Getting to Zero Update

In this issue:

BASIC and Getting to Zero (GTZ)

Gordon Brown has put Trident on the table

BASIC was involved in prior consultation, along with other London think-tanks, with Downing Street in advance of the Prime Minister’s speech of March 17. Paul Ingram was the primary source for the report on the speech in the Guardian: Julian Borger, Guardian.co.uk, March 17, 2009.

International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference, 17-18 March

BASIC was one of a small handful of think-tanks represented at the UK Foreign Office’s international conference for diplomats addressed by the Prime Minister and two other Cabinet Ministers. Delegates discussed the options for cooperation around the international supply of nuclear fuel in advance of discussions at the IAEA in June. It became clear that there was a significant trust deficit that supplier states have to fill to convince recipients of their intentions.

Visit to French military fissile material production facilities, 16 March

BASIC, along with several NGOs, think-tanks and academics from the UK, US and European countries, were represented on a visit to France’s former military reactors, enrichment and reprocessing facilities that had been closed for over ten years and were in the process of dismantlement.

Upcoming event

Options for NATO: Pressing the reset button on the Strategic Concept, A two-day civil society shadow conference to coincide with NATO’s anniversary summit
Organized by BASIC, Bertelsmann Stiftung, ISIS Europe, and NATO Watch
Location: Hotel Leopold, 35 Rue du Luxembourg (Day 1) and European Parliament, Rue Wiertz (Day 2), Brussels, March 31-April 1, 2009

Commitments to disarmament and arms control

UK Prime Minister calls for further reductions in nuclear arsenals

Making more explicit the linkage between nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on current nuclear weapons states to multilaterally reduce their arsenals in an effort to generate more non-proliferation cooperation from non-nuclear weapons states. In the speech before the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference at Lancaster House in London on March 17, Brown highlighted Britain’s “Road to 2010” Plan, which will include “detailed proposals on civil nuclear power, disarmament and non-proliferation, on fissile material security and the role and development of the [International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA].” Brown reaffirmed the government’s decision to replace Trident, but said that Britain may be able to reduce missile tubes on each submarine from 16 down to 12, and concluded, “If it is possible to reduce the number of UK warheads further, consistent with our national deterrence and with the progress of multilateral discussions, Britain will be ready to do so.” (For more information, see BASIC’s GTZ blog.) In a speech before the US Congress in Washington on March 4, the Prime Minister pledged to work with President Obama to “reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation, and reduce the stockpile of nuclear weapons.”

START Update – officials reaffirm commitment to treaty follow-up

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met in Geneva on March 6 to discuss Russia’s relations with the United States and NATO. At the press conference following the meeting, Lavrov and Clinton voiced their intention to find a replacement agreement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) by the end of the year. Lavrov explained that the existing treaty has become “obsolete,” and that a new agreement is required to secure further arms reductions. Clinton indicated that verification protocols were discussed and would be “part of the agenda.” In a statement made in February, Lavrov had made clear that any new agreement following START should address strategic concerns and stockpiled nuclear weapons, and that Washingtons final decision on missile defense would affect negotiations.

In a subsequent speech delivered at the Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament on March 7, Lavrov added that drafting a new treaty would be an important factor in improving US -Russian relations. He also recommended a ban on the weaponization of space and deployment of conventionally armed strategic offensive weapons. He warned non-nuclear states not to develop nuclear weapons programs, and expressed support for regional nuclear-free zones. Calling for strategic openness, he also urged the United States to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which Russia ratified in 2000.

United States meets requirements of SORT three years early

In early February the United States met the requirements of the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT). Under the terms of SORT, commonly referred to as the Moscow Treaty, the United States and Russia are required to reduce the number of their operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads to between 1,700-2,200 by the year 2012. Russia reportedly still has a strategic arsenal of roughly 2,700 deployed warheads, but is on schedule to meet the 2012 deadline, and has plans for further reductions. Both countries are still thought to hold thousands of additional nuclear warheads that are not operationally deployed. The treaty also expires in 2012, so both countries could then choose to increase their warhead deployments unless limits are established under a new treaty.

