1 Nuclear, MissileNuclear, Missile & Space Digest & Space Digest
Volume 11, Number 18 A Fortnightly Newsletter from the Indian Pugwash Society September 30, 2019
Convenor A. India “Imran Khan Hypes Kashmir, Personally Attacks PM Modi”: Ex-US Envoy Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy Chandrayaan 2 Completes Final In-Orbit Manoeuvre Before India’s Maiden Moon Landing On 7 Sept Russia plans to set up above 20 nuclear power units in India in next 20 years “India Will Not Balk At Using Strength To Defend Itself”: Rajnath Singh Explained: Chandrayaan-2, in perspective Lander ‘tilted’ not broken, says ISRO Modi should correct Vajpayee wrong on nuclear ‘no first use’: Diplomat Jaimini Bhagwati Chandrayaan 2: Nobel laureate entrusts Indian scientists, says ‘they will Executive Council soon master the setbacks of lunar mission’ Devices onboard Chandrayaan-2 orbiter gamechangers Cdr. (Dr.) Probal K. Ghosh Chandrayaan 2: Here’s how NASA is helping ISRO in reviving Air Marshal S. G. Inamdar Vikram Lander (Retd.) Dr. Roshan Khanijo B. China Amb. R. Rajagopalan China issues white paper on nuclear safety China Focus: China issues white paper on nuclear safety, stressing int’l Dr. Rajesh Rajagopalan cooperation Shri Dinesh Kumar US ban for nuclear firm harms own interests Yadvendra China to build lab for radioactive waste disposal China’s lunar rover travels over 284 meters on moon’s far side China sends H-6K bombers to Russia for strategic drills Chinese netizens encourage India’s lunar dream despite failure Implementation phase of China-funded Egyptian satellite project kicks off China’s giant telescope picks up mysterious signals from deep space Polar observation satellite will debut soon Beijing deploys drones for South China Sea surveillance Intrusion of Canadian warship raises China’s ire China and Russia to reach deals, including aerospace, nuclear energy: MOFCOM China to build warship for Thailand China, Malaysia to set up South China Sea mechanism
Indian Pugwash Society No.1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg, Near USI , Delhi-110010 Email: [email protected]
Tel. No (91-11) 2671-7983 Fax No. (91-11)2615-4192 2 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
China launches three new satellites China’s BeiDou has 39 satellites in orbit as construction to be completed next year First polar observation satellite launched into orbit China welcomes DPRK-U.S. dialogue resumption Second parade rehearsal held; new weapons spotted China ready to defend against drone attacks after Saudi Arabia oil hit China unveils supersonic spy drone during National Day military parade rehearsal Could a tiny Chinese magnetic sensor be up to the huge task of tracking submarines?
C. Pakistan PM Imran seeks to quell talk of war with India PM Khan: Pakistan would not use nuclear weapons first, amid tensions with India No change in Pakistan’s nuclear policy: FO No first use of N-weapons not policy: DG ISPR
D. USA U.S. Treasury warns anyone fueling Iran tanker risks being blacklisted Nuclear power is the ‘silent giant’ being invited finally to speak Not great, not terrible: US tests refurbished missiles after admission nuclear refit lagging behind Nuclear industry urges Trump to revive uranium mining with Cold War-era rule U.S. hopes for North Korea talks in days, weeks – Pompeo North Korea could warm up to talks after removal of ‘war maniac’ Bolton USA begins first commercial testing of silicide fuel U.S. won’t rule out Trump-Rouhani meeting after blaming Iran for Saudi attacks
E. Europe Finland may allow $2.9 billion nuclear waste fund to invest in stocks Restart of Scotland nuclear reactor where cracks found delayed again China still pursuing nuclear fuel processing plant with Areva: official Iran and Europe unlikely to agree on nuclear pact in next few days: Rouhani Trump Administration cool to French plan for $15 billion Iranian credit line: officials UK and Israeli leaders agree on need to stop Iran getting nuclear weapon Britain deeply concerned at Iran’s plan for faster uranium enrichment Germany urges Iran to change course on nuclear commitments France to pursue efforts to bring Iran to comply with nuclear deal-minister France says Iran actions negative, but dialogue still open Britain accuses Iran of selling Adrian Darya 1 tanker oil to Syria EU creates defence and space branch ‘to complement NATO’ Merkel: We’ll keep trying to find solutions with Iran to avoid escalation French regulator puts EDF Flamanville nuclear plant on safety watch U.S. backs proposed $6.5 billion sale of 32 F-35 Lockheed jets to Poland France flags welding fault at five or more EDF nuclear reactors Bosnia protects Una river to try to block Croatian nuclear waste plan 3 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
Britain’s move to join U.S. Gulf mission frustrates European plans European powers urge Iran to return to nuclear accord compliance
F. Russia Russia Backs French Efforts to Uphold Nuclear Deal This Dangerous Russian Submarine Was Built to Sink U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Test-ban body chief enters race to lead U.N. nuclear watchdog Russian Nuclear Blast Debris Is Still Emitting Radiation, Reports Say Putin Says Russia Will Produce New Missiles After Demise of Nuclear Pact Rosatom wins licence to build second nuclear reactor in Turkey Rosatom says close to signing contract for Uzbekistan nuclear reactors ‘Russia to make efforts to preserve nuclear deal’ ‘Potentially Dangerous’ Objects Found in Northern Russia After Accident Russia nearly ready for reciprocal response after U.S. missile test – RIA Russian Nuclear-Powered Cargo Ship Loaded With Seafood Approaches Norway Russian Navy to get four nuclear subs next year — shipyard Trump’s ‘Bolton-free’ policy plans and Moscow’s multilateral strategic model Russia Is Building Submarines to Deliver a ‘Radioactive Tsunami’ Leningrad II-2 fitted with dummy assemblies ahead of March fuel loading Russia’s first sea-borne nuclear power plant arrives to its base
West Asia G. Iran Iran warns EU over nuclear commitments as deadline for further steps looms Iran says it closes gaps with France in talks on nuclear deal US won’t waive sanctions to allow French-proposed Iran credit line Defiant Iran pooh-poohs US sanctions on its space program Iran gives Europe two more months to save nuclear deal Iran nuclear crisis in 300 words EU urges Iran to ‘reverse’ scale-back from N-deal Iran ‘inching’ toward place where talks could be held: Pentagon chief Iran takes further step to scale back nuclear commitments Third step: Iran officially informs EU of plan to expand nuclear R&D Pompeo says Iran nuclear commitment cuts ‘unacceptable’ Iran further breaches nuclear deal, says it can exceed 20% enrichment IAEA found uranium traces at Iran ‘atomic warehouse’ — diplomats U.S. Says Iran possibly Conducting Secret Activities Rouhani to Merkel: Iran’s interests must be guaranteed in nuclear deal Expert: Non-European trade partners better for Iran Talks with U.S. under sanctions meaningless, Rouhani says Through seeking talks with Iran, Trump intends the region to recognize Israel: ex- diplomat Iran says Bolton’s Resignation Won’t Lead to Talks With the US Iran Denounces ‘US-Israel Plot’ Over Nuclear Program 4 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
H. Israel UK and Israeli leaders agree on need to stop Iran getting nuclear weapon Netanyahu accuses Iran of destroying secret ‘nuclear site’ Netanyahu Sees US Stays “Very Very Tough” on Iran Despite Bolton Ouster Trump Should Not meet with Rouhani Israeli Ambassador Urges US to Stay the Course’ on Pressuring Iran Europe is Propping up Iranian Terror While Demonizing Israel
I. Saudi Arabia U.S. energy secretary says nuclear power talks with new Saudi minister likely Monday
East Asia J. Japan Japan urges nuke plants to prepare for decommissioning era Russia plans additional missile defense buildup on Kuril Islands Watchdog to restart probe into Fukushima nuclear accident Japan may have to dump radioactive water into the sea, minister says New environment minister says Japan should stop using nuclear power SDF, U.S. Army stage first drill using missiles to avert sea attack
K. North Korea NK-US nuclear talks will be delayed until end of year N. Korea continues to develop ICBM program: UN panel New cold war looms large between old foes U.S. hopes for North Korea talks in days, weeks: Pompeo North Korea says it will resume talks but adds pressure with new launches Working-level nuclear talks aimed at drafting summit agreement: pro-Pyongyang paper North Korea could warm up to talks after removal of ‘war maniac’ Bolton North Korea tested super-large multiple rocket launcher under Kim’s guidance North Korea carried out super-large multiple rocket launcher test on Tuesday: KCNA U.S. imposes sanctions on North Korean hacking groups blamed for global attacks True colour as confrontation seeker fully betrayed Trump declines to comment on report Kim invited him to North Korea Department director for US Affairs of DPRK Foreign Ministry releases statement
L. South Korea Combined Forces Command to move to Pyeongtaek by 2021 Nuke envoys of S. Korea, Russia hold talks on North Korea’s denuclearization S. Korea seeks global support for NK denuclearization, peace on Korean Peninsula Defense chief vows strong military power to ensure peace 5 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
S. Korea calls for int’l cooperation on Japan’s Fukushima water discharge plan S. Korea, UAE to join hands on overseas nuke reactor projects S. Korea’s top nuclear envoy visits Beijing for talks on N.K. Moon’s mission in New York: ‘Get nuke talks restarted’ South Korea to develop anti-drone system amid standoff with North
M. Taiwan Nuclear safety drill at Ma-anshan to be held next week Surviving Han’s nuclear policies
N. Misc Rooppur plant’s cost higher as it is a new experience for Bangladesh
O. Op-Ed India
Irresponsible rhetoric: On Pakistan leaders’ threats Chandrayaan 2: In its stellar journey, ISRO has achieved ‘much more with much less’ There is need & space, for recalibrating ‘no first use’ Move Over, Kim Jong Un: It’s Time to Talk about South Asia Did India’s Chandrayaan-2 Moon Lander Survive? The Chances Are Slim Indian Moon Probe’s Failure Won’t Stop an Asian Space Race that Threatens Regional Security Be proud of Chandrayaan-2: Rakesh Sharma Has Chandrayaan 2’s Vikram Lander setback affected India’s moon mission? China China’s nuclear capabilities maturing Navy sends its most capable combat ship on escort mission Domestic arms key to deterrence plan Pakistan What Exactly Did Pakistan’s Prime Minister Say About the Country’s Nuclear Weapons? The dangers of calling Pakistan’s ‘nuclear bluff’ India’s nuclear posture Pakistan most dangerous country in the world: Ex-US defense secy James Mattis
Divide and bleed A nuclear flashpoint Kashmir and Impending Nuclear Holocaust Going ballistic: Why Imran Khan’s nuclear threat is a sign of Pakistani impotence ‘Good Lord help us’ USA Forget Russia: America Nearly Built Its Own ‘Skyfall’ Nuclear Powered Cruise Missile The Secret History of the Push to Strike Iran 6 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
After Trump, the United States Should Return to Obama’s Iran Deal Can President Trump Really Tweet A Highly Classified Satellite Photo? Yep, He Can Why Trump shouldn’t run the North Korea playbook on Iran
Russia
Russia’s Delta-Class Missile Submarines: One the Best Subs Ever? This Nuclear Submarine Freaks Russia Out: Meet the Astute-Class (Not American) Will Venezuela Become a Russian Missile Base? West Asia Trump Solving the Iran Crisis Requires A “Deal of the Century” Iran Says Its Cruise Missiles Are Better Than America’s. That can’t be true? Can it? Maximum Pressure on Iran Has Failed Watch Out: Iran Has a New “Kia” Spy Drone. But how good is it? EAST ASIA Japan Japan-Russia talks on peace treaty, Northern Territories have whiff of futility Put state in charge of TEPCO’s plan for reactor restarts North Korea Uncertainty of nuclear talks South Korea Bombs and weather: Trump drops another one Beijing-Seoul ties after Xi’s Pyongyang visit Taiwan Ian Easton On Taiwan: Why the US defends Taiwan Interview Obama arms official: Nuclear deterrence must be strengthened Imran Khan on ‘genocide’ in Kashmir and possible war with India War b/w two nuclear states Pakistan, India to affect whole World: Dr. Firdous
P. Think Tanks What Happens If the Last Nuclear Arms Control Treaty Expires? The Last Nuclear Arms Treaty A Commonsense Policy for Avoiding a Disastrous Nuclear Decision India’s Space Power: Revisiting the Anti-Satellite Test
Q. Original Documents and Reports China’s nuclear power development maintains high-level safety: white paper Update to OFAC’s list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons Executive Order Amending Counter Terrorism Sanctions Authorities; Counter Terrorism Designations and Designations Updates; Iran-related Designation; Syria 7 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
A. India orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in a higher, elliptical orbit of 96 x 125 km. ISRO “Imran Khan Hypes Kashmir, confirmed that both orbiter and lander are Personally Attacks PM Modi”: Ex- healthy. US Envoy https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/ NDTV, September 2, 2019 chandrayaan-2-completes-final-in-orbit- manoeuvre-before-indias-maiden-moon-landing- Tim Roemer, former US ambassador to India on-7-sep-7276941.html who was responsible for broadening and deepening the US-India partnership, has Russia plans to set up above 20 accused Pakistan PM Imran Khan of increasing the volatility of the region and nuclear power units in India in urged that the US policy should “remain next 20 years steady towards strategic ties with India”, Livemint, September 4, 2019 and push Pakistan for “real results” on anti- terror cooperation. Russia on Wednesday said that it is planning to set up more than 20 nuclear In a tweet, tagging Imran’s opinion piece in power units in India in the next 20 years. the NYT where he has threatened the world Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who with the spectre of a nuclear war over arrived in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Kashmir, Roemer said: “Pakistan PM Imran Vladivostok earlier today, gave a joint Khan hypes the Kashmir situation, statement at the 20th Annual Summit personally attacks PM Modi, and increases between the two countries, along with the volatility in the region. US policy should Russian President Vladimir Putin by side. remain steady toward strategic relations The two sides exchanged numerous with India, emphasize CT cooperation, and agreements, including military and push Pakistan for real results.” technical cooperation, energy and science, LNG Business and LNG supplies, and https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ex-us-envoy- natural gas, in the presence of the two says-imran-khan-hypes-kashmir-personally- leaders. attacks-pm-narendra-modi-2094081 https://www.livemint.com/news/india/russia- Chandrayaan 2 Completes Final In- plans-to-set-up-above-20-nuclear-power-units- Orbit Manoeuvre Before India’s in-india-in-next-20-years-1567600889899.html Maiden Moon Landing On 7 Sept “India Will Not Balk At Using First Post, September 4, 2019 Strength To Defend Itself”: The landing module of Chandrayaan 2, the Rajnath Singh Indian Space Research Organisation’s second mission to the moon, has completed NDTV, September 5, 2019 its second and final in-orbit adjustment in Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has lunar orbit. This manoeuvre was started said that India will not balk at using its at 3.45 am IST on 4 September, and lasted strength to defend itself, while addressing all of 9 seconds. With this success, the a defence dialogue in the South Korean Vikram lander and Pragyan rover (the two capital of Seoul this morning. Rajnath components in the landing module) are now Singh is on a three-day official visit to South closer than ever to making their highly- Korea in the second leg of a two-nation anticipated soft-landing on 7 September. tour which also involved Japan. He was addressing a special session of the Seoul From its previous elliptical orbit of 109 x 120 Defence Dialogue on Thursday, excerpts km orbit (nearest x farthest distance from the of which he shared on his twitter handle. surface), the landing module has been lowered to a more suitable 35 x 101 km orbit The Defence Minister said, “Shared my around the moon. The Chandrayaan 2 views on the strong currents towards 8 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
peace that are present in the Korean full system functionality a prerequisite to Peninsula.” ”India has never been an restoring contact, officials explained. “The aggressor in its history, nor will it ever be. lander is there (on the moon) as a single But that does not mean that India would piece, not broken into pieces. It’s in a tilted balk at using its strength to defend itself,” position,” an ISRO official said. he said. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/isro- https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-will-not- not-losing-hope-continues-to-make-all-out- balk-at-using-strength-to-defend-itself-rajnath- efforts-to-restore-link-with-lander-vikram/ singh-2096033 article29373720.ece
Explained: Chandrayaan-2, in Modi should correct Vajpayee perspective wrong on nuclear ‘no first use’: Diplomat Jaimini Bhagwati Amitabh Sinha, The Indian Express, September 9, 2019 Nayanima Basu, The Print, September 12, 2019 India’s first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon has not been successful. The lander The Modi government should rid India of of Chandrayaan-2, called Vikram, did not its “no first use” doctrine and align its slow down at the expected rate towards the nuclear policies with those of the US, latter part of its descent, and most likely hit Russia and China, veteran diplomat the lunar surface at a speed greater than Jaimini Bhagwati told ThePrint in an required for safe landing. The ground interview. “It was a purely defensive control station had lost contact with the posture we are adopting. Are we less lander when it was about 2.1 km above the credible than the US? We need to take Moon. some decision that will bring short-term pain for long-term gain,” he said. On Sunday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Sivan was “We should get rid of it (no first use). I quoted as saying that the lander had been think things have to be fair. If other located on the Moon, and a thermal image established nuclear weapon powers do not of it had been taken by instruments on board feel the need to make a declaration that the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter that is going should be your de-facto policy, it doesn’t around the Moon in a near-circular orbit of have to be your de jure policy,” Bhagwati 100 km. He said efforts to re-establish contact added. with the lander had not yet been successful. https://theprint.in/defence/modi-should-correct- https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/ vajpayee-wrong-on-nuclear-no-first-use- chandrayaan-2-moon-landing-in-perspective- diplomat-jaimini-bhagwati/290244/ 5978328/ Chandrayaan 2: Nobel laureate Lander ‘tilted’ not broken, says entrusts Indian scientists, says ISRO ‘they will soon master the The Hindu, September 9, 2019 setbacks of lunar mission’ Chandrayaan-2’s lander Vikram is Ribhu Mishra, Financial Express, unbroken but lying tilted on the surface of September 12, 2019 the moon after a hard landing very close to Serge Haroche, a French physicist and a the scheduled touchdown site, an Indian Nobel laureate on Wednesday said that he Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official was quite certain about Indian scientists said on Monday. overcoming the setback faced on the lunar Efforts are underway to see whether mission. Serge, who is in India, said this communication can be re-established with while talking about the loss of the lander but chances of that are bleak with communication with Vikram lander of 9 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
Chandrayaan-2 during the soft landing Agency met with a glitch in the early hours process. The incident occurred just two of September 7 and lost contact with the minutes before the lander was scheduled to Lander module Chandrayaan 2, minutes reach the lunar surface. before its scheduled soft landing on Lunar surface. NASA, apart from the radio signal, According to a report, Serge Haroche told will also be sharing pictures of the region of HT that ‘Science is full of surprises. It is like the Moon where the Vikram lander hard- you are going to the unknown. The surprises landed. NASA has said that it would share that are found during this are sometimes before and after images of the region of the good, sometimes bad. Success and failure are Moon where the Vikram lander of a part of it.” Chandrayaan 2 supposedly made a hard- landing in the wee hours of September 7. https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/ chandrayaan-2-nobel-laureate-entrusts-indian- According to a report published in the NYT, scientists-says-they-will-soon-master-the-setbacks- the US space agency has stated that it will of-lunar-mission/1704487/ ‘share any before and after flyover imagery of the region around the targeted landing Devices onboard Chandrayaan-2 site of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram orbiter gamechangers Lander. NASA will be supporting the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Akhil Kadidal, Deccan Herald, September 13, 2019 in their analysis. The US space agency is also trying to re-establish communication with Former chairman of Isro A S Kiran Kumar the Vikram lander. Notable the lander has on Thursday described the Chandrayaan-2 not responded or transmitted any signal mission as a success, despite the loss of the since September 7. Vikram lander on the lunar surface. “Yes, there is sadness because we came so close to https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/ making a landing on the moon, but the science/chandrayaan-2-heres-how-nasa-is- mission itself cannot be called a failure helping-isro-in-reviving-vikram-lander/1704983/ because, for one, it is still ongoing,” Kumar said, speaking at the convocation of IISc. B. China
Another improved instrument aboard China issues white paper on Chandrayaan-2 is the dual-frequency nuclear safety synthetic aperture, which Kumar described Xinhua, September 3, 2019 as being the first of its kind sent into space. “With this instrument, we will be able to China on Tuesday issued a white paper to investigate permanently shadowed regions introduce its approach to nuclear safety. to see if water vapour is present,” he said. Titled “Nuclear Safety in China,” the white paper was released by the State Council https://www.deccanherald.com/state/devices- Information Office to elaborate on China’s onboard-chandrayaan-2-orbiter-gamechangers- basic principles and policies in the field, 761252.html share the concepts and practices of regulation, and clarify its determination to Chandrayaan 2: Here’s how NASA promote global nuclear safety governance is helping ISRO in reviving and the actions it has taken to achieve this, Vikram Lander according to the document.
