to address an alleged breach of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the two countries. Although the Administration has not formally confirmed its view on whether a violation occurred, several U.S. Congressmen are putting pressure on the Administration to take action (GSN/Feb. 7) against Russia.
An appeal for strategic thinking in security strategy
President Obama will be giving his State of the Union Address tomorrow (Tuesday) night, his chance to outline his national strategy. Americans will be looking for forward-looking inspiration from their Commander-in-Chief. Less in the spotlight, on Thursday the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, will be giving evidence in front of the parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, where he is expected to discuss the operations of the National Security Council and his plans for the next National Security Strategy to be published after the next election in 2015.
Nuclear Diplomacy in 2014
Looking ahead to this coming year, 2014 is full of opportunities for reducing the value of nuclear weapons and developing arms control in ways that could improve security relations. Enough time remains before policymakers and analysts start talking about how we must focus on “managing expectations” for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in the spring of 2015.
NATO ministers meeting should consider security costs of a nuclear defence
Foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Council will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels this week. Chaired by NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, this meeting will likely begin preparations for the 2014 NATO Summit to be held 4-5 September in Newport, South Wales. It is also likely that this week’s meeting will continue the discussions on “Defence Matters”,
Scottish referendum: update & implications on Trident
This morning, the Scottish government published the long-awaited White Paper on Scottish Independence as promised. Scotland’s Future – Your Guide, it is hoped, will act as a comprehensive manual for an independent Scotland. But apart from formally setting out the manifesto points which have already been widely discussed, there are no new surprises concerning the future of Trident concealed within its 670 pages.