Italian G8 Presidency adds nuclear disarmament to agenda

In his address to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on March 3, Italian Foreign Undersecretary Vincenzo Scotti said that nuclear disarmament will be a priority during his country’s presidency of the G8 in 2009. Other topics vying for attention on the Italian Presidency’s agenda include the global economic crisis, climate change, energy security, and Africa, among other issues. Last summer, four prominent Italian political figures and a physicist wrote an op-ed that endorsed the vision of a world without nuclear weapons.

Further reading

Renew the drive for CTBT ratification(PDF)
Jofi Joseph, Washington Quarterly, April 2009

No more atom boom
Guardian editorial, Guardian.co.uk (Comment is free), March 17, 2009

Brown’s mixed signals on nuclear
Martin Butcher, Guardian.co.uk (Comment is free), March 17, 2009

Atomic Heritage Foundation hosts Revisiting Reykjavik Symposium
Atomic Heritage Foundation Website, March 14, 2009

START Resource Center
The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, March 10, 2009

IAEA to choose new chief in March 26 election
Mark Heinrich and Sylvia Westall, Star, March 5, 2009

Broadening the disarmament agenda through START
Pavel Podvig, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 4, 20090

Enhanced nuclear inspections OKd for UAE
Global Security Newswire, March 4, 2009

Don’t miss this opportunity to end nuclear testing – once and for all
Barry M Blechman, Henry L Stimson Center, March 2, 2009

Complete cutoff: Designing a comprehensive fissile material treaty
Arend Meerburg and Frank N von Hippel, Arms Control Today, March 2009

Five plus three: How to have a meaningful and helpful fissile material cutoff treaty
Christopher A Ford, Arms Control Today, March 2009

List of submissions to the Inquiry into Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, Parliament of Australia, February 25, 2009

Getting to Zero
Michael Krepon, Daily Times (Pakistan), February 24, 2009

Joint statement by Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi on the conclusion of the Second Meeting of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, February 15, 2009

Country Reports

United States

Obama administration ends development work for Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW)

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has distributed a factsheet outlining the Obama administration’s budget for the Department of Energy (DOE) in FY 2010. The OMB reports, “Development work on the Reliable Replacement Warhead ceases, while continued work to improve the nuclear stockpile’s safety, security, and reliability is enhanced with more expansive life extension programs.” It was unclear what form the “more expansive life extension programs” will take.

US auditors express concerns over nuclear warhead maintenance programs
The US Departments of Defense and Energy need to more effectively manage nuclear weapons life extension programs, according to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO report of March 2009 said that the DOD and the National Nuclear Security Administration (housed within the DOE) “have not effectively managed cost, schedule, and technical risks for either the B61 or W76 life extension program.” The GAO concluded that these management problems could bode ill for any new weapons programs, such as the one that has been proposed for an RRW.

Possibility of NNSA relocation

The Washington Post reported on March 4 that the OMB has directed the Energy and Defense departments to study the possibility of transferring management and budget of the NNSA from the Energy Department to Defense in FY 2011. Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (Democrat-California), Chair of the Strategic Armed Services Strategic Subcommittee, opposes the move, citing the importance of civilian control over the NNSA’s nuclear weapons labs.

Newly-formed Senate Caucus on “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMD)

In February, Senators Robert Casey (Democrat-Pennsylvania) and Richard Burr (Republican-North Carolina) formed a caucus to address chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism. Other Senators in the caucus include: Evan Bayh (D-Indiana), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Joseph Lieberman (Independent-Connecticut), and Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia). The new caucus will hold regular conferences and meetings with leaders and experts to prescribe legislation intended to counter threats posed by “WMD” terrorism.

Further reading

Nuclear notebook: US nuclear forces, 2009(PDF)
Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March/April 2009

Kingsbury revives city nuke issue
Matt Batcheldor, The Olympian (Washington), March 2009

Statement of Kevin P Chilton (PDF)
Commander, US Strategic Command, Before the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, House Armed Services Committee, on the US Strategic Command, March 17, 2009

Leveraging science for security: A strategy for the nuclear weapons laboratories in the 21st century (PDF)
Frances Fragos Townsend, Lt Gen. (Ret) Donald Kerrick, Elizabeth Turpen, PhD, Henry L Stimson Center, March 2009

DOE: Broken system for protecting nuclear material could compromise Los Alamos operations
Project on Government Oversight, February 26, 2009