Ribhu Mishra, Financial Express, September “China has always regarded nuclear safety 13, 2019 as an important national responsibility, and The American space agency, National integrated it into the entire process of Aeronautics and Space Administration nuclear energy development and (NASA) has confirmed that it will be utilization,” it said. China’s nuclear industry assisting ISRO in its quest to connect with has always developed in line with the latest the Vikram Lander. The Indian Space safety standards and maintained a good 10 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
safety record, pursuing an innovation-driven to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund, with path of nuclear safety with Chinese an aim to enhance the nuclear safety characteristics. As an important advocate, capacity of countries in Asia, Liu said. promoter and participant in building a fair, Through its National Research and collaborative and mutually beneficial Development Center for Nuclear and international nuclear safety system, China Radiation Safety Regulation, China has has done a good job in ensuring its own continued to help developing countries nuclear safety, fulfilled its international train nuclear safety personnel and carry obligations, and promoted bilateral and out technical drills, lending support to their multilateral cooperation on nuclear safety, efforts to enhance their regulatory capacity said the white paper. China has actively and providing more public goods for promoted the peaceful use of nuclear energy improving global nuclear safety. While it for the benefit of all humanity and is the common aspiration of all countries contributed its wisdom and strength to to peacefully utilize nuclear energy, it global nuclear safety governance, it added. should also be a common responsibility of The main body of the white paper was all countries to maintain nuclear safety, Liu divided into six sections: following a said. rational, coordinated and balanced nuclear safety strategy, building a policy and legal http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/03/ framework on nuclear safety, ensuring c_138361737.htm effective regulation of nuclear safety, maintaining high-level safety, co-building US ban for nuclear firm harms and sharing nuclear safety and building a own interests community of shared future for nuclear Xu Keyue, Global Times, September 3, safety. 2019 http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/03/ The US unilateral ban on China General c_138360674.htm Nuclear Power Corp will only harm itself in the end, a Chinese nuclear safety official China Focus: China issues white said at a press conference of the country’s paper on nuclear safety, stressing first comprehensive nuclear safety white int’l cooperation paper on Tuesday after China’s largest state-owned nuclear company was added Xinhua, September 3, 2019 to the US Entity List. The US in June China stated its stance on developing added the Chinese state-owned nuclear nuclear energy as an established policy in giant and three of its subsidiaries to the its first white paper on nuclear safety US Entity List, saying these companies had released on Tuesday, vowing to strengthen allegedly acted contrary to US national international cooperation and build a security and barring US companies from community of shared future for nuclear selling products to those enterprises. China safety. Titled “Nuclear Safety in China,” the firmly opposes unilateralist and white paper was released by the State protectionist US policies that hurt the Council Information Office to elaborate on interest of other countries including China’s basic principles and policies in the China, Liu Hua, director of China’s field, share the concepts and practices of National Nuclear Safety Administration, regulation and clarify its determination to said at the press conference. promote global nuclear safety governance China has set up three platforms for and the actions it has taken to achieve this. nuclear security research and innovation Upholding the central role of the and conducted 39 studies in 13 fields on International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear security technologies, according to (IAEA) in international nuclear cooperation, the statement. The Hualong One nuclear China has made continuous contributions reactor ranks among the highest in the 11 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
world in terms of safety design, the paper country is also building 11 new facilities, said. China and the US have cooperated on according to a comprehensive white paper nuclear safety in a friendly and effective on nuclear safety published by the State fashion for 35 years, Liu said. Chinese Council Information Office on Tuesday. analysts interpreted the US ban as part of US actions to crack down on China’s high- https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/04/ technology sector. Liu noted that the ban WS5d6fc34da310cf3e35569bf9.html would in effect encourage Chinese companies to enhance development and China’s lunar rover travels over innovation input and very likely hurt US 284 meters on moon’s far side companies. By June 2019, China had 47 Xinhua, September 7, 2019 nuclear power units in operation, ranking third in the world, and 11 nuclear power China’s lunar rover Yutu-2 has driven units under construction, to rank first in the 284.66 meters on the far side of the moon world, the paper said. to conduct scientific exploration on the virgin territory. Both the lander and the http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ rover of the Chang’e-4 probe switched to 1163568.shtml its dormant mode for the lunar night on Friday (Beijing time), according to the China to build lab for radioactive Lunar Exploration and Space Program waste disposal Center of the China National Space Administration. China’s Chang’e-4 probe, Hou Liqiang, China Daily, September 4, 2019 launched on Dec. 8, 2018, made the first- Work will soon begin on a potential site for ever soft landing on the Von Karman a lab to accommodate China’s radioactive Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on waste. Experiments are to be conducted to the far side of the moon on Jan. 3. A lunar determine if it is the right choice of site, day equals 14 days on Earth, a lunar night according to the country’s top nuclear safety the same length. The Chang’e-4 probe watchdog. China uses concentrated disposal switches to dormant mode during the to deal with high-level radioactive waste. lunar night due to lack of solar power. The disposal site should be located at least During the ninth lunar day of the probe 400 meters underground and boast stable on the moon, the scientific instruments on geological conditions that can keep this the lander and rover worked well, and a waste isolated from the humans for more new batch of 2.9 GB scientific detection than 10,000 years, said Liu Hua, head of the data was sent to the core research team National Nuclear Safety Administration, on for analysis. Wednesday. As a result of the tidal locking effect, the “We have found a very good site,” he told a moon’s revolution cycle is the same as its news conference organized by the State rotation cycle, and the same side always Council Information Office. He said the lab faces Earth. The far side of the moon has will be built in accordance with unique features, and scientists expect requirements for deep geologic repositories, Chang’e-4 could bring breakthrough but construction will depend on data findings. The scientific tasks of the collected from experiments at the site. Jiang Chang’e-4 mission include low-frequency Guang, deputy head of the administration, radio astronomical observation, surveying said the construction of the lab in Gansu the terrain and landforms, detecting the province will be launched as soon as possible mineral composition and shallow lunar and that experiments on the site will help surface structure and measuring neutron identify disposal approaches that will be radiation and neutral atoms. The Chang’e- applied at other suitable sites. As of June, 4 mission embodies China’s hope to there are 47 nuclear power facilities in combine wisdom in space exploration operation on the Chinese mainland and the with four payloads developed by the 12 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi efforts and sacrifices for space exploration. Arabia. Keyboard warriors should stop laughing at those heroes, another user said. “We http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/07/ are all in the gutter, but some of us are c_138372596.htm looking at the stars. Any nations that bravely strive to further explore space China sends H-6K bombers to deserve our respect,” said a user on Russia for strategic drills China’s Quora-like Zhihu. Despite the loss of communication with the lander, the Global Times, September 8, 2019 Indian Space Research Organization Russia on Saturday held a grand welcoming (ISRO) said that 90 to 95 percent of the ceremony upon the arrival of Chinese armed mission’s objectives have been forces, including well-anticipated Type 96A accomplished and will continue to make tanks and H-6K bombers, for the upcoming contributions to lunar science, the Xinhua Tsentr-2019 (Center-2019) strategic drills. News Agency reported. China dispatched more than 1,600 troops from the Western Theater Command and http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ some other units of the People’s Liberation 1163928.shtml Army (PLA), together with main battle equipment including Type 96A tanks, H-6K Implementation phase of China- bombers, JH-7A fighter bombers, J-11 fighter funded Egyptian satellite project jets, Il-76 and Y-9 transport planes and Z- kicks off 10 attack helicopters, China Central Television reported Saturday. Xinhua, September 9, 2019 Egyptian and Chinese teams announced http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ Sunday the start of the implementation 1163929.shtml phase of the China-funded “MisrSat II” satellite project. During the kick-off Chinese netizens encourage India’s meeting, which was held at the Egyptian lunar dream despite failure Space City near Egypt’s new Wang Qi, Global Times, September 8, 2019 administrative capital, both sides signed the documents of launching the project Chinese net users tipped their hats to Indian that is funded by the Chinese government. space scientists and encouraged them to On Saturday, a ceremony to launch the continue to explore the universe after the satellite project was held during the fourth country’s second moon mission lost China-Arab States Expo, being held in communication with the ground station. Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s The country’s moon lander was expected to Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. make a soft-touchdown near the moon’s South Pole on Saturday but diverged from Egypt and China signed in January an the planned path less than 2.1 kilometers agreement on a 72-million-U.S. dollar above the lunar surface and lost its Chinese grant for Egypt’s MisrSat II communications with the mission control satellite, which is a small high-resolution room. After the news was disclosed on remote sensing satellite. Egypt sees the China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo, Chinese project as another major cooperation netizens encouraged Indian scientists to not between the two countries in the field of lose hope. space after signing an agreement to build the Egyptian Satellite Assembly, “Space exploration is being chased by all Integration and Test Center which is human beings. No matter which country has expected to be fully established this year. made a breakthrough, it deserves our praise, and those who have temporarily failed also http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/09/ deserve our encouragement,” said a net c_138376065.htm user. Indian scientists have made great 13 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
China’s giant telescope picks up Aerospace Dongfanghong Development mysterious signals from deep space in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The company, which designed and built the Xinhua, September 9, 2019 spacecraft, is part of the China Academy Chinese astronomers have detected repeated of Space Technology in Beijing. fast radio bursts (FRB) - mysterious signals https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/09/ believed to be from a source about 3 billion WS5d75a7d4a310cf3e3556a676.html light years from Earth - with the largest and most sensitive radio telescope ever built. Beijing deploys drones for South Scientists detected the signals with the Five- hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio China Sea surveillance Telescope (FAST) and they are carefully Liu Zhen, South China Morning Post, cross-checking and processing them, September 9, 2019 according to researchers at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese A network of drones has been deployed Academy of Sciences (NAOC). FRBs are the by Beijing to watch over the islands and brightest bursts known in the universe. They reefs of the disputed South China Sea. The are called “fast” because these blips are very network, run by the Ministry of Natural short, only several milliseconds in duration. Resources, covers the uninhabited, hard- But there is no reasonable explanation for to-reach islands as well as the vast open their origin. waters of the area, according to the ministry’s South Sea Bureau. The drone The detection of the repeated bursts might communication chain has “extremely help shed light on the origin and physical enhanced our dynamic surveillance of the mechanisms of FRBs, said researchers. South China Sea, and expanded our reach Chinese scientists have installed a highly to the high seas”, the bureau said on its sensitive FRB backend on a 19-beam receiver official website. The air-land system on the giant telescope, and used it to observe consists of numerous unmanned aerial an FRB source named FRB121102, which vehicles (UAVs) carrying high-definition was first discovered by the Arecibo cameras, road-mobile communication Observatory in 2015. From late August to vehicles which act as transmission relay the beginning of September, more than 100 stations, as well as a satellite-based bursts were detected from FRB121102, the maritime information communication highest number of bursts ever detected so network, according to the bureau. far. The light drones are intended to http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/09/ supplement China’s satellite remote c_138377523.htm sensing system – which is often affected by cloudy weather in the area – with Polar observation satellite will higher definition, multi-angle, and real- debut soon time images. The communication vans can be driven or ferried to places that lack a Zhao Lei, China Daily, September 9, 2019 land-based communication station and Network will improve country’s ability to receive signals sent by the drones. The monitor Arctic and Antarctic regions China signals can then be uploaded to the satellite will soon launch the first satellite in its space- network as still images or live streams, to based polar observation network in an be displayed thousands of kilometres attempt to improve the nation’s polar away at the bureau’s command research capability, according to project headquarters in the southern province of insiders. The BNU-1 will be lifted atop a Guangdong. Long March 4B carrier rocket from the https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/ Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi article/3026577/beijing-deploys-drones-south- province before the end of this month, said china-sea-surveillance?li_source Li Chun, BNU-1’s project manager at =LI&li_medium=china_section_top_picks_for_you 14 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Intrusion of Canadian warship broaden the China-Russia strategic raises China’s ire partnership. Trade between China and Russia last year exceeded $100 billion, and Dm Chan, Asia Times, September 11, 2019 China has remained Russia’s largest China has questioned Canada’s “intentions” trading partner for nine consecutive years, behind sending a warship to traverse the data from MOFCOM showed. In the first Taiwan Strait, amid frosty relations between eight months of the year, bilateral trade Beijing and Ottawa, Channel News Asia stood at $70 billion, 4.5 percent higher than (CNA) reported. A Canadian Halifax-class last year. frigate, the HMCS Ottawa, passed through http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ the strategic waterway on Tuesday in a 1164358.shtml “freedom of navigation” operation, Taiwanese authorities said, the latest such China to build warship for voyage by a Western navy to anger Beijing. China views any passing through the Thailand narrow channel separating Taiwan and the Liu Xuanzun, Global Times Published, Chinese mainland as a breach of its September 12, 2019 sovereignty — while the US and many other nations see the route as international space, China and Thailand have signed a deal CNA said. “The Chinese side does not limit that will see a Chinese shipbuilding the normal passage of foreign warships company build a Type 071E landing through the Taiwan Strait,” Chinese foreign platform dock (LPD) warship for the Thai ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said navy, a move which shows deepened arms at a regular briefing. “But I don’t know trade cooperation between the two what special intentions the Canadian side countries, a Chinese military expert said has in deliberately making high-profile on Wednesday. China and Thailand announcements about its warship (crossing signed the agreement in Beijing on the Taiwan Strait). Monday, with the general manager of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/09/article/ Limited (CSSC), Yang Jincheng, and the intrustion-of-canadian-warship-raises-chinas-ire/ commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy, Luechai Ruddit, participating, China and Russia to reach deals, according to a statement CSSC released including aerospace, nuclear energy: on Tuesday. This also marks the first time MOFCOM China has exported an LPD, the statement said. Tu Lei, Global Times, September 12, 2019 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ China and Russia are expected to reach a 1164339.shtml number of deals when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits Russia next week, Gao Feng, China, Malaysia to set up South spokesperson of China’s Ministry of China Sea mechanism Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday. Gao said the deals will include trade, Reuters, September 12, 2019 investment, digital economy, agriculture, China and Malaysia have agreed to set up technology, aerospace and nuclear energy. a joint dialogue mechanism for the “The trade cooperation of the two countries disputed South China Sea, the Chinese is speeding up, and continues to strive for government’s top diplomat said yesterday high-quality development,” Gao said. after meeting the Malaysian foreign Li will visit Russia from Monday to minister. Chinese naval deployments in the Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry strategic waterway, through which more announced earlier, and it is widely believed than US$3.4 trillion of goods are that his visit will further strengthen and transported each year, have reignited 15 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
tension with Vietnam and the Philippines. 2018. Since the beginning of this year, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have BeiDou has made great achievements in competing claims in the South China Sea. the world, especially in serving the Belt and Road Initiative. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china- malaysia/china-malaysia-to-set-up-south-china- China’s satellite navigation industry will sea-dialogue-mechanism-idUSKCN1VX0JN exceed 400 billion yuan by 2020. It is learned from the forum that BeiDou is China launches three new satellites now more than a business card of China, the application of which has become a Xinhua, September 12, 2019 strategic emerging industry with a global China sent a resource satellite and two small market. Yu introduced that the satellites into planned orbits from the application of the application of BDS has Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north become an economic growth point of China’s Shanxi Province on Thursday. They strategic emerging industries. With the were launched on a Long March-4B carrier opening of global service and the rocket at 11:26 a.m. (Beijing Time). The establishment of BeiDou-3 system as an resource satellite, ZY-1 02D, will provide opportunity, China will continue to observation data for natural resources asset promote the integration and innovation of management, ecological monitoring, BDS. BeiDou will also usher in a golden disaster prevention and control, period of deepening application. environmental protection, urban construction, transportation and http://english.pladaily.com.cn/view/2019-09/12/ content_9620454.htm contingency management.