Cirincione versus Murdock debate recap (debate on Reliable Replacement Warhead)
PONI Debates the Issues, Center for Strategic and International Studies, February 12, 2009

France and United Kingdom

On February 3 or 4, two nuclear-armed submarines from the United Kingdom and France collided in the Atlantic Ocean. The French sub Le Triomphant and the British sub the HMS Vanguard were on routine patrol when the collision occurred. London and Paris acknowledged the incident on February 16. Reportedly, the collision occurred at low speed and there were no injuries or radiation leaks. However, the collision has raised questions about why the two allies failed to notify the other or to detect each other’s presence, and has placed in doubt the safety of the nuclear sub patrols.

Further reading

Unblocking the Road to Zero: France and the United Kingdom(PDF)
Dr Bruno Tertrais, Sir Lawrence Freedman, and Dr Barry Blechman, ed, Henry L Stimson Center, February 2009

A dangerous nuclear game
Kate Hudson, Guardian.co.uk, February 10, 2009

Iran

IAEA Report on Iran

On February 19 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released its latest report on Iran’s nuclear program. The Agency’s monitoring of these facilities indicates that the sites are operating as declared and still producing low-enriched uranium (LEU). The IAEA did not find evidence of further enrichment of the LEU, which would be a necessary step for Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. However, the IAEA also reports that throughout January and February, Iran repeatedly denied inspectors access to its nuclear research reactor, IR-40. The report urged Iran to adopt the Additional Protocol to enable the IAEA “to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities” and also concluded that no progress had been made on determining whether Iran has had a military dimension to its nuclear program.

In response to these developments, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, also known as the P5) along with Germany, issued a joint statement calling on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA. The six nations expressed their commitment to finding a “comprehensive diplomatic solution, including through direct dialogue” and did not threaten Iran with new sanctions.

Although the P5-plus Germany, as a group, did not announce a new round of financial restrictions, US officials are continuing to implement sanctions on Iran. President Obama renewed for one year US sanctions, effective as of March 15, citing, “The actions and policies of the Government of Iran are contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. ” Earlier in March, the US Treasury Department announced that it will freeze all assets and transactions within its jurisdiction for 11 firms with ties to Iran’s Bank Melli. Reportedly, Melli has facilitated Tehran’s purchase of illicit nuclear materials from abroad. It is designated as a proliferating entity by the United States, the European Union, and Australia.

General diplomatic movements

In early February, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the Obama administration to make a “fundamental change” in US policy toward Iran, saying that his nation is prepared to hold negotiations “based on mutual respect and in a fair atmosphere.” On February 24, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tapped Dennis Ross to oversee Washington’s approach to Iran. He will serve as the Secretary’s Special Advisor on the Gulf and Southwest Asia. The Wall Street Journal reported on March 12 that the Obama administration is exploring ways to enter into a direct dialogue with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and is looking into lifting restrictions on regular diplomatic relations with Iranian officials in general.

Bushehr in test phase

Iran has begun the test phase of its nuclear reactor at Bushehr. The tests, which began on February 25, have been conducted with simulated fuel rods instead of uranium. Russian experts built the 1,000 megawatt reactor, and will be supplying it with fuel and coordinating these efforts with the IAEA. Under an agreement with the Agency, the spent fuel at Bushehr will be shipped back to Russia. According to the February 19 IAEA report, nuclear fuel will be loaded into the reactor by the second quarter of 2009 and Iranian officials have said that the plant will start generating electricity by the end of August.

Further reading

Arms experts correct the record on Iran uranium claims
Arms Control Association Media Advisory, March 2, 2009

Preventing a cascade of instability: US engagement to check Iranian nuclear progress (PDF)
Task Force on Iranian Proliferation, Regional Security, and US Policy, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, March 2009

Iran’s uranium: Don’t panic yet
Ivan Oelrich and Ivanka Barzashka, FAS Strategic Security Blog, February 23, 2009

US lawmaker wants tighter vetting for overseas financing after Iran-related lapse
Elaine M. Grossman, Global Security Newswire, February 23, 2009

Only a strong Iran will talk
Kayhan Barzegar, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, February 21, 2009

Playing nuclear politics: A sober analysis of Tehran’s intentions suggests the Islamic Republic has little to gain from acquiring the bomb
Ali Fathollah Nejad, Guardian, February 20, 2009

IAEA Report on Iran: Nuclear weapons breakout capability achieved, centrifuge numbers and low enriched uranium output steady, no progress on other safeguards issues (PDF)
David Albright and Jacqueline Shire, Institute for Science and International Security, February 19, 2009

Is Iran running out of yellowcake? (PDF)
David Albright Jacqueline Shire and Paul Brannan, Institute for Science and International Security, February 11, 2009

North Korea

New US administration says committed to Six-Party Talks

During her tour of the Pacific region in February, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Pyongyang to eliminate its nuclear program, stressing the importance of reaching a “complete and verifiable agreement” and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the Six-Party Talks. Ambassador Stephen Bosworth was appointed as the US Special Representative for North Korean policy on February 20. Bosworth travelled to the region in early March. At a Press Conference in Beijing, he explained that the United States and China agree on the importance of resuming the Six-Party Talks, but a date for resuming the stalled discussions has not yet been set.

North Korea announces missile launch

On February 24 North Korea’s Committee of Space Technology announced that it will send its Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite into orbit from the Musudan-ri launch site, which is located on North Korea’s eastern coast. South Korean officials claim that the launch will merely serve as a front for the development of North Korea’s missile capabilities, particularly as a follow-on to the Taepodong-2 missile. The Taepodong-2, purportedly the communist regime’s most advanced long-range missile, would be capable of reaching Alaska, but initial tests in 2006 were a failure, and there are also serious doubts as to whether North Korea is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a missile.

Pyongyang told the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization that the launch will take place between April 4 and 8. Wi Sung-lac, Seoul’s lead negotiator with North Korea, said that South Korea and Japan would call on the United Nations to act against North Korea if it moves ahead with the missile launch. The missile launch would violate a U.N. Security Council Resolution (1718) from 2006, which bans North Korea from conducting ballistic missile-related activities. Tokyo has also warned that it will shoot down any North Korean-launched missile if it approaches Japanese territory.

These developments took place amid recent hostilities on the Korean peninsula. North Korea recently warned of a harsh “retaliatory blow” if US and South Korean militaries encroached on North Korean territory during their annual joint exercises, which began on March 9. Pyongyang responded to the exercises by putting its military on high alert. On March 6, the North also issued a statement warning that it would not guarantee the safety of South Korean commercial flights in the airspace around Musudan-ri in early April. Tensions between the United States and North Korea intensified after Pyongyang detained two Americans. As of March 21, North Korean officials said that they were continuing to hold them for questioning. The American women, who reportedly were filming a news documentary as they travelled along the border between North Korea and China, were taken into North Korean custody on March 17.

Further reading

Shooting Down DPRK’s Satellite Launch
Geoffrey Forden, Arms Control Wonk.com, March 9, 2009

The Six-Party Talks and New Opportunities to Strengthen Regional Nonproliferation and Disarmament Efforts(PDF)
Matthew Martin, Conference Report of the Stanley Foundation in conjunction with the National Committee on North Korea, the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis and the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, March 2009

China, DPRK vow to further relations in year of friendship
Xinhua News Agency, February 25, 2009

North Korea statement raises worry of a missile test
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, February 23, 2009

NK Nukes on Top Agenda
Scott A. Snyder, Korea Times, February 19, 2009

Placating Pyongyang’s panjandrums
Simon Tisdall, Guardian, February 10, 2009

Russia

Interfax recently reported that Russia plans to resume tests of its submarine-launched Bulava ballistic missiles later this year. The Bulava is designed to carry multiple warheads as far as 5,000 miles (about 8,000 kilometers). According to General Vladimir Popovkin, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister, the first test will not take place until June with at least five tests before 2010. RIA Novosti also reports that this spring Russia will begin sea trials of the Yury Dolgoruky, its first Borey-class strategic nuclear submarine. These tests are likely part of Russia’s plan to improve its Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN), which was announced by Colonel General Nikolai Solovstov on February 11. He said this action was intended to strike a balance with US nuclear forces and to maintain deterrence should Washington decide to deploy its ground-based midcourse defense (GDM) system in Eastern Europe. On March 17, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced broader military modernization plans. The President said Russia will prioritize troop readiness and provide them with more modern equipment, noting that this effort has already begun, and asserted that a full-scale rearmament of the army and navy will occur in 2011.