One of the two small satellites launched on First polar observation satellite the same rocket belongs to Beijing Normal launched into orbit University, and is named BNU-1, and the other belongs to a Shanghai-based private Zhao Lei, China Daily, September 12, 2019 space technology company. China sent its first polar observation satellite into space on Thursday to http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/12/ strengthen the nation’s polar research c_138386379.htm capability. The BNU-1, also known as Ice Pathfinder, was launched atop a Long China’s BeiDou has 39 satellites in March 4B carrier rocket at the Taiyuan orbit as construction to be Satellite Launch Center in North China’s completed next year Shanxi province at 11:26 am with an optical remote-sensing satellite and a Yuan Yufei, China Military Online, micro experimental satellite, according to September 12, 2019 China Great Wall Industry Corp, the “China will complete the comprehensive satellites’ launch service contractor. The construction of the BeiDou global system as mission marked the 310th launch of scheduled in 2020,” said Yang Changfeng, China’s Long March carrier rocket series. chief designer of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), at the 8th Annual Meeting of Developed and constructed by Aerospace China Global Navigation Satellite System Dongfanghong Development in (GNSS) and Location Based Service (LBS), Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong videlicet China BDS Application Forum, province, the BNU-1 weighs 16 kilograms held in Zhengzhou, Henan Province on and carries three experimental payloads – Tuesday. The theme of this conference is a multispectral camera, a high-resolution “BeiDou serves the world and integrates visible-light camera and an automatic innovative applications”. The basic system identification system receiver, a device for of BeiDou-3 has been completed and begun ship identification. The satellite is tasked to provide global services on December 27, with observing and monitoring climates 16 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
and environments in the Antarctic and c_138387934.htm Arctic. It is expected to work in a sun- synchronous orbit more than 730 km above Second parade rehearsal held; new the Earth for up to two years, the China weapons spotted Academy of Space Technology, parent of Aerospace Dongfanghong Development, Ma Xiu, Global Times, September 15, 2019 said in a statement. Type 15 tanks were also sighted on the http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/12/ streets of the capital city, suggesting that WS5d79c52ea310cf3e3556b39b.html the lightweight tank will make its debut to the general public on October 1. Military China welcomes DPRK-U.S. observers identified Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable dialogue resumption of carrying 10 independently targetable Xinhua, September 13, 2019 nuclear warheads and hitting anywhere on Earth, according to Hong Kong China on Thursday said it welcomed the Economic Times. positive signals from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on resuming talks They also spotted the DF-17 ballistic with the United States, calling on the U.S. missile, said to be carrying a hypersonic side to take practical measures to ease glide vehicle similar to Russia’s Avangard, tensions and promote talks. State Councilor moving along the highway into Beijing. and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the Meanwhile online videos and photos remarks when responding to a query at a captured two types of drone: one joint news conference held Thursday with aerodynamic design believed to be high Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin supersonic and stealthy, the other with a Abdullah. “This is an important step taken fly wing stealth design: probably the Sharp by the DPRK side to promote the process of Sword stealth attack drone seen test flying political settlement of the Korean Peninsula back in 2013. More mysterious was an issue, and China welcomes it,” said Wang. image of a large autonomous underwater vehicle. Its mission remains unknown. “Since last year, the DPRK has taken a series Beijing residents also claimed to have of positive measures, and on these grounds spotted new anti-ship missiles, anti- requested the U.S. to meet them halfway aircraft missiles and cruise missiles. They with a positive response. We think this is fair also speculated they had identified a long- and reasonable,” said Wang, who hoped range multiple rocket launcher. During the that the U.S. side will also take practical rehearsal on Sunday morning, enthusiasts measures in this regard, and make due filmed warplanes including J-20 stealth efforts to ease tensions and promote talks. fighters, Y-20 transport planes, early Also, the UN Security Council should warning aircraft and special mission consider initiating discussions on the aircraft. A new bomber, the H-6N, was in reversible provisions of the DPRK sanctions the formations on Sunday. resolution at an appropriate time, so as to help the DPRK ease the economic and http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ livelihood difficulties caused by the 1164470.shtml sanctions, and create conditions and provide support for a political settlement of the China ready to defend against Korean Peninsula issue, he suggested. China drone attacks after Saudi Arabia will continue to play a constructive role and oil hit make unremitting efforts to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, promote the Liu Xuanzun and Liu Yang, Global Times, establishment of a peace mechanism on the September 16, 2019 peninsula and realize the denuclearization Chinese military observers turned their of the peninsula, he said. attention to the threats from drones after http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/13/ two major oil installations of Saudi Arabia 17 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
were attacked by drones on Saturday, saying ship ballistic missile, and the DF-26 on Monday China has a full range of ballistic missile. countermeasures, including detection and interception systems. Ten drones attacked According to Zhou Chenming, a Beijing- the oil installations, damaging facilities that based military commentator, the DR-8 process the vast majority of the country’s could travel faster than the D-21 – whose crude output and raising the risk of a maximum speed is Mach 3.3 – letting it disruption in world oil supplies, the New penetrate the enemy’s air defences and York Times reported on Saturday. An return intact with intelligence. The PLA anonymous Chinese military expert told the had been using the drone – which can Global Times surprise was the key to the reach strategic locations as far away as the attacks’ success. “If they had deployed a Western Pacific, including Guam – for well-conditioned defense system, they some time, according to Shanghai-based would at least not suffer such a huge loss,” military commentator Shi Lao. China to the expert said. Drones, especially those with show off advanced nuclear weapons in small, slow, low-flying characteristics, are National Day parade “In fact, this UAV difficult for traditional air defense systems [the DR-8] entered into service a while to detect and intercept, so new systems must ago,” Shi said. be developed to counter them, experts told https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/ the Global Times. article/3027534/china-unveils-supersonic-spy- http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ drone-during-national-day-military 1164603.shtml Could a tiny Chinese magnetic China unveils supersonic spy drone sensor be up to the huge task of during National Day military tracking submarines? parade rehearsal Stephen Chen, South China Morning Post, Liu Zhen, South China Morning Post, September 17, 2019 September 17, 2019 Chinese researchers have developed a The photos, which have prompted sensor that might be able to track discussion among military enthusiasts, show submarines. Photo: HandoutChinese at least two types of unmanned aerial researchers have developed a sensor that vehicle (UAV) – identified as the DR-8 or might be able to track submarines. Photo: Wuzhen 8, and the Sharp Sword stealth Handout Chinese researchers have attack drone. The DR-8 would be expected developed a compact sensor that can to play a key role should there be a conflict detect extremely weak magnetic fields and with US aircraft carrier strike groups in the one day might be used to track submarines South China Sea or Western Pacific. The or act as a backup navigation system. The reconnaissance drone’s appearance at the sensor, an atomic magnetometer rehearsal drew attention partly because it developed by Professor Gu Sihong and his loosely resembles a supersonic UAV that colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of was retired by the US more than four Physics and Mathematics, can fit into a decades ago – the D-21. The US used the capsule the size of a bean and operate at drone for spying missions in China and a room temperature, according to research number of them crashed during operations, published in the journal Physical Review leaving their remnants scattered in various Applied. locations across the country. One of the “Using microelectromechanical system crashed D-21s was put on display at technology, the sensor can be fabricated Beijing’s Military Museum a few years ago. on the chip scale,” Gu wrote. The device The DR-8 reconnaissance drone has a role can pick up signals as weak as 20 in assessing the strike impact of China’s femtotesla, or about one-fifth the strength “aircraft carrier killer”, the DF-21D anti- 18 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
of the magnetic field generated by a human “We both are nuclear-armed countries. If brain. Although other devices known as these tensions increase, the world could magnetic anomaly detectors are much more be in danger,” Khan said, addressing sensitive, they are bulkier and can only be members of the Sikh religious community mounted on planes or helicopters. Magnetic in the eastern city of Lahore. “There will anomaly detectors used in anti-submarine be no first from our side ever,” he said. warfare must operate at temperatures near absolute zero and require lasers, power The foreign ministry’s spokesman supplies and gas chambers to achieve high subsequently said on Twitter that the sensitivity. comments were being taken out of context and did not represent a change in https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/ Pakistan’s nuclear policy. 3027502/could-tiny-chinese-magnetic-sensor-be- huge-task-tracking https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir- pakistan/pm-khan-pakistan-would-not-use- C. Pakistan nuclear-weapons-first-amid-tensions-with- india-idINKCN1VN1JS PM Imran seeks to quell talk of war with India No change in Pakistan’s nuclear policy: FO The Express Tribune, September 2, 2019 Radio Pakistan, September 3, 2019 Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday warned that Pakistan and India were the Foreign Office, Spokesperson Dr. two nuclear-armed countries and any Mohammad Faisal has said that Prime escalation of tensions between them could Minister Imran Khan’s comments on endanger the world. Addressing the Pakistan’s approach towards conflict International Sikh Convention at the Punjab between two nuclear armed states are Governor House, the prime minister being taken out of context. In a statement, denounced the idea of war, saying that he he said, while conflict should not take did not believe that war could solve any place between two nuclear states, there’s problem. “We both are nuclear-armed no change in Pakistan’s nuclear policy. countries. If these tensions increase, the world could be in danger,” Khan said. He, http://www.radio.gov.pk/03-09-2019/no- however, reiterated that Pakistan would change-in-pakistans-nuclear-policy-fo never trigger a war. No first use of N-weapons not https://tribune.com.pk/story/2047675/1-pakistan- policy: DG ISPR will-not-use-nuclear-arms-first-pm/ Muhammad Anis, The News International, PM Khan: Pakistan would not use September 5, 2019 nuclear weapons first, amid Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) tensions with India Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said on Wednesday that there is Asif Shahzad, Reuters, September 2, 2019 no policy of ‘no first use’ of strategic Pakistan would not use nuclear weapons capability saying that use of nuclear first, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on capability is political but the nation should Monday, amid tensions with arch-rival have the trust that Pakistan has that India after New Delhi revoked the special capability. status of its part of the disputed Kashmir https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/522403-no- region. first-use-of-n-weapons-not-policy-dg-ispr 19 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
D. USA admission nuclear refit lagging behind U.S. Treasury warns anyone fueling Iran tanker risks being blacklisted Russian Times, September 7, 2019 Timothy Gardner, Reuters, September 6, The US Navy test-fired a volley of decades- 2019 old Trident II nuclear missiles, proving they can still fly days after a top official The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday said the upgrade of bombs and warheads warned that anyone around the world who was lagging, and Russia offered to sell US helps fuel Iranian vessels blacklisted by some of its tech. Washington runs the risk of being designated as well. The Treasury The USS Nebraska, an Ohio-class missile Department blacklisted the Adrian Darya, submarine, fired two missiles on a tanker at the center of a confrontation Wednesday and another two on Friday, between Washington and Tehran, on Aug. the Navy confirmed. All four missiles 30. splashed into the target area off the Pacific island of Guam. The Trident II D5 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran- submarine-launched ballistic missile was usa-fuel/u-s-treasury-warns-anyone-fueling-iran- designed to last through 2024, but was tanker-risks-being-blacklisted-idUSKCN1VQ2O8 recently refurbished to last into the 2040s, the Navy said. Their W76 warheads were Nuclear power is the ‘silent giant’ recently upgraded as well. being invited finally to speak https://www.rt.com/usa/468222-us-tests- World Nuclear News, September 6, 2019 nuclear-missiles-submarine/ This was the shared message of Agneta Rising and Kirill Komarov, respectively the Nuclear industry urges Trump to director general and chairman of World revive uranium mining with Cold Nuclear Association, at the opening of War-era rule its Symposium 2019 in London yesterday. “Energy is essential for promoting human Valerie Volcovici, Timothy Gardner, development and global demand is Reuters, September 7, 2019 projected to increase significantly in the The U.S. nuclear energy industry has called coming decades,” Rising said. “Securing for the Trump administration to revive access to modern and affordable energy is domestic uranium mining and enrichment essential for all, lifting people out of poverty by unlocking funds through a Cold War- and promoting energy independence and era program, in a letter sent to a Cabinet- economic growth. Nuclear energy is a level working group. proven solution with a long established track record. The Aug. 18 letter from the Nuclear Energy Institute, or NEI, to national security “The 445 nuclear reactors in 30 countries adviser John Bolton and White House are the low-carbon backbone of electricity economic adviser Larry Kudlow, urges the systems, operating in the background, day Trump administration to authorize funds in day out, often out of sight and out of through the 1950 Defense Production Act mind, capable of generating an immense to procure domestic fuel for defense amount of clean power. They are the silent requirements and boost federal reserves of giants upon which we rely today. uranium for nuclear power utilities.