Further reading

The Russia opportunity
Bill Bradley, Foreign Policy, March 2009

The tricky US -Russia ‘reset’ button
Jeffrey Mankoff, Council on Foreign Relations, February 18, 2009

Russian strategic submarine patrols rebound
Hans Kristensen, Federation of American Scientists, February 17, 2009

US-Russia relations after Manas: do not push the reset button yet
Ariel Cohen, The Heritage Foundation, February 10, 2009

India

On February 11 in Mumbai, the Russian nuclear company Atomenergoprom signed a $700 million agreement to supply India’s nuclear reactors with fuel pellets. The contract was made possible last September, when a ban on nuclear trade with India was repealed. Russia is building two 1,000 megawatt reactor sites at Kudankulam, with plans to build four more at this location. The IAEA approved of an Additional Protocol (AP) for India in early March. The AP allows the IAEA to conduct more intrusive inspections of a nation’s nuclear facilities. New Delhi must ratify the AP before it takes effect.

Further reading

India’s nuclear submarine plan surfaces
Siddharth Srivastava, Asia Times Online, February 20, 2009

Priorities before the President
Xenia Normandy, India and Global Affairs, Winter 2008/2009

Pakistan

The United States urged the Pakistani government to reconsider the court’s ruling to release Pakistani scientist A. Q. Khan from house arrest. Khan, who allegedly sold nuclear weapons technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea, won a court order for his release on February 6. Government officials have stated that Khan will be closely monitored and his ability to travel will be greatly limited. Pakistan has not allowed the US government to question Khan directly. In the past, Pakistan assured the United States that its government has interrogated Khan properly and sufficiently and has shared pertinent information with other governments. Washington believes that Khan still poses a threat to global security. US Representative Jane Harman (Democrat-California) is leading an effort in Congress to restrict military aid to Pakistan unless Islamabad grants Washington access to Khan for questioning and ensures that he continues to be monitored.

Khan recently claimed that he acquired materials for Pakistan’s nuclear program from Japan. In an interview with Kyodo News released on February 17, he explained that his organization had purchased at least 6,000 ring magnets, maraging steel, beryllium-copper rods, beryllium thin sheets, an electron microscope, and other materials that can be used to develop a nuclear weapons program, from major Japanese metal companies. Reportedly, the sales, which began sometime in the 1980s, were facilitated by the firm Western Trading. A former employee from Western Trading confirmed these transactions but denied that the company knew the intended use of the products.

Further reading

The back channel
Steve Coll, New Yorker (via the Website of the New America Foundation), March 2, 2009

Pakistan, proliferation, and US priorities
AH Nayyar and Zia Mian, Foreign Policy in Focus, February 25, 2009

Freed Pakistani scientist could revive nuclear sales
Jackie Northam, National Public Radio, February 12, 2009

Make him answer
The Times of India, February 9, 2009

Syria

IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei issued a report on February 19 rejecting the claim by Damascus that traces of uranium found by the IAEA at the Dair Alzour site in northeastern Syria were from Israeli munitions. Following an Israeli airstrike in September 2007 on what Tel Aviv claims was a nascent reactor facility, Damascus granted agency inspectors access to the site in June 2008. Inspectors found uranium and traces of graphite on the premises. Still, an official from the IAEA indicated that the agency is unsure if Syria had a covert uranium enrichment program. Damascus claims that the IAEA report is inaccurate, but has hampered further investigations by refusing to allow additional inspections. Syrian officials have said that the site has been built over. The United States maintains that Syria tried to construct a nuclear reactor.

Missile defense

It has recently been reported that US President Barack Obama sent a secret memo to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev shortly after taking office. The memo reportedly suggested that the United States could forego or delay plans to deploy a ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) system in Europe if there was progress in halting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Both Obama and Medvedev deny, however, that the letter was a quid pro quo attempting to secure Moscow’s assistance in exchange for scrapping GMD. Still, Vice President Joseph Biden is said to have privately assured Russian officials that there would be no need for deploying the system if a threat from Iran fails to materialize. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has also acknowledged that GMD is under review.

In a recent interview with the Interfax news agency, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns elaborated on the administration’s position, explaining that missile defense will be evaluated based on its cost-effectiveness, the nature of the threat, and the prospects for successful diplomacy. He also indicated that the administration is receptive to prospects for joint missile defense with Russia, possibly referring in part to Moscow’s proposal to base a cooperative US -Russian system in Azerbaijan.

After a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on February 26, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that he felt the administration was still assessing whether to proceed with deployment of GMD, which would include the basing of 10 missile interceptors in Poland. He expressed an understanding of the numerous competing and expensive priorities facing the new US administration. The Foreign Minister also said that Poland was not so much concerned with whether the United States would deploy GMD, but whether the United States would follow through on its promise to provide military equipment and aid as part of agreeing to the deal.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has delayed any decision to finalize approval for accepting the GMD radar. On March 16, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek announced that a requisite vote in the lower house has been delayed indefinitely because there are not enough votes for the deal’s passage. About two-thirds of Czechs oppose the radar base.

An analysis of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) released by the US Government Accountability Office on February 25, was highly critical of ballistic missile defense, citing questionable testing procedures, “test delays and shortfalls.” On the same day, the MDA announced that it will finish a comprehensive review of its testing programs by May.

The collision of Russian and US satellites on February 10 has created debris clouds in low earth orbit (LEO). The Russian Cosmos satellite was already inactive, but the US satellite (privately-owned by Iridium Satellite, LLC) had been an active part of the Iridium constellation and led to some interruptions in communications services. The debris could have a negative impact on active satellites for decades to come. Analysts, such as David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists, are warning that the collision could portend future problems as LEO becomes more populated with satellites and debris.

Further reading

Defense acquisitions: Production and fielding of missile defense components continue with less testing and validation than planned (PDF)
US Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Committees, March 13, 2009

Defensible missile defense
Theodore Postol, International Herald Tribune, March 12, 2009

Will Russia accept US defense deal?
Paul Reynolds, BBC News, March 3, 2009

Missile defense in India
Bharath Gopalaswamy, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, February 27, 2009

Prepared Remarks before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, The Future of Missile Defense Testing (PDF)
Philip E. Coyle, Senior Advisor, World Security Institute, February 25, 2009

Unclassified statement of Lieutenant General Patrick J. O’Reilly, USA, Director, Missile Defense Agency, Before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Regarding the “Future of Missile Defense Testing,” (PDF)
February 25, 2009

Defense Acquisitions: Charting a Course for Improved Missile Defense Testing Statement of Paul Francis, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management US Accountability Office, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives (PDF)
February 25, 2009

Orbital collision won’t be the last
Frank Morring, Jr. Amy Butler and Michael Mecham, Aviation Week, February 15, 2009

Missile defense: A ‘virtual’ issue that could get real results
Brian Whitmore, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, February 13, 2009

Expect more practical and cost-based approach to missile defense from Obama
Victoria Samson, Center for Defense Information, February 9, 2009

Options for deploying missile defenses in Europe (PDF)
US Congressional Budget Office Study, February 2009

Other publications

Report on VERTIC’s Technical Coordination Meeting For legislative assistance facilitators and providers in the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons field (PDF)
VERTIC, March 2009

Five myths about all those nukes out there
Michael Krepon, Washington Post Outlook, March 1, 2009

Jordan, Russia, initial nuclear cooperation deal
Global Security Newswire, February 27, 2009

Nuclear: Latin American revival
Sharon Squassoni, Americas Quarterly, Winter 2009

Science continues to have key nonproliferation role, experts Say
Chris Schneidmiller, Global Security Newswire, February 18, 2009

Upcoming events by other organizations

Transforming the US Strategic Posture and Weapons Complex for the Transition to a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World
Nuclear Weapons Complex Consolidation Policy Network (a project of the Connect-US Fund)
Time: Wednesday, April 8, 9:00am-11:00am.
Location: Washington, DC: Root Room, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.
For more information, call Christopher Paine at 202-422-4853. RSVP via email to Alyssa Go: ago (at) nrdc.org.

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