https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-ura- Nuclear-power-is-the-silent-giant-being-invited-fi nium-mining/nuclear-industry-urges-trump- to-revive-uranium-mining-with-cold-war-era- Not great, not terrible: US tests rule-idUSKCN1VR2O1 refurbished missiles after 20 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
U.S. hopes for North Korea talks in density ADOPT pellets (Westinghouse’s days, weeks – Pompeo chromia and alumina doped UO2 pellets) for improved fuel economics, and uranium Reuters, September 8, 2019 silicide pellets. Uranium silicide has a The United States hopes to get back to higher density of fissile material and higher denuclearisation talks with North Korea in thermal conductivity than uranium oxide, the coming days or weeks, Secretary of State providing benefits in terms of improved Mike Pompeo said on Sunday. Negotiations safety and better plant economics through aimed at dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear longer fuel cycles and enhanced flexible and missile programs have stalled since the power operation capability. The silicide collapse of a second summit between U.S. pellets in the lead test assemblies are President Donald Trump and North Korean enclosed in a zirconium alloy cladding and leader Kim Jong Un in the Vietnamese were manufactured at the Idaho National capital of Hanoi in February. Laboratory.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-usa/ “Westinghouse’s EnCore Fuel design was u-s-hopes-for-north-korea-talks-in-days-weeks- created to advance the future of the pompeo-idUKKCN1VT0OT nuclear industry. We are very proud to have achieved this important programme North Korea could warm up to talks milestone,” Westinghouse President and after removal of ‘war maniac’ Chief Executive Officer Patrick Fragman said. “Providing innovative products, Bolton solutions and services for our customers is David Brunnstrom, Reuters, September 11, at the forefront of all we do, and we are 2019 pleased to have partnered with Exelon to ultimately deliver greater efficiency and In the past, Bolton has proposed using reliability through our new technology.” military force to overthrow the ruling Kim family and U.S. officials have said Bolton https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ was responsible for the collapse of Trump US-begins-first-commercial-testing-of-silicide- and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s fue second summit in Vietnam in February. Trump announced he had fired Bolton a day U.S. won’t rule out Trump-Rouhani after North Korea signaled a new meeting after blaming Iran for willingness to resume stalled Saudi attacks denuclearization talks with the United States, but then conducted the latest in a Doina Chiacu, Reuters, September 15, 2019 spate of missile launches here Policy analysts The White House on Sunday did not rule say Bolton’s departure could help U.S. efforts out a potential meeting between President to revive the talks but will not make Donald Trump and Iranian President Washington’s aim of persuading Pyongyang Hassan Rouhani, even after Washington to give up its nuclear weapons any easier. accused Iran of being behind drone attacks https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump- on Saudi oil facilities. bolton-northkorea/north-korea-could-warm-up-to- White House adviser Kellyanne Conway talks-after-removal-of-war-maniac-bolton- idUSKCN1VV2N4 said the attacks on Saturday “did not help” prospects for a meeting between the two leaders during the United Nations General USA begins first commercial testing Assembly this month but she left open the of silicide fuel possibility it could happen. World Nuclear News, September 11, 2019 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi- The two assemblies contain chromium- aramco-attacks-usa/us-wont-rule-out-trump- coated zirconium cladding for enhanced rouhani-meeting-after-blaming-iran-for-saudi- oxidation and corrosion resistance, higher attacks-idUSKBN1W00H0 21 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
E. Europe Its restart has been delayed several times since. Finland may allow $2.9 billion nuclear waste fund to invest in Before the reactor can restart Britain’s stocks Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) must be satisfied with the company’s safety Lefteris Karagiannopoulos, Reuters, case, showing the reactor would be safe September 2, 2019 to operate even in the unlikely event of an earthquake. The other reactor at the plant, Finland’s 2.6 billion euro ($2.90 billion) which is more than 40 years old, was given Nuclear Waste Management Fund could be approval to restart power production last allowed to invest in stocks and other higher month. The two reactors at full capacity risk assets in order to boost returns, the can provide enough electricity to power country’s ministry of economic affairs and more than 1.7 million homes. employment said on Monday. Built from annual payments by operators of nuclear https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-nuclear/ plants, the fund guarantees that nuclear update-1-restart-of-scotland-nuclear-reactor- waste management can be arranged under where-cracks-found-delayed-again- all circumstances. idUSL5N25U303
A working group tasked with assessing the China still pursuing nuclear fuel investment activities concluded in a report that it could be broadened from its current processing plant with Areva: restriction of only lending to the state and official to energy suppliers. The ministry will now Tom Daly, Reuters, September 3, 2019 start drafting proposals and initiate discussions to amend existing regulations. China is still actively promoting a nuclear The fund has grown steadily during its 35 fuel processing project with France’s years in operation, with a further increase Areva, the head of its nuclear safety expected following the commissioning of the watchdog said at a briefing on Tuesday, Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor in 2020. where he also criticized a U.S. blacklisting However, moderate risk-taking and of Chinese nuclear firms. Commercial ensuring that there are, at all times, enough negotiations on the Areva project are assets available to cover the costs of nuclear “almost concluded,” Liu Hua, the head of waste, should remain the leading principle, the National Nuclear Safety it added. The legislative process will likely Administration and vice minister of be completed by the end of 2021. ecology and environment, said at the briefing to introduce China’s first white https://www.reuters.com/article/us-finland- paper on nuclear safety. A formal go- nuclear-funds/finland-may-allow-2-9-billion- ahead for the reprocessing plant would be nuclear-waste-fund-to-invest-in-stocks- a major boost for Areva, which has been idUSKCN1VN1DW discussing the project, valued at some $12 billion, for more than a decade. Liu gave Restart of Scotland nuclear reactor no indication whether a site had already where cracks found delayed again been selected for the project, which has been repeatedly delayed, with a previously Susanna Twidale, Reuters, September 3, 2019 proposed venue in Lianyungang, in EDF Energy has extended an outage at the eastern China’s Jiangsu province, canceled Hunterston B-7 reactor on the west coast of after protests. Scotland to Jan. 15, 2020 from a previously scheduled Oct. 1, the British arm of French https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china- utility EDF said on its website. It has been nuclear/china-still-pursuing-nuclear-fuel- processing-plant-with-areva-official- offline since March 2018 after routine idUSKCN1VO088 inspections found cracks in its graphite core. 22 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Iran and Europe unlikely to agree on Ministry said: “Many things still need to nuclear pact in next few days: be resolved.” Rouhani https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa- Parisa Hafezi, Reuters, September 4, 2019 france-credit/trump-administration-cool-to- french-plan-for-15-billion-iranian-credit-line- President Hassan Rouhani said on officials-idUSKCN1VP245 Wednesday Iran was unlikely to reach a deal in the next few days with European parties UK and Israeli leaders agree on to save the 2015 nuclear deal, state TV need to stop Iran getting nuclear reported. “I think it is unlikely that we will weapon reach a result with Europe by today or tomorrow,” Rouhani said. “Europe will Guy Faulconbridge, Reuters, September 5, have another two-month to fulfil its 2019 commitments,” he added. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin rouhani/iran-and-europe-unlikely-to-agree-on- Netanyahu agreed during a meeting in nuclear-pact-in-next-few-days-rouhani- London on the need to prevent Iran idUSKCN1VP0MK acquiring a nuclear weapon, Downing Street said on Thursday. Trump Administration cool to French plan for $15 billion Iranian “Both Prime Ministers agreed on the need to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon credit line: officials and stop wider destabilizing Iranian Arshad Mohammed, Susan Heavey, Reuters, behavior. The Prime Minister stressed the September 4, 2019 need for dialogue and a diplomatic solution,” a Downing Street The Trump administration views a French spokeswoman said. Johnson also said he proposal to extend a $15 billion credit line looked forward to seeing the United States’ to Iran with some skepticism, U.S. officials proposals for a viable Israel-Palestinian said on Wednesday, adding that they had peace agreement, the spokeswoman said. not seen any concrete proposal that would be in keeping with U.S. sanctions on Tehran. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain- France has floated the idea of offering Iran israel-iran/uk-and-israeli-leaders-agree-on-need- about $15 billion in credit lines until the end to-stop-iran-getting-nuclear-weapon- of this year if Tehran comes fully back into idUSKCN1VQ1WV compliance with its 2015 nuclear deal, according to Western and Iranian sources. Britain deeply concerned at Iran’s plan for faster uranium Such a move would require approval by the enrichment United States, which under U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the pact and Alistair Smout, Reuters, September 5, 2019 has since sought to pursue a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Trump “is Britain said on Thursday it was concerned in close coordination with our partners and and disappointed by Iran’s plan to take allies, listening to ideas, but we haven’t seen another step away from a 2015 nuclear anything yet that has any more prospects deal by starting to develop centrifuges to of becoming real than any of the other speed up uranium enrichment. “Iran’s schemes that have been floated over the last plan to suspend limits on nuclear research year,” the official added. Asked about the and development is deeply concerning,” U.S. response to France’s proposal, a the Foreign Office said in a statement. “This third step away from its commitments spokeswoman for the French Foreign under the nuclear deal is particularly 23 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
disappointing at a time when we and our in the Strait of Hormuz, but has pushed European and international partners are for a European alternative. working hard to de-escalate tensions with Iran.” https://www.reuters.com/article/france-us- defence/france-to-pursue-efforts-to-bring-iran- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear- to-comply-with-nuclear-deal-minister- britain/britain-deeply-concerned-at-irans-plan-for- idUSP6N25O00N faster-uranium-enrichment-idUSKCN1VQ2C5 France says Iran actions negative, Germany urges Iran to change but dialogue still open course on nuclear commitments John Irish, Reuters, September 8, 2019 Paul Carrel, Reuters, September 6, 2019 Iran’s decision to further reduce its Germany said on Friday it was not too late commitments to the 2015 nuclear is for Iran to change course after Tehran earlier reversible and France will continue to said it had taken a step to further pursue dialogue to bring it back into full downgrade its commitments to a 2015 compliance, France’s foreign minister said nuclear deal. “We urge Iran not to on Sunday. “The actions they have taken aggravate the situation further,” a German are negative but not definitive. They can Foreign Ministry spokesman told a regular come back and the path of dialogue is still news conference in Berlin. “It is not too late open,” Jean-Yves le Drian told Europe . for Iran to leave the wrong path it has gone He said Iran was still several months down.” away from a nuclear bomb.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran- start-germany/germany-urges-iran-to-change- nuclear-france/france-says-iran-actions-nega- course-on-nuclear-commitments- tive-but-dialogue-still-open-idUSKCN1VT08C idUSKCN1VR14W Britain accuses Iran of selling France to pursue efforts to bring Adrian Darya 1 tanker oil to Syria Iran to comply with nuclear deal- William James, Reuters, September 10, minister 2019 Dominique Vidalon, Reuters, September 7, Britain’s foreign minister on Tuesday said 2019 Iranian tanker Adrian Darya had sold its France will continue efforts to bring Iran into crude oil to the Assad regime in Syria, full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, breaking assurances it had given not to sell French defence minister Florence Parly said, crude to the country. The vessel, formerly adding that U.S. and European moves to named Grace, was seized by British Royal strengthen security in the Gulf must be Marine commandos on July 4 on suspicion “complementary and well coordinated”. of being en route to Syria. Gibraltar “We can only confirm our goal, which is to released it on Aug. 15 after receiving bring Iran to fully respect the Vienna deal,” formal written assurances from Tehran Parly told a news conference on Saturday that the ship would not discharge its 2.1 with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper in million barrels of oil in Syria. But Britain’s Paris. foreign office said in a statement it was clear Iran had breached those assurances “We must do everything we can to and that the oil had been transferred to contribute to ease tensions with Iran and to Syria. The Trump administration last year ensure navigation safety,” she added. unilaterally pulled out of a 2015 nuclear France has ruled out joining a U.S.-led deal between Tehran and Western powers, coalition of countries protecting oil tankers and is pursuing a campaign to bring Iran’s and cargo ships from threats posed by Iran exports to zero. 24 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Washington had warned any state against euro defence fund for developing and assisting the ship, saying it would consider buying weapons together, with money that support for a terrorist organization, from the EU’s common budget for defence namely, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard research. EU governments are expected to Corps. The U.S. State Department on add to the fund to swell its size. Tuesday stopped short of confirming whether Iran had sold the oil to Assad’s https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-jobs- regime, but strongly suggested it had. defence/eu-creates-defence-and-space-branch-to- complement-nato-idUSKCN1VV1CX https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran- tanker/britain-accuses-iran-of-selling-adrian- Merkel: We’ll keep trying to find darya-1-tanker-oil-to-syria-idUSKCN1VV1XN solutions with Iran to avoid escalation EU creates defence and space branch ‘to complement NATO’ Michelle Martin, Tassilo Hummel, Reuters, September 11, 2019 Robin Emmott, Reuters, September 10, 2019 Chancellor Angela Merkel said on The creation of a defence branch in the Wednesday that Europe had decided to European Commission, long resisted by uphold the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and Britain, is an attempt by President-elect would keep trying to find solutions that Ursula von der Leyen to stem a decline in averted escalation. “Step by step we will EU influence, as it faces heavy U.S. pressure keep trying to find solutions with Iran that to do more for its own security. Von der prevent an escalation of tensions in a Leyen, a former German defence minister, globally sensitive region. That’s our job,” said the plans would benefit the U.S.-led Merkel told the lower house of parliament. NATO alliance to which many EU states belong, adding: “NATO will always be (our) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast- collective defence.” Sylvie Goulard, a former iran-germany/merkel-well-keep-trying-to-find- long-time EU lawmaker currently at solutions-with-iran-to-avoid-escalation- France’s central bank, will be responsible for idUSKCN1VW0SO the new directorate general, as commissioner for industrial policy. Although von der French regulator puts EDF Leyen gave few details, the defence arm will Flamanville nuclear plant on build on an EU military pact signed in late safety watch 2017 to integrate defence forces by working on new weapons and contributing to rapid Geert De Clercq, Reuters, September 11, deployments. Washington supports the 2019 initiative, but has also warned against French nuclear regulator ASN said it has shutting U.S. companies out of defence put EDF’s Flamanville 1 and 2 reactors contracts. under increased surveillance following a series of shortcomings in maintenance and With Britain, Europe’s other main military contractor oversight. The ASN’s action is power apart from France, set to leave the the latest in a long series of technical and EU, Germany has backed the French-led operational issues that have bedevilled EDF effort to identify weak spots in European in recent months and raised new concerns armies with the goal of filling those gaps about the state-controlled utility’s safety together as a bloc. Space is also becoming culture. The regulator said in a statement an area where the EU wants to develop there had been a high number of technology jointly, particularly as China, significant shortcomings in the Flamanville Russia and the United States develop space plant’s maintenance and in the oversight weapons that can shut down enemy of contractors in the plant, as well as missiles and air defences or destroy satellites. insufficient quality of documentation. The plans will rely on a proposed 13-billion- 25 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
EDF did not dispute the ASN’s ruling. EDF’s officials to take a bigger role in increasing Belleville nuclear plant on the Loire river has business overseas for the American also been under increased surveillance since weapons industry. 2017. The problems at the Flamanville 1 and 2 reactors are not directly related to the https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-poland- many problems with a third nuclear reactor f-35/u-s-backs-proposed-6-5-billion-sale-of-32-f- that EDF is building on the same site. 35-lockheed-jets-to-poland-idUSKCN1VW29R Flamanville 3 is a decade behind schedule and its cost has tripled to nearly 11 billion France flags welding fault at five euros and is likely to rise further. Separately, or more EDF nuclear reactors EDF said on Tuesday it had found problems Dominique Vidalon, Reuters, September 12, with weldings on the steam generators of 2019 some existing reactors, sending its shares down 6.8% on fears that the faults could At least five nuclear reactors operated by lead to reactor closures. The shares French utility EDF might have problems recovered some of the losses to rise 5% on with weldings on their steam generators, Wednesday. They are down 28% over the a fault which has raised fears of closures, past 12 months, making EDF the second- France’s nuclear regulator was quoted as worst performer in the Stoxx European saying. State-controlled EDF, whose Utilities index shares were down 0.9% on Thursday, had said on Tuesday it had identified issues https://www.reuters.com/article/us-edf- with weldings of some existing reactors, nuclearpower-flamanville/french-regulator-puts- sparking a stock price fall of nearly 7%. edf-flamanville-nuclear-plant-on-safety-watch- France has the world’s second-largest fleet idUSKCN1VW0Y5 of nuclear reactors behind the United States, but a spate of technical problems, U.S. backs proposed $6.5 billion sale coupled with hitches at reactors under of 32 F-35 Lockheed jets to Poland construction, has tarnished EDF’s image as a leader in nuclear technology. EDF has Bryan Pietsch, Reuters, September 11, 2019 exported to China, Finland, South Africa The U.S. State Department said on and South Korea, with Britain also set to Wednesday it had approved a proposed sale use its equipment. of 32 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets worth $6.5 billion to Poland. In April, the https://www.reuters.com/article/us-edf-safety/ Pentagon told Congress it was considering france-flags-welding-fault-at-five-or-more-edf- selling the jets to the European nation, a nuclear-reactors-idUSKCN1VX0N7 NATO member, as well as Greece, Romania, Spain and Singapore. Bosnia protects Una river to try to block Croatian nuclear waste plan The sale would boost Poland’s contributions to NATO and reduce the country’s Maja Zuvela, Reuters, September 12, 2019 dependence on Russian equipment, a State One of Bosnia’s two regional governments Department official said in a statement. on Thursday designated the Una river a During the Cold War, Poland, which shares nature park, seeking to head off plans borders with Russia and fellow NATO being considered by Croatia to build a member Germany, belonged to the Soviet- landfill site for radioactive waste near the led Warsaw Pact. The approval of the sale border between the two countries. comes days after U.S. Vice President Mike Trgovska Gora, located just 500 meters Pence visited Poland, a key ally in the region, north of the Bosnian border and the river to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Una, has been identified by Croatia as one start of World War Two. Under President of four potential sites for dumping waste Donald Trump, the United States has rolled from the Krsko (NEK) nuclear power plant out a “Buy American” plan that relaxed it shares with neighboring Slovenia. No restrictions on sales and encouraged U.S. final decision has been made, but Croatia 26 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
needs to take over half of the nuclear waste were being installed in Natanz. We are from NEK, which lies in Slovenia, by 2023. deeply concerned by these activities,” the The plant was a joint venture of the two European powers said in their first joint republics when both were part of statement since an IAEA briefing earlier Yugoslavia. this week. “We continue to support the JCPoA (nuclear accord) and urge Iran to https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bosnia-croatia- reverse its activities that violate its JCPoA environment/bosnia-protects-una-river-to-try-to- commitments, and to refrain from all block-croatian-nuclear-waste-plan- further action.” “We call on Iran to idUSKCN1VX1LV cooperate with the IAEA on all relevant matters.” Britain’s move to join U.S. Gulf mission frustrates European plans https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran- nuclear-europe/european-powers-urge-iran-to- Robin Emmott, John Irish, Reuters, return-to-nuclear-accord-compliance- September 13, 2019 idUSKCN1VY1VI Britain and France proposed a European- led maritime force in July that was to be F. Russia independent of the United States. They won Russia Backs French Efforts to support from Denmark, Italy and Spain, who were wary of an American mission for Uphold Nuclear Deal fear of making U.S.-Iranian tensions worse. Financial Tribune, September 2, 2019 The proposal was announced after Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on in what was then widely seen as retaliation Monday expressed support for France’s for the seizure of an Iranian tanker in efforts to defuse tensions over Iran’s Gibraltar by British marines. The British- nuclear program, stressing that Tehran’s flagged Stena Impero is still being held by decision to reduce its compliance with the Iran, although Tehran has signaled it could 2015 nuclear deal is understandable. release it soon. The Iranian tanker was French President Emmanuel Macron’s released from Gibraltar last month. France efforts toward saving Tehran’s nuclear will make a fresh attempt on Sept. 16 to set agreement with world powers are up a mission to protect merchant shipping “commendable” and are supported by in the Strait, through which a fifth of the Moscow, Russia’s top diplomat said world’s oil passes, hoping to gather some 15 during a joint press conference with his European countries in Paris to discuss a way Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad forward. Zarif, in Moscow, according to a live https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran- broadcast by RT. europe/britains-move-to-join-u-s-gulf-mission- https://financialtribune.com/articles/national/ frustrates-european-plans-idUSKCN1VY10U 99706/russia-backs-french-efforts-to-uphold- nuclear-deal European powers urge Iran to return to nuclear accord compliance This Dangerous Russian John Irish, Reuters, September 13, 2019 Submarine Was Built to Sink U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers France, Britain and Germany, the European parties to Iran’s nuclear accord, on Friday Sebastien Roblin, National Interest Blog, expressed deep concern at Tehran’s September 3, 2019 violations of the 2015 deal and urged it to Russia’s enormous Oscar-class nuclear cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. attack submarines, known as the Project “The International Atomic Energy Agency 949A, were designed during the Cold War confirmed in its report of Sept. 8 that with a specific mission in mind: to go advanced centrifuges had been installed or 27 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
hunting for American aircraft carriers, the propulsion system exploded on a sea pride of American naval power. platform Aug. 8, leading to a brief spike in radiation by up to 16 times in nearby Because each U.S. flattop is protected by its cities. News outlets have recently reported, own little fleet of escorting warships—many citing U.S. intelligence and photographs of them specialized in antisubmarine from the site, that the blast occurred during warfare—the Oscar’s primary game plane a mission to salvage a nuclear-powered isn’t to creep up close for a torpedo attack. cruise missile from the bottom of the sea.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/dangerous- https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/04/ russian-submarine-was-built-sink-us-navy- russian-nuclear-blast-components-still-emit- aircraft-carriers-77591 radiation-reports-say-a67131
Test-ban body chief enters race to Putin Says Russia Will Produce lead U.N. nuclear watchdog New Missiles After Demise of Francois Murphy, Reuters, September 4, Nuclear Pact 2019 The Moscow Times, September 5, 2019 International Atomic Energy Agency President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Director General Yukiya Amano died in July that Russia would produce missiles that as he was preparing to step down early were banned under a landmark Cold-War because of an unspecified illness that had era nuclear pact that ended last month, visibly weakened him over the previous year. but that Moscow would not deploy them His right-hand man, Cornel Feruta of unless the United States did so first. Romania, is now acting director general and running to take over the position fully Speaking at an economic forum in Russia’s against Rafael Grossi, a veteran of nuclear Far East, Putin said Moscow had urged diplomacy, currently Argentina’s the United States to de-escalate a spiralling ambassador to the Vienna-based IAEA. arms race between the former Cold War foes, but that Washington had not Slovakia’s government has also approved a responded. The Russian leader said he run by the head of its Nuclear Regulatory was concerned by U.S. talk of deploying Authority, Marta Ziakova, a former missiles in Japan and South Korea, a chairwoman of the IAEA’s two top decision- deployment he said would cover parts of making bodies, the Board of Governors and Russian territory. Tensions over nuclear the General Conference. arms control have been rising after Washington formally pulled out of the https://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-nuclear- Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty chief/test-ban-body-chief-enters-race-to-lead-u-n- nuclear-watchdog-idUSKCN1VP1CT (INF) pact last month accusing Russia of violating it, allegations Moscow denied.
Russian Nuclear Blast Debris Is https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/05/ Still Emitting Radiation, Reports putin-says-russia-will-produce-new-missiles- Say after-demise-of-nuclear-pact-a67166
The Moscow Times, September 4, 2019 Rosatom wins licence to build Journalists in northern Russia have second nuclear reactor in Turkey measured high levels of radiation near two Geert De Clercq, Reuters, September 6, abandoned boats that were brought ashore 2019 following last month’s mysterious accident during a test at a military site that has raised Russia’s Rosatom has won a licence to start international concerns and safety fears. building the second of four planned nuclear reactors in Turkey and is Five nuclear engineers and two Defense preparing to install the first steel Ministry employees were killed after a liquid 28 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
equipment on the first unit this autumn, abandon the nuclear deal and push the Deputy CEO Kirill Komarov said on Friday. European Union towards reimposing The $20 billion project to build four Russian- sanctions. design reactors in Akkuyu on the Mediterranean is one of the largest nuclear “The United States is pursuing an obvious new-build projects worldwide and will objective: to force Iran to abandon the allow Turkey to join the small club of nations nuclear deal altogether and therefore with civil nuclear energy. push Europeans towards restoring the anti-Iran package of restrictive measures https://in.reuters.com/article/rosatom- under U.S. control. The White House nuclearpower-turkey/update-1-rosatom-wins- hopes to achieve a regime change in licence-to-build-second-nuclear-reactor-in-turkey- Tehran by reimposing the U.S. and EU idINL5N25X42Y sanctions, strengthening Iran’s political isolation and whipping up tensions in the Rosatom says close to signing Persian Gulf region in general,” he said. contract for Uzbekistan nuclear reactors He also said that Washington’s willingness to hold talks with Iran should Geert De Clercq, Reuters, September 6, 2019 not be taken seriously. “Unlike North Korea, Iran has neither nuclear weapons Russian nuclear reactor builder Rosatom is nor missiles capable of reaching U.S. close to signing a commercial contract to territory. So, the only direct dialogue with building two nuclear reactors in Uzbekistan, Tehran that Washington could foster is Rosatom’s head of international business unconditional surrender [under the U.S. said. Uzbekistan, a central Asian republic scenario],” he said. formerly part of the Soviet Union, signed a first intergovernmental agreement with https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440006/ Russia in 2017 for cooperation in civil Russia-to-make-efforts-to-preserve-nuclear-deal nuclear, followed by a second intergovernmental agreement in September ‘Potentially Dangerous’ Objects 2018 for the construction of two VVER-1200 Found in Northern Russia After Rosatom reactors. Accident https://uk.reuters.com/article/rosatom- The Moscow Times, September 6, 2019 nuclearpower-uzbekistan/rosatom-says-close-to- signing-contract-for-uzbekistan-nuclear-reactors- Potentially dangerous objects have been idUKL5N25X4RU found in an area of northern Russia where an accident that released radiation ‘Russia to make efforts to preserve occurred last month, Interfax news agency nuclear deal’ reported on Friday, citing regional authorities. Tehran Times, September 6, 2019 A test at a military site on Aug. 8 caused a “Russia has always been committed to the brief rise in radiation levels in the nearby implementation of the JCPOA by all parties. city of Severodvinsk. Russia’s state For our part, we will push ahead with efforts weather agency subsequently said it had to preserve the Iran deal at various levels, found the radioactive isotopes of including the parliamentary one, and draft strontium, barium and lanthanum in test a working mechanism to salvage it,” TASS samples. quoted him as saying in a post on his Telegram channel. He also said that https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/06/ Washington is trying to force Iran to potentially-dangerous-objects-found-in-north- ern-russia-after-accident-a67188 29 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
Russia nearly ready for reciprocal Russian Navy to get four nuclear response after U.S. missile test – subs next year — shipyard RIA TASS News Agency, September 10, 2019 Reuters, September 6, 2019 The Russian Navy will get one nuclear Russia is close to completing preparations submarine by the end of 2019 and four for a like-for-like response following a U.S. more - in 2020, Sevmash shipyard Director missile test that was carried out last month, General Mikhail Budnichenko told the RIA news agency cited Deputy Foreign reporters on Monday. “We will deliver one Minister Alexander Grushko as saying on nuclear sub this year and four more - next Tuesday. year, strictly in line with the contract,” he said. The Pentagon said last month it had tested a conventionally-configured cruise missile Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei that hit its target after more than 500 km Krivoruchko said that next year, Sevmash (310 miles) of flight, its first such test since is to deliver the special-purpose Belgorod the demise of the landmark INF nuclear arms nuclear-powered submarine, Project-955A limitation treaty. (Reporting by Vladimir (Borei-A class) Knyaz Vladimir strategic Soldatkin; writing by Tom Balmforth; submarine and two Project 885M (Yasen- Editing by Kevin Liffey) M class) nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines, the Kazan and the https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-pentagon- Novosibirsk. missiles-russia/russia-nearly-ready-for-reciprocal- response-after-us-missile-test-ria- https://tass.com/defense/1077381 idINR4N25V05F Trump’s ‘Bolton-free’ policy plans Russian Nuclear-Powered Cargo and Moscow’s multilateral Ship Loaded With Seafood strategic model Approaches Norway TASS News Agency, September 12, 2019 The Moscow Times, September 10, 2019 US National Security Adviser John The world’s only remaining civilian nuclear- Bolton’s firing will make Washington’s powered cargo ship, the Sevmorput, is policy even more “Trump-centric”, but sailing south into the Norwegian Sea en this is unlikely to result in any serious route to St. Petersburg with 204 refrigerated deterioration of the international climate. containers of frozen fish from the Pacific Ahead of launching his new presidential aimed for the market in European Russia. campaign, Donald Trump will prefer a The ship will arrive in St. Petersburg by the more moderate policy than Bolton, a dyed- end of this week after sailing south along in-the-wool hawk, had advised him to the coast of Norway through the Great Belt pursue, experts told Vedomosti. The in Denmark and into the Baltic Sea. dismissal of Bolton, Trump’s third national security adviser who got sacked over the “It’s crucial for Rosatomflot to expand the past three years, came as a surprise that geography of our work,” says Mustafa was welcomed by everyone. Bolton’s views Kaskha, director of the Murmansk-based, on foreign policy and US global actions state-owned fleet of nuclear-powered conflicted with those of the president. He icebreakers. had been vigorously trying to influence Trump’s foreign policy decisions and did https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/10/ not hesitate to argue with the president. russian-nuclear-powered-cargo-ship-loaded-with- The ex-White House adviser was a leading seafood-approaches-norway-a67218 30 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
foreign policy hawk, who insisted on getting line with the schedule, the acceptance act tougher with Iran and Russia and was is to be signed in September of the same opposed to easing tensions with North year.” Korea, said Andrei Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia- Council (RIAC). building-submarines-deliver-radioactive- tsunami-80381 The last straw that had led to his firing was Bolton’s attempt to stave off a deal with the Leningrad II-2 fitted with dummy Taliban and the withdrawal of forces from assemblies ahead of March fuel Afghanistan. Now Trump will solve loading international issues himself and Bolton’s successor will be just a figurehead, expert World Nuclear News, September 13, 2019 in international relations Vladimir Frolov “In loading the simulators [dummy said. Washington’s foreign policy could assemblies] into the reactor, become even more impulsive, but will we’ve performed two tasks: we’ve worked remain rather predictable, Frolov noted. out the transport and technological Trump is set to continue his policy on operations to transfer such important curtailing US combat operations across the equipment from a special storage facility world and decreasing US involvement in to the reactor building; and we’ve global conflicts. Unlike Bolton, the president demonstrated the reliable operation and views diplomatic pressure as a means of accuracy of the loading machine,” achieving compromise rather than as a Alexander Belyaev, chief engineer of curtain-raiser for a military conflict, Leningrad II, said in the company according to the expert. Now given a freer statement. hand, the US president, who has called himself an expert dealmaker, is poised to The dummy fuel assemblies, which will be strike “great deals” with authoritarian in the reactor vessel until the beginning of regimes. Meanwhile, he understands that next year, are necessary to confirm the foreign policy and military failures will be geometry of the reactor core, to circulate used against him in the 2020 presidential the primary circuit and for a hot run the campaign. unit, Rosatom said.
https://tass.com/pressreview/1077783 https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ Leningrad-II-2-fitted-with-fuel-assemblies Russia Is Building Submarines to Deliver a ‘Radioactive Tsunami’ Russia’s first sea-borne nuclear power plant arrives to its base Mark Episkopos, National Interest Blog, September 13, 2019 Reuters, September 14, 2019 The first special-purpose nuclear submarine Russia’s first-floating nuclear power plant to carry Russia’s upcoming “Poseidon” has arrived to its permanent base near an thermonuclear torpedoes, Belgorod, will isolated Russian town across the Bering enter trials in June 2020 and is due to be Strait from Alaska, Russian state nuclear commissioned several months later, while energy company Rosatom said on the Poseidon system itself is unlikely to enter Saturday. Developed by Rosatom, the service until the late 2020’s. plant, known as “Akademik Lomonosov”, set off on a 5,000 km (3,100 mile) journey “The vessel has already begun trials,” on Aug. 23 through Arctic waters to reach Sevmash shipyard Director General Mikhail the Chukotka region. Budnichenko told Russian state news agency TASS earlier this week. “Besides, we https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia- have a schedule approved by the Defense nuclear-floating/russias-first-sea-borne-nuclear- Ministry, and the work is being carried out power-plant-arrives-to-its-base- in strict compliance with this schedule… in idUSKBN1VZ0CY 31 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
West Asia are being held on ways to carry out the Europeans’ commitments (in the nuclear G. Iran deal),” the spokesman, Ali Rabiei, said in Iran warns EU over nuclear remarks carried by state television, without giving details. commitments as deadline for further steps looms Since the United States pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal last year, European Tuqa Khalid, Reuters, Septemeber 2, 2019 parties to the pact have been trying to Iran has said it will breach the deal’s limits convince Iran to remain compliant by on its nuclear activities one by one, promising to shield its economic interests ratcheting up pressure on the countries who from U.S. sanctions. still hope to save it. Tehran has threatened https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast- to take further steps by Sept. 6, such as iran-france-spokesman/iran-says-it-closes-gaps- enriching uranium to 20% or restarting with-france-in-talks-on-nuclear-deal- mothballed centrifuges, machines that idUSKCN1VN0NJ purify uranium for use as fuel in power plants or, if very highly enriched, in US won’t waive sanctions to allow weapons. French-proposed Iran credit line Tehran is prepared to take a “stronger step” Saudi Gazette, September 4, 2019 in reducing its commitments under the deal with world powers if European countries A senior US official on Wednesday ruled don’t take action to save the pact, its foreign out issuing waivers to Iran sanctions to ministry’s spokesman said on Monday. “The permit a French-proposed credit line, third step has been designed and will be which Tehran says could bring it back to stronger than the first and second steps to full compliance with the nuclear deal. “We create balance between Iran’s rights and can’t make it any more clear that we are commitments to the JCPOA,” state news committed to this campaign of maximum agency IRNA quoted the foreign ministry’s pressure and we are not looking to grant spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying on any exceptions or waivers,” Brian Hook, Monday. However, Iran had earlier stressed the State Department coordinator on Iran, that these steps are “reversible” if the told reporters. He added, however, that European signatories of the pact fulfilled he has not yet seen a “concrete” French their obligations. proposal and could therefore not comment on the idea. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclaer- step/iran-warns-eu-over-nuclear-commitments-as- French President Emmanuel Macron has deadline-for-further-steps-looms- been seeking to ease soaring tensions by idUSKCN1VN0OO bringing some economic relief to Iran and last month appeared to draw President Iran says it closes gaps with France Donald Trump’s interest when Macron in talks on nuclear deal said he hoped to arrange a summit between the US leader and his counterpart Peter Graff, Reuters, September 2, 2019 Hassan Rohani. Iran has been threatening Iran and France’s views have become closer to take new actions to curb its compliance over Tehran’s nuclear deal, mainly after with a 2015 denuclearization deal, from phone calls between President Hassan which Trump withdrew last year as he Rouhani and his French counterpart reimposed punishing sanctions. Emmanuel Macron, Iran’s government http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576398/ spokesman said on Monday. “Fortunately World/Mena/US-wont-waive-sanctions-to- the points of views have become closer on allow-French-proposed-Iran-credit-line many issues and now technical discussions 32 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Defiant Iran pooh-poohs US already heightened tensions across the sanctions on its space program region. Saudi Gazette, September 4, 2019 http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576359/ World/Mena/Iran-gives-Europe-two-more- Iran rejected on Wednesday as “ineffective” months-to-save-nuclear-deal US sanctions imposed on Tehran’s civilian space agency and two research Iran nuclear crisis in 300 words organizations for allegedly being used to advance the country’s disputed ballistic BBC, September 5, 2019 missile program. “Americans are addicted What does the deal do? Iran has always to sanctions. These sanctions are totally insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful. ineffective,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news But suspicions it was being used as a cover agency quoted Foreign Ministry Mohammad to develop a nuclear bomb prompted the Javad Zarif as saying. UN Security Council, US and EU to The United States imposed sanctions on impose crippling sanctions from 2010. Iran Iran’s civilian space agency and two Accelerates Nuclear Research, Threatens research organizations on Tuesday, saying to Boost Uranium Stockpile Move comes they were being used to advance Tehran’s after Europe failed to meet a deadline to ballistic missile program. The US Treasury offset the impact of U.S. sanctions. In 2015, sanctions targeted the Iran Space Agency, Iran reached a deal with six powers - the Iran Space Research Center and the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Astronautics Research Institute, according Germany - that saw it limit its nuclear to a statement on its website. “The United activities in return for sanctions relief. States will not allow Iran to use its space The deal restricted Iran’s enrichment of launch program as cover to advance its uranium, which is used to make reactor ballistic missile programs,” Secretary of State fuel but also nuclear weapons. It was also Mike Pompeo said in a statement. required to redesign a heavy-water reactor http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576358/World/ being built, whose spent fuel would Mena/Defiant-Iran-pooh-poohs-US-sanctions-on- contain plutonium suitable for a bomb, its-space-program and allow international inspections. What prompted the latest crisis? President Iran gives Europe two more months Donald Trump abandoned the deal in to save nuclear deal May 2018 and reinstated US sanctions. He wanted a new deal that would also curb Saudi Gazette, September 4, 2019 Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its involvement in regional conflicts. Iran Iran’s President Hassan Rohani gave refused and saw the value of its currency European powers another two months to plummet and its inflation rate soar as the save a 2015 nuclear deal on Wednesday, but sanctions took effect. When the sanctions warned that Tehran was still preparing for were tightened this May, Iran stopped further significant breaches of the agreement abiding by some commitments in the deal. if diplomatic efforts failed. His statement came as Iranian officials appeared to give a https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east- guarded welcome to a French proposal to 48201138 save the atomic pact by offering Iran about $15 billion in credit lines until the end of the EU urges Iran to ‘reverse’ scale- year if Tehran comes fully back into back from N-deal compliance. Saudi Gazette, September 5, 2019 Rohani said talks with European powers were moving forward, raising hopes of at The EU on Thursday urged Iran to reverse least a pause in a diplomatic confrontation its scale-back of commitments to the between Iran and the West that has stoked nuclear accord struck with world powers 33 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
after the Islamic Republic announced it was made by the Iranians in the wake of the ending curbs on atomic research. European G7.” Commission spokesman Carlos Martin Ruiz de Gordejuela told a media briefing in http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576517/ Brussels that the decision was “inconsistent” World/Mena/Iran-inching-toward-place-where- with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, talks-could-be-held-Pentagon-chief under which the accord is implemented. Iran takes further step to scale “And in this context we urge Iran to reverse back nuclear commitments these steps and refrain from further measures that undermine the nuclear deal,” Saudi Gazette, September 6, 2019 he said. Meanwhile, Iran said on Thursday Iran said on Friday it had taken a step to that it will announce details on Saturday of further downgrade its commitments to a its latest scaling back of its commitments 2015 nuclear deal with the world’s most under a 2015 nuclear deal in response to powerful nations, according to Iranian sweeping US sanctions. media, in retaliation to US sanctions reimposed on Tehran. Iran said on Atomic energy organization spokesman Wednesday it would begin developing Behrouz Kamalvandi will hold a news centrifuges to speed up the enrichment of conference to set out the details of Iran’s third uranium, which can produce fuel for cut to its nuclear commitments since May, power plants or for atomic bombs. Tehran the semi-official ISNA news agency said. denies seeking nuclear weapons. http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576462/World/ “Foreign Minister (Mohammad Javad) Mena/EU-urges-Iran-to-reverse-scale-back-from- N-deal Zarif, in a letter to EU (European Union) policy chief (Federica Mogherini) Iran ‘inching’ toward place where announced that Iran has lifted all limitations on its (nuclear) Research and talks could be held: Pentagon chief Development (R&D) activities,” Iran’s Saudi Gazette, September 6, 2019 Students News Agency ISNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Mousavi as saying. Under the deal, Iran is Friday that it appeared Iran was inching allowed limited research and development toward a place where talks could be held, on advanced centrifuges, which accelerate days after US President Donald Trump left the production of fissile material that can the door open to a possible meeting with be used to make a nuclear bomb. Iran also Iranian President Hassan Rohani. Friction agreed to limitations on specific research between the two countries has deepened and development activities for eight years. since Trump last year withdrew from a 2015 international accord under which Iran had President Donald Trump pulled the agreed to rein in its atomic program in United States out of the deal last year, exchange for relief from economic sanctions. arguing it did not go far enough, and reimposed sanctions that has slashed Iran’s Washington has renewed and intensified its crude oil sales by more than 80 percent. sanctions, slashing Iran’s crude oil sales by Iran has responded by scaling back its more than 80 percent. “It seems in some nuclear commitments since May and has ways that Iran is inching toward that place threatened to continue removing restraints where we could have talks and hopefully on its nuclear program unless European it’ll play out that way,” Esper said at the parties to the pact did more to shield Iran’s Royal United Services Institute think-tank economy from the US penalties. in London. Asked at a press conference later what he was basing his comments on, Esper http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576524/ said it was “in light of some of the comments World/Mena/Iran-takes-further-step-to-scale- back-nuclear-commitments 34 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Third step: Iran officially informs and development on their nuclear weapon EU of plan to expand nuclear R&D systems. Those things are unacceptable,” Pompeo told Kansas City radio station Tehran Times, September 6, 2019 KCMO.
In a letter to European Union foreign policy Iranian President Hassan Rohani made chief Federica Mogherini on Thursday, the announcement on Wednesday and the Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif country’s atomic energy organization is set announced that as a third step Iran stops to hold a press conference on Saturday, implementing all commitments related to as Tehran shows its frustration with the nuclear research and development (R&D) 2015 deal. Iran has been negotiating with under the 2015 nuclear deal, officially European powers that hope to salvage the known as the JCPOA. “Today, the Iranian accord despite the reimposition of foreign minister sent a letter to Mogherini, sanctions by the United States, which last announcing that the Islamic Republic of Iran year pulled out of the deal. Despite his stops all commitments in the area of research hawkish stance, President Donald Trump and development under the JCPOA because has said he is willing to speak with Iran, a of consequences of the United States’ prospect proposed by France. withdrawal from the deal and the three European countries’ failure to implement http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576563/ their commitments,” Foreign Ministry World/Mena/Pompeo-says-Iran-nuclear- spokesman Abbas Mousavi said. commitment-cuts-unacceptable
“In this letter, it has been said that this action Iran further breaches nuclear deal, is in line with Iran’s rights under the JCPOA says it can exceed 20% enrichment and within the paragraph 36 of it and is in response to violation of the JCPOA during Saudi Gazette, September 7, 2019 the past 16 months.” Mousavi added, “Technical details of Iran’s action will be Iran said on Saturday it was now capable announced to the International Atomic of raising uranium enrichment past the Energy Agency.”According to Mousavi, the 20% level and had launched advanced final part of the letter said, “In order to show centrifuge machines in further breaches of its good will, the Islamic Republic of Iran is commitments to limit its nuclear activity prepared to continue negotiations at all levels under a 2015 deal with world powers. with the parties remaining in the JCPOA, “We have started lifting limitations on our and return to the full implementation of the Research and Development imposed by JCPOA in case the other parties implement the deal ... It will include development of all their JCPOA commitments.” more rapid and advanced centrifuges,” Iranian nuclear agency spokesman https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/439970/ Behrouz Kamalvandi told a televised news Third-step-Iran-officially-informs-EU-of-plan-to- conference. expand-nuclear The 2015 pact curbed Iran’s disputed nuclear program in exchange for relief Pompeo says Iran nuclear from sanctions, but has unraveled since the commitment cuts ‘unacceptable’ United States pulled out of it last year and Saudi Gazette, September 6, 2019 acted to strangle Iran’s oil trade to push it into wider security concessions. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Iran’s latest reduction in http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576663/ commitments to a nuclear deal — made in World/Asia/Iran-further-breaches-nuclear-deal- retaliation for US sanctions — was says-it-can-exceed-20-enrichment “unacceptable.” “They announced... that they’re going to continue to do more research 35 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
IAEA found uranium traces at Iran Rouhani to Merkel: Iran’s ‘atomic warehouse’ — diplomats interests must be guaranteed in Saudi Gazette, September 8, 2019 nuclear deal Samples taken by the UN nuclear watchdog Tehran Times, May 11, 2019 at what Israel’s prime minister called a In a phone conversation with German “secret atomic warehouse” in Tehran Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, showed traces of uranium that Iran has yet President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran’s to explain, two diplomats who follow the interests must be guaranteed in the nuclear agency’s inspections work closely say. The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency Plan of Action. Rouhani said that the (IAEA) is investigating the particles’ origin European Union states, especially and has asked Iran to explain the traces. But Germany, France and UK, should Tehran has not done so, according to the announce their stance on guaranteeing diplomats, stoking tensions between Iran’s interests in the JCPOA after Trump Washington and Tehran. US sanctions have pulled the U.S. out of the international slashed Iranian oil sales and Iran has deal on Tuesday. responded by breaching its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. He said, “Iran’s interests in issues related to the JCPOA such as sale of oil, gas and In a speech a year ago Israeli Prime Minister also banking relations should be Benjamin Netanyahu, who vehemently guaranteed transparently and clearly.” opposed the deal, called on the IAEA to visit “These issues which can help preserving the site immediately, saying it had housed the JCPOA should be discussed by the 15 kg (33 lb) of unspecified radioactive Iranian and European foreign ministers material that had since been removed. and experts in future weeks,” Rouhani Reuters first reported in April that the IAEA, asserted. Iranian Foreign Minister is which is policing the nuclear deal, had scheduled to meet with his German, inspected the site — a step it had said it takes French and British counterparts in Brussels “only when necessary” — and on Monday to discuss the fate of the environmental samples taken there were sent nuclear agreement. off for analysis. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/423437/ http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576763/World/ Rouhani-to-Merkel-Iran-s-interests-must-be- Asia/IAEA-found-uranium-traces-at-Iran- guaranteed-in-nuclear atomic-warehouse-mdash-diplomats Expert: Non-European trade U.S. Says Iran possibly Conducting partners better for Iran Secret Activities Haniyeh Sadat Jafariyeh, Tehran Times, Jerusalem Post, September 10, 2019 May 11, 2019 United States is accusing Iran of conducting European countries have been looking to “secret nuclear activities” after Prime increase trade ties with Iran since the 5+1 Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech last countries and Iran struck a nuclear deal night, in which he announced that Israel had according to which Tehran agreed to limit unveiled other secret sites in the Iranian its nuclear activities in exchange for nuclear program. termination of most economic sanctions. The multilateral deal, involving Iran, the https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/US-Iran- European Union, Germany and the five Possible-Secret-Nuclear-Operation-601206 permanent members of the UN Security 36 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Council, was clinched in 2015 and went into member of the 27-nation bloc, to play their force in January 2016. part in preserving the deal.
Europeans have repeatedly affirmed that https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440086/ they would stick to the deal since it was Talks-with-U-S-under-sanctions-meaningless- signed and endorsed by the UN Security Rouhani-says Council, however, under the present condition that President Donald Trump has Through seeking talks with Iran, pulled out the U.S. from the nuclear deal, Trump intends the region to known as the JCPOA, they need to find recognize Israel: ex-diplomat ways to limit any impact from possible U.S. sanctions to ensure their firms continue to Tehran Times, September 15, 2019 do business with Tehran. One of their Ahmad Dastmalchian, Iran’s former options would be restoring “blocking ambassador to Lebanon, has said that U.S. regulations”, a system from 1996 that would President Donald Trump’s objective in protect European firms. The regulations seeking talks with Iran is a recognition of were agreed in 1996 as a countermeasure the Zionist regime of Israel in the Middle to the U.S. extraterritorial economic East. “The United States seeks recognition sanctions against Cuba, which EU of the Zionist regime in the region and uses governments said benefited U.S. foreign various countries as slave on this path policy interests at the expense of European such as the view it has about Saudi Arabia, sovereignty. and seeking talks with Iran is in line with https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/423457/ this objective of the United States,” ISNA Expert-Non-European-trade-partners-better-for- quoted Dastmalchian as saying on Iran Sunday. “However, the resistance front counters Talks with U.S. under sanctions them. The United States seeks to divide the meaningless, Rouhani says regional countries, but the resistance front Tehran Times, September 13, 2019 makes efforts for the countries to be independent from the United States and President Hassan Rouhani said on the Zionist regime,” he remarked. In a Wednesday that it makes no sense to hold phone conversation with French President talks with the United States when sanctions Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, against Iran are in place. “From the President Hassan Rouhani said it makes viewpoint of the government, parliament no sense to hold talks with the United and the people of Iran, negotiations with the States when sanctions against Iran are in United States make no sense when sanctions place. remain,” Rouhani said in a phone conversation with French President https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440179/ Emmanuel Macron. Through-seeking-talks-with-Iran-Trump- intends-the-region-to Rouhani noted that the U.S. refrained from fulfilling its commitments by withdrawing Iran says Bolton’s Resignation from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally called Won’t Lead to Talks With the US the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Pointing to Iran’s third step in reducing its Reuters, September 11, 2019 commitments under the deal, he said that The resignation of White House National the action has been done under the Security Adviser John Bolton, a hawk on supervision of the International Atomic Iran, will not lead to talks between Energy Agency (IAEA) and is reversible. The Washington and Tehran, Iran said on president once against urged the European Wednesday. President Hassan Rouhani Union, particularly France as a heavyweight 37 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
urged the United States to end its policy of Board of Governors meeting that began on “maximum pressure” on his country, and Monday. He singled out former U.S. said Tehran would cut its commitments to National Security Adviser John Bolton, a a 2015 nuclear deal further if necessary, hawk on Iran who left his job on Tuesday. state TV reported. On Saturday, hours before the IAEA’s acting chief flew to Tehran for a visit, Last year, the United States pulled out of Bolton had said that Iran “may be the nuclear deal, under which Iran agreed concealing nuclear material and/or to curbs on its atomic program in return for activities.” access to world trade. Washington has since imposed what the administration calls a https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran- policy of “maximum pressure,” including nuclear-iaea/iran-denounces-u-s-israeli-plot- sanctions aimed at halting all Iranian oil over-nuclear-program-idUSKCN1VW1Q7 exports. Iran has responded with a series of steps to reduce its compliance with the H. Israel nuclear deal, although it says it still aims to keep it in place. Trump has suggested he UK and Israeli leaders agree on would be willing to hold talks with Iran to need to stop Iran getting nuclear reach a new deal. Iran has long said talks weapon are impossible unless Washington lifts its Reuters, September 5, 2019 sanctions first. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin usa/iran-says-u-s-should-avoid-warmongers-after- Netanyahu agreed during a meeting in bolton-departure-idUSKCN1VW0U5 London on the need to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, Downing Iran Denounces ‘US-Israel Plot’ Street said on Thursday. “Both Prime Over Nuclear Program Ministers agreed on the need to prevent Reuters, September 12, 2019 Iran getting a nuclear weapon and stop wider destabilizing Iranian behavior. The Iran has denounced a “U.S.-Israeli plot” to Prime Minister stressed the need for put pressure on the U.N. nuclear watchdog, dialogue and a diplomatic solution,” a after the IAEA called in recent days for more Downing Street spokeswoman said. cooperation from Tehran following what diplomats say was the detection of uranium Johnson also said he looked forward to particles at an undeclared site. The seeing the United States’ proposals for a International Atomic Energy Agency has viable Israel-Palestinian peace agreement, broad powers to inspect Iran under its 2015 the spokeswoman said. nuclear agreement with major powers. The https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain- IAEA has issued its calls in recent days for israel-iran/uk-and-israeli-leaders-agree-on-need- Iran to cooperate, without saying specifically to-stop-iran-getting-nuclear-weapon- what prompted them, saying this is idUSKCN1VQ1WV confidential. Diplomats told Reuters the agency wants Iran to explain how traces of Netanyahu accuses Iran of uranium were found at a site that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu destroying secret ‘nuclear site’ described a year ago as a “secret atomic Saudi Gazette, September 9, 2019 warehouse.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Since two days before this session of the Netanyahu on Monday accused Iran of Board, we are witnessing a U.S.-Israeli plot having a previously undisclosed site aimed with the support of their affiliated media,” at developing nuclear weapons that it Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Kazem destroyed. Iran destroyed the site located Gharibabadi, said in a statement to an IAEA near the city of Abadeh, south of Isfahan, 38 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
sometime between late June and late July Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that will be after realizing that Israel had detected it, published on Friday, Lapid differentiated Netanyahu alleged. In an address on live himself from Prime Minister Benjamin television, with photos of the alleged site on Netanyahu, who said he would not object a screen behind him, Netanyahu referred to to such a meeting. an intelligence trove he had previously announced last year. “The only method that can prevent Iran’s nuclearization is strong sanctions, and too http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576845/World/ many people will assume that such a Mena/Netanyahu-accuses-Iran-of-destroying- meeting would result in lifting sanctions,” secret-nuclear-siteite Lapid said. Netanyahu told reporters who accompanied him to London on Thursday: Netanyahu Sees US Stays “Very “Right now, the time is to apply pressure. Very Tough” on Iran Despite Bolton Does that mean that after a month or two Ouster months of pressure, you can’t do it? I don’t rule it out, and I certainly don’t decide for Jerusalem Post, September 11, 2019 the president of the United States when to meet and whom to meet with.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played down the impact of hawkish John https://www.jpost.com/International/Lapid- Bolton’s exit from the post of US national Trump-should-not-meet-with-Rouhani-601203 security adviser, predicting on Wednesday that Washington would hold to a tough line Israeli Ambassador Urges US to on Iran. US President Donald Trump fired Stay the Course’ on Pressuring Bolton on Tuesday, citing policy disagreements. US Secretary of State Mike Iran Pompeo said immediately after that Trump Ron Kampeas, Jerusalem Post, September might meet Iranian President Hassan 11, 2019 Rouhani at the U.N. general assembly this month. Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, urged the United States to Netanyahu was among the most vocal “stay the course” and increase pressure on champions of Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran amid reports that the Trump 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major administration is open to diplomatic powers and has voiced misgivings about initiatives with the Islamic Republic. Western engagement with Tehran unless “What is important now is to stay the this leads to sweeping restrictions on course, stand up to Iran’s aggression and sensitive nuclear projects. continue ratcheting up the pressure until Iran abandons its nuclear ambitions once https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/ and for all,” Dermer said Tuesday evening Netanyahu-sees-US-stays-very-very-tough-on- at a pre-Rosh Hashanah reception at the Iran-despite-Bolton-ouster-601424 embassy. “Israel looks forward to working with the Trump administration to do just Trump Should Not meet with that in the year ahead.” Rouhani Dermer otherwise lavishly praised Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post, September 11, President Donald Trump for his increased 2019 sanctions on Iran as well as for other Blue and White co-candidate for prime moves, including moving the U.S. minister Yair Lapid called upon US President Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Donald Trump not to go through with Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. his possible meeting with Iranian President https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Israeli- Hassan Rouhani later this month in New ambassador-urges-US-to-stay-the-course-on- York. Speaking in an interview with The pressuring-Iran-601442 39 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
Europe is Propping up Iranian The kingdom has so far resisted agreeing Terror While Demonizing Israel to standards that would block its ability to enrich uranium and reprocessing of Jerusalem Post, September 12, 2019 plutonium, possible pathways to making It’s not everyday that a world leader an atomic weapon. On Monday, Prince manages to wrestle the attention and Abdulaziz said the kingdom wanted to agenda from Donald Trump. But at the enrich uranium for its nuclear power recent G7 summit in Biarritz, France, French program, potentially complicating talks President Emmanuel Macron took center with the Trump administration on the stage (at least for a few moments) with his atomic pact and the role of U.S. surprise invitation to Iran’s foreign minister, companies. Perry told reporters at Jarad Zarif. Trump has been putting the department headquarters on Friday the squeeze on Iran, walking away last year kingdom must agree to so-called 123 from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of nonproliferation standards before coming Action and ratcheting up sanctions on the to any agreement. Islamic Republic. In turn, Macron and other https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy- European leaders have been waging a two- perry/u-s-energy-secretary-says-nuclear-power- front campaign — keep Iran tethered to the talks-with-new-saudi-minister-likely-monday- nuclear deal long enough to get Trump and idUSKCN1VY1S7 the United States back on board.
In addition to the Zarif invitation, French East Asia officials this month reportedly proposed a J. Japan $15 billion letter of credit to compensate Iran for U.S. sanctions and incentivize that Japan urges nuke plants to prepare country to keep the terms of the 2015 deal. for decommissioning era In order to understand how grievous a mistake this is, Macron just has to follow the Mari Yamaguchi, AP News, September 2, money released to Iran since the JCPOA was 2019 signed. Japan’s nuclear policy-setting body adopted a report Monday saying the https://www.jpost.com/International/Europe-is- country is entering an era of massive propping-up-Iranian-terror-while-demonizing- Israel-601439 nuclear plant decommissioning, urging plant operators to plan ahead to lower safety risks and costs requiring decades I. Saudi Arabia and billions of dollars. Twenty-four U.S. energy secretary says nuclear commercial reactors — or 40% of Japan’s power talks with new Saudi total — are designated for or are being decommissioned. Among them are four minister likely Monday reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant Timothy Gardner, Reuters, September 13, that were severely damaged by the massive 2019 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Friday he will meet the new Saudi energy The annual nuclear white paper, adopted minister on Monday and likely discuss plans by the Japan Atomic Energy Commission, the kingdom has to build nuclear reactors. urges utilities to learn from U.S. and Perry did not say where he would meet European examples, especially those of Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Germany, France and Britain. Japan hasn’t Salman, who took over from Khalid al-Falih yet completed the decommissioning of any on Sunday. But a U.S. official said the reactors and doesn’t have concrete plans meeting would likely take place on the for the final disposal of radioactive waste. sidelines of an International Atomic Energy “Taking into consideration further Agency meeting in Vienna next week. increase of nuclear facilities that will be 40 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
decommissioned, new technology and systems would be moved from the systems need to be developed in order to Kamchatka Peninsula to Paramushir and carry out the tasks efficiently and smoothly,” Matua islands this year based on a the report said. “It’s a whole new stage that presidential order. we have to proceed to and tackle.” Japanese utilities have opted to scrap aged reactors It said a vessel-detection radio base and instead of investing in safety requirements an air fleet would also be installed on under post-Fukushima standards. The Matua. Regarding the deployment of the decommissioning of a typical reactor costs missiles systems on the two islands, a nearly 60 billion yen ($560 million) and takes Russian government official said, “They several decades. have already been moved, and are now being prepared for operation.” Tokyo has https://www.apnews.com/ expressed opposition to a military buildup 694bda3a08a44012b01c1a16a5cb1803 in the region surrounding the Russian- held, Japanese-claimed islands off Russia plans additional missile Hokkaido, which are known as the defense buildup on Kuril Islands Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia. A separate Mainichi Japan, September 3, 2019 document obtained by Kyodo News late Russia is planning to deploy additional last year, thought to have been drawn up missile systems on two islands in the sometime after the summer, showed northern portion of the Kuril Islands chain Russia’s plans to set up a “unified defense off Japan’s Hokkaido in a bid to strengthen system” along the islands chain with the its defense capabilities in the region, an deployment of additional missiles to internal Russian government document Paramushir and Matua in 2020. showed Monday. The document, obtained https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190903/ by Kyodo News, revealed that new land-to- p2g/00m/0in/008000c ship missile systems called the Bastion, with a range of more than 300 kilometers, would Watchdog to restart probe into be deployed on Paramushir and Matua in the chain, which includes four Japan- Fukushima nuclear accident claimed islands. The plan indicates Russia Toshio Kawada, Asahi Shimbun, September places strategic importance on the Kuril 5, 2019 Islands in defending the Sea of Okhotsk and its nuclear force stronghold against the The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) United States. plans to restart its investigation into the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 It also means a defense line stretching from nuclear power plant now that radiation the Kamchatka Peninsula to Hokkaido, levels have dropped at the site. The NRA which falls within the range of the missile judged that investigators will be able to defense systems, will be completed soon. The approach key equipment at the plant to development is likely to hinder progress on obtain new information for an analysis talks on a postwar peace treaty between into the causes of the accident. The Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian nation’s nuclear watchdog will compile a President Vladimir Putin, who are scheduled report on the results of the investigation to meet Thursday in Vladivostok in Russia’s within 2020, ahead of the 10th Far East on the sidelines of an economic anniversary of the nuclear accident in forum. With the United States seeking to March 2021. deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region following the demise of An examination council whose members the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces include outside experts will be reopened Treaty with Russia last month, tensions to conduct the investigation. The NRA continue to heighten. The document dated was established after the Great East Japan December showed that the missile defense Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 41 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
2011, led to a triple meltdown at the plant prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, himself operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. The an anti-nuclear advocate, are likely to NRA’s purpose was not only to strengthen prove controversial in the ruling Liberal safety standards at nuclear plants but also Democratic Party, which supports a to clarify the causes of the Fukushima return to nuclear power under new safety accident. rules imposed after Fukushima. “I would like to study how we will scrap them, not http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/ how to retain them,” Shinjiro Koizumi said AJ201909050042.html at his first news conference late on Wednesday after he was appointed by Japan may have to dump radioactive Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. water into the sea, minister says Japan’s nuclear regulator is overseen by Reuters, September 10, 2019 Koizumi’s ministry. Three reactors at the Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) will Fukushima Daiichi station run by Tokyo have to dump radioactive water from its Electric Power melted down after being hit destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant by a massive earthquake and tsunami in into the Pacific Ocean as it runs out of room March 2011, spewing radiation that forced to store it, the environment minister said on 160,000 people to flee, many never to Tuesday. Tokyo Electric, or Tepco, has return. Most of Japan’s nuclear reactors, collected more than 1 million tonnes of which before Fukushima supplied about contaminated water from the cooling pipes 30 percent of the country’s electricity, are used to keep fuel cores from melting since going through a re-licensing process under the plant was crippled by an earthquake and new safety standards imposed after the tsunami in 2011. “The only option will be to disaster highlighted regulatory and drain it into the sea and dilute it,” the operational failings. minister, Yoshiaki Harada, told a news https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan- briefing in Tokyo. nuclear-koizumi/new-environment-minister- says-japan-should-stop-using-nuclear-power- “The whole of the government will discuss idUSKCN1VX01E this, but I would like to offer my simple opinion.” The government is awaiting a report from an expert panel before making SDF, U.S. Army stage first drill a final decision on how to dispose of the using missiles to avert sea attack radioactive water. Japan’s Chief Cabinet The Asahi Shimbun, September 18, 2019 Secretary Yoshihide Suga, in a separate press briefing, described Harada’s comments as Japanese and U.S. ground forces for the “his personal opinion”. first time staged a simulated attack against an enemy ship using land-to-ship missiles https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan- at a training site in Kyushu. The joint fukushima-water/japan-may-have-to-dump- exercise on Sept. 17 at the Oyanohara radioactive-water-into-the-sea-minister-says- training area in Kumamoto Prefecture had idUSKCN1VV0CC China in mind as a potential target of future operations. It was the first joint exercise New environment minister says in Japan between the U.S. Army and the Japan should stop using nuclear Ground Self-Defense Force involving land- power to-ship missiles. A similar joint exercise was held last year in the United States. The Reuters, September 12, 2019 U.S. side operated the high-mobility Japan’s newly installed environment artillery rocket system (HIMARS) during minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, wants the the drill, which forms part of Orient Shield country to close down nuclear reactors to 19 joint exercises being held in various avoid a repeat of the Fukushima catastrophe locations. A GSDF unit handled Type 12 in 2011. The comments by the son of former surface-to-ship missiles (SSM) in the 42 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
exercise, with the training area serving as that the two sides will resume their an outlying island under attack from a working-level or high-level dialogue warship at sea. anytime soon, as they have yet to narrow their differences on denuclearization. China’s growing maritime presence in the Washington wants to sign a one-shot big region was likely a key factor behind the deal to achieve complete denuclearization joint exercise, analysts said. Against this of the peninsula, but Pyongyang is still background, the GSDF is stepping up efforts sticking to its previous position of taking a to protect southwestern islands off Kyushu step-by-step approach. “As of now, the by deploying a SSM unit to Amami-Oshima two countries are showing no signs of island off southern Kagoshima Prefecture. making concessions, so it is unlikely that GSDF personnel have also been deployed to the North will respond to the repeated U.S. Miyakojima and Ishigakijima island. The calls to resume nuclear talks,” said Park SSM is capable of flying at low altitudes. Won-gon, a professor of international Given that this year’s joint exercise was held politics at Handong Global University. in an area facing China, it is likely designed to highlight the close cooperation between http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ Japan and the United States in defense 09/113_275052.html matters. N. Korea continues to develop http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/ ICBM program: UN panel AJ201909180030.html Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 6, 2019 K. North Korea North Korea’s missile programs are NK-US nuclear talks will be designed to support its development of delayed until end of year intercontinental ballistic missiles, a United Nations panel of experts said Thursday, Lee Min-hyung, Korea Times, September 3, underscoring the ongoing threat posed by 2019 the regime. The panel made the assessment in a new report for the UN Security North Korea is unwilling to hold nuclear Council committee monitoring sanctions talks with the United States as of now, and implementation against North Korea, will continue to delay the dialogue until the adding that the regime’s nuclear weapons year-end deadline set by the North’s young program also continues unabated. The leader Kim Jong-un, experts said Tuesday. report covers the period Feb. 2 - Aug. 2, The negotiation between Washington and and comes as US-North Korea Pyongyang on the denuclearization of the denuclearization negotiations have stalled Korean Peninsula has faced ups and downs since the no-deal summit between US this year following the failure of the Hanoi President Donald Trump and North summit between U.S. President Donald Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February, Trump and Kim in February. But with two with the two sides apart on how far the of the world’s most unpredictable leaders holding an unexpected “mini summit” at North needs to denuclearize in exchange for sanctions relief from the US. The the inter-Korean border area on June 30, experts in particular noted the significance expectations resurfaced over the possible of recent short-range ballistic missile tests resumption of dialogue. At that time, the North also expressed its determination to by North Korea, which Trump has dismissed as “very standard.” resume working-level talks with the U.S. “in the next few weeks” following the meeting. The new class of SRBMs launched on May Pyongyang, however, did not keep the 4 and 9, as well as two missiles described promise, citing a number of excuses, such by the North as a “new-type tactical as a joint military exercise between Seoul guided weapon” launched on July 24, “are and Washington. evidence of the DPRK’s ability to master key components of ballistic missile systems, Experts here said chances remain very slim 43 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
including solid rocket fuel production, consequences for international security mobility through the use of different types and stability. Recently, a missile race has of transporter erector launcher (TEL) and been reproduced between the two nuclear the capacity to penetrate ballistic missile powers. The US seceded from the defense systems,” according to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty document. on August 2 and Russia strongly responded to it. In the current There is a “clear development progression circumstances, the two countries will step from propellant for artillery rockets/SRBMs up missile development and tests like to solid propellant for ICBMs,” the report unreined horses and it would have a great says, adding that systems integration and impact on different countries of the world. internal synergies ensure that developments on the SRBM program benefit medium- In recent years the US has deployed MK- range and intercontinental ballistic missile 41 launch device capable of launching programs. intermediate-range cruise missiles and ground-based interceptor missile system “With regard to missile engine Aegis Ashore in Romania on the pretext development,” the report says, “the DPRK’s of “missile threat” from Iran. It also current goal appears to be to develop a solid- installed these weapon systems in Poland fueled first stage for its ICBM.” To further and the Czech Republic. And it openly support their case, the experts note that reveals its intention to build missile bases regular activity has been observed at ICBM in several Asian regions. In response bases close to the northern border, including Russia deployed mobile tactical missile at the Hoejung-ri site, and that the North’s system Iskander capable of delivering priority is to secure the railway network nuclear warheads in Kaliningrad supporting its ICBM brigades. neighbouring Poland. It also increases the number of such anti-aircraft rocket systems http://www.koreaherald.com/ deployed for action as C-400, while view.php?ud=20190906000169&ACE_SEARCH=1 pushing ahead with the development of 5G anti-aircraft missile system C-500 at the New cold war looms large between final stage. Russian President Putin in his old foes annual message to the Federation Council Pyongyang Times, September 7, 2019 made public a new-type ICBM Sarmat developed by his country, explaining that The US, which officially announced the plan the missile can be launched in the direction for organizing a space force in August last of the South and North poles and is year, has set a goal of founding it as an equipped with a latest system to neutralize independent service by 2020. The US MD systems. He also referred to the president gave an instruction to the Defense development of a new cruise missile and Department to draft a bill on organizing the unmanned submarine in which small space force in February this year. nuclear-powered engines are installed. Accordingly, he recently expressed his intention to build a space unit to deploy At present the relationship between means of attack-oriented missile defence Russia and the US has gone beyond system in the outer space. The international mistrust and friction to hostility. The community likens it to the Star Wars plan conflicting stands of the two countries of the Reagan administration in the 1980s. aggravate the contradictions and are A Polish Internet magazine said that the giving rise to a new era of confrontation. current US policy would be inefficient like The Russia-US arms race that invites the that of the Reagan administration. The second cold war has just begun. Russian foreign ministry published a press release, in which it noted that the plan http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/ would inevitably trigger an arms race in the ?bbs=31290 outer space, which may have very negative 44 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
U.S. hopes for North Korea talks in “comprehensive discussions” with the days, weeks: Pompeo United States in late September at a time and place to be agreed. Reuters, September 8, 2019 Choe warned that the United States The United States hopes to get back to needed to present a new approach or the denuclearization talks with North Korea in talks could fall apart again. A U.S. State the coming days or weeks, Secretary of State Department spokeswoman said she did Mike Pompeo said on Sunday. not have any talks to announce at that time. Negotiations aimed at dismantling Shares of South Korean construction firms Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs with exposure to North Korea surged after have stalled since the collapse of a second the announcement that North Korea was summit between U.S. President Donald willing to restart talks with the United Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong States and continued to gain despite the Un in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in latest launches. U.S. President Donald February. Trump and Kim met again in June Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong at the border between North Korea and Un met at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) South Korea and agreed to reopen working- between the two Koreas in June and level talks, but that has not happened. “We agreed to restart working-level know Chairman Kim has continued to make negotiations that had been stalled since an the commitment to denuclearize. We are unsuccessful second summit between the hopeful that in the coming days or perhaps two leaders in Vietnam in February. weeks we’ll be back at the negotiating table https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- with them. That’s the best outcome,” missiles/north-korea-says-it-will-resume-talks- Pompeo said in an interview with ABC’s but-adds-pressure-with-new-launches- “This Week.” North Korea has fired a series idUSKCN1VU2GW of short-range missiles in recent weeks in protest against U.S.-South Korea joint Working-level nuclear talks aimed military exercises and the adoption of new at drafting summit agreement: weapons, complicating the reopening of the talks. pro-Pyongyang paper Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 12, 2019 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- usa/u-s-hopes-for-north-korea-talks-in-days-weeks- Working-level talks expected to take place pompeo-idUSKCN1VT0OV between the United States and North Korea late this month are part of a process North Korea says it will resume to draft an agreement to be signed at the talks but adds pressure with new next summit of the two countries, a pro- launches Pyongyang newspaper in Japan said Thursday. Josh Smith, Joyce Lee, Reuters, September 10, 2019 Earlier this week, the North expressed a willingness to hold working-level talks North Korea fired a new round of short- with the U.S. in late September in what range projectiles on Tuesday, South Korean would mark a resumption of the officials said, only hours after it signaled a negotiating process that reached a new willingness to resume stalled deadlock with February’s no-deal summit denuclearization talks with the United between U.S. President Donald Trump States. The launches were detected early in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. the morning by the South Korean military, The Choson Sinbo newspaper said the which said they appeared to be short-range upcoming talks are a “process to discuss projectiles. The launches came hours after and fine-tune the content to be included Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said in in an agreement to be signed at a summit” a statement carried by state media that and therefore, the negotiating teams bear North Korea was willing to have a heavy responsibility. “Should a summit 45 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
between the DPRK and the U.S. take place, a diplomatic track with North Korea. it will be an opportunity for the DPRK and Indeed, Trump’s North Korea envoy, the U.S., which threaten each other with Stephen Biegun, a firm advocate of nukes, to take a first step toward engagement with Pyongyang, is among establishing a new relationship while the names that have been floated as resolving security concerns of each other,” possible successors to Bolton. the paper said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump- http://www.koreaherald.com/ bolton-northkorea/north-korea-could-warm-up- view.php?ud=20190912000069&ACE_SEARCH=1 to-talks-after-removal-of-war-maniac-bolton- idUSKCN1VV2N4 North Korea could warm up to talks after removal of ‘war maniac’ North Korea tested super-large Bolton multiple rocket launcher under Kim’s guidance David Brunnstrom, Reuters, September 11, 2019 Korea Times, September 11, 2019 Having once branded John Bolton a “war North Korea said Wednesday that it tested maniac”, North Korean officials could see a super-large multiple rocket launcher the U.S. President Donald Trump’s removal of previous day under the guidance of leader his national security adviser as a chance to Kim Jong-un. On Tuesday, South Korea’s resume denuclearization talks without military said that the North fired two short- facing an unyielding hawk on the other side. range projectiles from its western region In the past, Bolton has proposed using toward the east, saying both flew about military force to overthrow the ruling Kim 330 kilometers. Kim “gave field guidance family and U.S. officials have said Bolton to the test-fire of super-large multiple was responsible for the collapse of Trump rocket launcher again on Tuesday,” and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s according to the Korean Central News second summit in Vietnam in February. Agency (KCNA). Kim also said that the Trump announced he had fired Bolton a day latest test has finally verified the aspects after North Korea signaled a new related to its combat operation, willingness to resume stalled characteristics of trajectory, accuracy and denuclearization talks with the United precise homing functions, adding the States, but then conducted the latest in a remaining step is to run a fire test “which spate of missile launches here is most vivid character in terms of the power of multiple rocket launcher.” The Policy analysts say Bolton’s departure could KCNA, however, did not mention help U.S. efforts to revive the talks but will whether the test was a success. not make Washington’s aim of persuading Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons Tuesday’s firings marked the 10th any easier. “The timing could be convenient weapons test North Korea has conducted for U.S. diplomacy with North Korea,” said this year. On Aug. 24, Pyongyang said it Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Seoul’s Ewha successfully test-fired a new super-large University. “Pyongyang made its disdain for multiple rocket launcher. The latest Bolton well known. Kim Jong Un can spin weapons test came just hours after North this personnel change in Washington as a Korea offered to resume nuclear talks with win in North Korean domestic politics. That the U.S. North Korean Vice Foreign would increase the likelihood of Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement denuclearization talks restarting soon.” that the North is willing to sit down with the U.S. “at the time and place to be agreed Harry Kazianis, a North Korea expert at late in September.” Washington’s Center for the National Interest think tank, said Trump was now free http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ to find a national security adviser opposed 09/103_275469.html to wars of regime change and willing to back 46 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
North Korea carried out super-large weapon and missile programs,” said Sigal multiple rocket launcher test on Mandelker, Treasury under secretary for Tuesday: KCNA Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “We will continue to enforce existing U.S. and Joyce Lee, Reuters, September 11, 2019 U.N. sanctions against North Korea and work with the international community to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw improve cybersecurity of financial the testing of a super-large multiple rocket networks.” The United States has been launcher on Tuesday, North Korean state attempting to restart talks with North media KCNA said on Wednesday. North Korea, aimed at pressing the country to Korea fired a new round of short-range give up its nuclear weapons. The talks projectiles on Tuesday, South Korean have been stalled over North Korean officials said, only hours after it signaled a demands for concessions, including new willingness to resume stalled sanctions relief. denuclearization talks with the United States in late September. Kim, who had Earlier this month, North Korea denied guided the testing of the same multiple U.N. allegations it had obtained $2 billion rocket launcher before, said its capabilities through cyberattacks on banks and have been “finally verified in terms of cryptocurrency exchanges, and accused combat operation,” and what remains to be the United States of spreading rumors. The done with the rocket launcher is a “running Treasury statement said Lazarus Group fire test,” KCNA said, without elaborating was involved in the WannaCry on what the test would entail. ransomware attack that the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Kim ordered future tasks and ways to United Kingdom publicly attributed to “steadily” attain cutting-edge national North Korea in December 2017. It said defense to officials that had joined him, WannaCry affected at least 150 countries including senior officials such as his sister and shut down about 300,000 computers, Kim Yo Jong, KCNA said. including many in Britain’s National https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- Health Service (NHS). The NHS attack led missiles/north-korea-carried-out-super-large- to the cancellation of more than 19,000 multiple-rocket-launcher-test-on-tuesday-kcna- appointments and ultimately cost the idUSKCN1VV2OW service over $112 million, the biggest known ransomware attack in history. U.S. imposes sanctions on North https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- Korean hacking groups blamed for usa-sanctions/u-s-imposes-sanctions-on-north- global attacks korean-hacking-groups-blamed-for-global- attacks-idUSKCN1VY1RB Reuters, September 13, 2019 The U.S. Treasury on Friday announced True colour as confrontation sanctions on three North Korean hacking seeker fully betrayed groups it said were involved in the “WannaCry” ransomware attacks and Pyonggyang Times, September 14, 2019 hacking of international banks and customer Recently, the south Korean military accounts. The action blocks any U.S.-related earmarked a record-high sum of military assets of the groups and prohibits dealings budget for the next year, which has been with them. The Treasury statement said any increased more than this year, and foreign financial institution that knowingly submitted it to the parliament on the facilitated significant transactions or services pretext of coping with the north’s “threats for them could also be subject to sanctions. of nukes and weapons of mass “Treasury is taking action against North destruction” and “short-range missile launch”. Earlier, it brought out the “2020- Korean hacking groups that have been 2024 intermediate defence plan” focusing perpetrating cyber attacks to support illicit 47 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
on “coping with the north’s threats” and want to comment on that,” Trump told “securing strategic deterrence”. This year, reporters at the White House when asked the south Korean authorities have staged whether Kim had invited him to North DPRK-targeted war exercises one after Korea. another in collusion with outside forces. Only the name of such war exercises as Key A South Korean newspaper on Monday Resolve and Foal Eagle has been replaced, cited diplomatic sources as saying Kim had but their aggressive nature to mount a invited him to visit the North Korean military attack on the DPRK remains capital in a letter sent in August amid unchanged. Last May, the commander of stalled denuclearization talks. Trump said the US forces in south Korea said that over he would “probably not” be inclined to visit 100 joint drills have been conducted this year North Korea in the short term, but did not alone, while the National Intelligence Service rule out an eventual visit. “I would do it announced on August 1 that south Korea ... at some time in a later future, and conducted 10-odd rounds of test fire of depending on what happens I’m sure he’ll missiles, whose range is longer and power love coming to the United States also. But, is stronger than those of the north. This is a no, I don’t think it’s ready for that. I think serious problem that should not go we have a ways to go yet,” Trump said. unnoticed. Despite opposition at home and https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- abroad, the south Korean authorities staged usa-invite/trump-declines-to-comment-on- a war game against the DPRK in replace of report-kim-invited-him-to-north-korea- the Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military idUSKBN1W100X exercises in August.
Meanwhile, the military continues to bring Department director for US in F-35A stealth fighters after purchasing Affairs of DPRK Foreign Ministry tanker planes and introduced a strategic releases statement nuclear submarine of the US. It is the Pyongyang Times, September 17, 2019 unanimous opinion of the international community that the deployment of such The director of the Department of US attack weapons and war exercises Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of the compelled the DPRK to take due self- DPRK Monday made public the following defensive countermeasures. Describing the statement: It is fortunate that the US has DPRK’s countermeasures as “threats” and repeatedly expressed its stand to tackle an making them an excuse for arms buildup will issue through dialogue and negotiations. only reveal the confrontational nature of the I hope that the working-level negotiations south Korean warlike forces who are going expected to be held in a few weeks will be to confront with the fellow countrymen at a good meeting between the DPRK and any cost by force. the US. A proposal that the US put forward at the negotiations may improve http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/?bbs=31360 the relations and, on the contrary, may add to the hostility towards each other. Trump declines to comment on report Kim invited him to North In other words, the DPRK-US dialogue Korea suggests two options—crisis and chance. In this sense, the upcoming working-level Steve Holland, Hyonhee Shin, Reuters, negotiations will be an occasion decisive September 16, 2019 of the future road of the DPRK-US U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dialogue Clear and invariable is the declined to comment on a newspaper report DPRK’s stand. The discussion of that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had denuclearization may be possible when invited him to visit Pyongyang and said threats and hurdles endangering our conditions were not ready yet for such a visit. system security and obstructing our “The relationship is very good but I don’t development are clearly removed beyond 48 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
all doubt. Whether the DPRK-US peninsula issues, Seoul’s foreign ministry negotiations will be a window for chance said. Lee Do-hoon, special representative or an occasion to precipitate crisis is entirely for Korean Peninsula peace and security up to the US. affairs, met with his Russian counterpart, Igor Morgulov, in Russia’s Far Eastern city http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/?bbs=31396 of Vladivostok, the ministry said in a release. They discussed the current L. South Korea situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s latest series of Combined Forces Command to move missile launches and ways to facilitate a to Pyeongtaek by 2021 swift resumption of the stalled working- Park Han-na, Korea Herald, September 1, level negotiations between Pyongyang and 2019 Washington. In the talks, Lee was also briefed by Morgulov on his recent visit to South Korea and the US seek to relocate Pyongyang last month, and the two sides their Combined Forces Command agreed to work toward substantive headquarters by the end of 2021 from Seoul progress for complete denuclearization to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, ahead of and lasting peace on the Korean the envisioned transfer of wartime Peninsula, the ministry added. operational control from Washington to Seoul, according to Defense Ministry The Russian vice foreign minister visited officials Sunday. The tentative timeline was Pyongyang on Aug. 14-16 and met with set by the allies following a meeting between North Korean officials, including his Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and counterpart Choe Son-hui, and discussed then acting US Defense Secretary Patrick topics of mutual concern in the region. Shanahan in Seoul in June when they agreed to move the CFC headquarters, currently http://www.koreaherald.com/ located in Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, to Camp view.php?ud=20190903000824&ACE_SEARCH=1 Humphreys, a US military complex in Pyeongtaek. S. Korea seeks global support for NK denuclearization, peace on The relocation plan will receive final Korean Peninsula approval by the defense chiefs during talks scheduled to be held in October or November Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 4, 2019 in Seoul, according to the officials.By the end South Korea’s vice defense minister on of 2020, the US plans to set up the so-called Wednesday held a series of bilateral talks Operation Center at Camp Humphreys in with his counterparts from foreign the building where the CFC will be housed. countries and asked for their continued It will serve as the nerve center and will be support for efforts to denuclearize North connected to the US Indo-Pacific Command Korea and build peace on the peninsula, in Hawaii and the US military base in his office said. On the sidelines of the 8th Japan’s Okinawa through the “C4I” military Seoul Defense Dialogue under way in communications systems. Seoul, Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min http://www.koreaherald.com/ met with his counterparts from Singapore, view.php?ud=20190901000213&ACE_SEARCH=1 Uzbekistan, the Philippines and Ethiopia, to share their assessment on the recent Nuke envoys of S. Korea, Russia security situations in the region and hold talks on North Korea’s discuss ways to deepen their defense ties, according to the ministry. denuclearization During the meeting with Singaporean vice Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 3, 2019 defense chief Chan Yeng Kit, Park asked The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and for Singapore’s proactive support and Russia held talks in Russia on Tuesday on cooperation to encourage North Korea to North Korea’s denuclearization and other 49 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
give up its nuclear program and continue S. Korea calls for int’l cooperation to engage in the ongoing peace process. on Japan’s Fukushima water http://www.koreaherald.com/ discharge plan view.php?ud=20190904000706&ACE_SEARCH=1 Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 5, 2019 Defense chief vows strong military South Korea on Thursday called for power to ensure peace international cooperation to respond to a possible move by Japan to discharge Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 5, 2019 contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo pledged Ocean. In a press conference held in Seoul, Thursday to build strong military capabilities Choi Won-ho, the head of the Ministry of to back the government’s efforts to achieve Science and ICT’s big science policy peace and prosperity on the Korean division, said releasing tainted water from Peninsula and beyond. “Despite last year’s the nuke plant poses a grave threat to the achievements for peace on the Korean global environment and health of people Peninsula, many challenges still lie ahead, everywhere. “There is a pressing need to such as military tensions heightened by work together on this matter, and the North Korea’s recent firings of short-range government has taken steps to create an ballistic missiles,” Jeong said during an international cooperation system,” he said. opening address at the eighth Seoul Defense Seoul will send a letter outlining its grave Dialogue (SDD). Stressing that South Korea concerns to neighboring countries and ask is seeking to build “peace through power,” the International Atomic Energy Agency the minister vowed to “ensure strong defense (IAEA) to play a greater role in this power to protect our country and the people, problem. to support the government’s efforts (for diplomacy), to achieve peace and prosperity http://www.koreaherald.com/ on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia view.php?ud=20190905000813&ACE_SEARCH=1 and the world.” S. Korea, UAE to join hands on Though the two Koreas “were not able to overcome military confrontation and overseas nuke reactor projects tensions overnight which have lasted for the Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 10, 2019 past 70 years,” the minister said South Korea will continue endeavor to “build mutual South Korea’s industry ministry said trust with patience and prudence” with Tuesday it has agreed to join hands with Pyongyang. North Korea has conducted a the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to secure series of weapons tests, involving new types new nuclear reactor projects overseas. The of short-range ballistic missiles, in recent state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. months amid stalled talks with Washington (KEPCO) signed a memorandum of on its nuclear weapons program. The understanding with Barakah One Co. to minister also voiced concerns over jointly win nuclear reactor projects, “intensifying competition among countries according to the Ministry of Trade, in the region which pursue their own Industry and Energy. Barakah One Co. is national interests by creating conflicts with a joint venture established by KEPCO and neighboring countries,” seen as a thinly- the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. South veiled criticism of Japan. Korea has been building four reactors at the Barakah nuclear plant, located 270 http://www.koreaherald.com/ kilometers from Abu Dhabi, since 2012. view.php?ud=20190905000751&ACE_SEARCH=1 The first reactor was completed last year, with the three others also set to be completed in the near future. 50 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
The Barakah nuclear plant, which marked Moon’s mission in New York: ‘Get South Korea’s first overseas nuclear project, nuke talks restarted’ is significant as it paved the ground for the two countries to deepen ties in many areas. Kim Yoo-chul, Korea Times, September 15, The latest agreement signed between 2019 KEPCO and the Barakah One Co. will cover President Moon Jae-in will face his biggest a wide range of cooperation, including challenge in New York next week in his construction, operation, investment and the signature “engagement-centric” North fostering of experts, it added. South Korea Korean policy, as he will be tasked with plans to share its capabilities and experiences persuading U.S. President Donald Trump with the UAE, and seek to win new projects and leaders of allied countries for a “new from other countries. approach” to restart nuclear disarmament http://www.koreaherald.com/ talks with Pyongyang. Cheong Wa Dae view.php?ud=20190910000895&ACE_SEARCH=1 spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said Moon will fly to New York Sept. 22 to attend this S. Korea’s top nuclear envoy visits year’s United Nations General Assembly Beijing for talks on N.K. meeting. During his stay, the President plans to hold a meeting with Trump, while Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 13, preparatory work is underway for a 2019 possible trilateral summit with Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy has held presidential aides said Sunday. talks with a senior Chinese diplomat over North Korea and peninsula issues ahead of Cheong Wa Dae will announce the key an expected resumption of nuclear dialogue discussion points for Moon and Trump between Washington and Pyongyang, during their upcoming summit after it Seoul’s foreign ministry said Friday. Lee Do- confers with the White House. Exploring hoon, special representative for Korean ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation Peninsula peace and security affairs, met between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui will be an issue at the bilateral and possible in Beijing on Thursday and discussed the trilateral talks as optimism has risen on overall situation on the Korean Peninsula, rebooting talks with Pyongyang over the ministry said in a release. The two sides denuclearization. “Trump will tell Moon took note of how North Korea recently about the importance of maintaining the made public its intent to resume working- trilateral military alliance of Washington, level talks with the United States and shared Seoul and Tokyo in terms of managing the their evaluations on this development, it North Korean nuclear issue. Also, the added. leaders could agree on the necessity of having a new approach toward the North They also shared the view that resumption to move the denuclearization process of the nuclear negotiations is essential in forward visibly and substantially,” a making progress toward complete Cheong Wa Dae official said. denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, and they agreed to http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ work toward achieving these goals. Luo, 09/113_275563.html who was elevated to his post handling Asia affairs in May, is expected to double as South Korea to develop anti-drone Beijing’s chief envoy on the North Korean system amid standoff with North nuclear issue. He accompanied Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when he paid a Reuters, September 17, 2019 visit to Pyongyang early this month. South Korea is to invest 88 billion won http://www.koreaherald.com/ ($74 million) to develop a weapons system view.php?ud=20190913000044&ACE_SEARCH=1 by 2023 that can detect and strike drones, 51 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
its procurement agency said on Tuesday, year’s exercises would focus on a disaster after incidents of infiltration by North analysis by the center that includes the Korean spy drones. simulated collapse of buildings and roads, Liao said. Local government agencies, the The system, nicknamed Block-I, is designed Coast Guard Administration, the military to track and destroy small drones and other and members of the public would take part aircraft by locking invisible optical fiber in the drill, the council said. Foreign razors on a target at close range, the Defense dignitaries as well as nuclear disaster Acquisition Program Administration experts from the US and Japan have been (DAPA) said. “We aim to improve the invited to observe the exercises, it added. system so that it will ultimately be capable On Tuesday, residents in or around the of intercepting a fighter jet and satellite,” area are to be alerted via the government’s Song Chang-joon, a senior official at DAPA, cellphone-based disaster warning system, said in a statement. A North Korean drone Liao said. was found in 2017 on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ two Koreas. About 550 photographs of the archives/2019/09/04/2003721681 site of a U.S. anti-missile defense system, taken with a built-in camera, were recovered Surviving Han’s nuclear policies from the drone, South Korean officials said. Liu Jyh-jian, Taipei Times, September 6, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- 2019 southkorea-drone/south-korea-to-develop-anti- In its first public policy meeting, which drone-system-amid-standoff-with-north- was streamed live, Kaohsiung Mayor Han idUSKBN1W20G5 Kuo-yu’s presidential policy advisory team outlined its energy policy. It also signed a M. Taiwan petition for a referendum on resuming Nuclear safety drill at Ma-anshan to work on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. be held next week Should Han get elected, he will restart work on this money pit. The presidential Taipei Times, September 6, 2019 election and the signature drive for referendums on abolishing or resuming A nuclear safety drill is to be held from work at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant Monday to Wednesday next week at the that ends this month will be the focus of Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in the fight for a nuclear-free homeland. The Pingtung County, focusing on the potential Democratic Progressive Party will no effects of an earthquake, Atomic Energy longer be able to avoid this issue as it did Council Deputy Minister Liu Wen-chung last year. said on Monday. The council’s annual safety drills alternate between the three operating Han’s team consists of many of former nuclear power plants, with scenarios president Ma Ying-jeou’s officials, who still designed around the geographic location of cling to nuclear power. The combination each facility, Liu said. The exercises, which of “Han fans” plus “nuclear fans” is a are to be held in collaboration with the recipe for a farce full of “fake news” and National Science and Technology Center for empty promises.New Taipei City Mayor Disaster Reduction, would include the Hou You-yi has said that resumption of evacuation of area residents by boat from work at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant Houbihu, Pingtung’s largest fishing harbor, is a non-issue, as the fuel rods have which is near the plant, Liu said. It would already been shipped to the US and be the first time a maritime evacuation is resumption of construction would be very conducted as part of the annual drills, expensive. In a meeting with firefighters, council official Liao Chia-chun said. he said that they would be unable to handle a nuclear disaster. The Chinese Although the effects of an earthquake have Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Taipei always been part of the drill scenarios, this 52 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
intelligentsia have never warmed to Han power is reinforced in all this, and its and do not accept using populism to continuing support for Islamist terrorist manipulate energy issues. outfits is not doing any good for the people of J&K. Pursuit of military parity with http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ India has ruined Pakistan economically, archives/2019/09/06/2003721789 though the compact of generals and clerics that controls it has flourished. These vested N. Misc interests have placed Kashmir as central Rooppur plant’s cost higher as it is a to Pakistan’s national identity that they understand as exclusive and Islamist. Now new experience for Bangladesh under fire for being ineffective in the face The Daily Star, September 8, 2019 of India’s recent measures with regard to J&K, Mr. Khan and his allies are ratcheting Science and Technology Affairs Minister up the rhetoric. The military that is in step Yeafesh Osman today said that the with him, tested a surface-to-surface installation cost of Rooppur Nuclear Power missile amid the tensions. Pakistan is Plant (RNPP) is higher than that of India as trying to catch the world’s attention and Bangladesh is new to implement such a assuage the perilous passions its state power plant. policies have created in its society.
The minister made the statement while https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/ responding to a tabled starred question from irresponsible-rhetoric/article29316555.ece BNP MP Rumeen Farhana in the Parliament. She in her question said that the capital Chandrayaan 2: In its stellar expenditure of the Rooppur Nuclear Power journey, ISRO has achieved ‘much Plant is Tk 45,000 crore higher than that of Kudunkulam Nuclear Power Plant in India. more with much less’ Huma Siddiqui, Financial Express September 7, 2019 https://www.thedailystar.net/country/rooppur- With Chandrayaan-2’s successful Moon nuclear-power-plant-cost-higher-it-new-experi- rendezvous by the Orbiter (though the ence-for-bangladesh-1797358 partial mission of Lander is still not clear due to communication limbo presently), it O. Op-Ed may surprise many that within a short India journey of just half a century, India has been established as a Space power to Irresponsible rhetoric: On Pakistan reckon with. The red planet Mars has leaders’ threats already been approached, and Moon Missions Chandrayaan-1 and The Hindu, September 2, 2019 Chandrayaan-2 (partially) accomplished successfully, India is now destined to Statements by senior functionaries of launch series of Space Missions in this Pakistan including Prime Minister Imran coming 20s decade. Khan threatening war and violence against India and in Jammu and Kashmir are The Indian space agency has truly been a irresponsible, escalatory and dangerous. Mr. role model Organisation for India, a self Khan has even spoken about the possibility driven and motivated Governmental of a nuclear war, albeit couched in language agency, which shows wisdom to plan its purportedly meant to be about the dangers own long term perspective and of it, while a Minister went to the extent of technological advancements. It is well announcing a time frame for starting a war. known that every setback in Space Several diplomats have called for jihad. research programme World over have only Pakistan’s reputation as a reckless nuclear resulted in scientific re-strengthening of 53 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
foundation to achieve larger and more Move Over, Kim Jong Un: It’s complex missions next. Time to Talk about South Asia https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/ Abby Pokraka, National Interest Blog, chandrayaan-2-in-its-stellar-journey-isro-has- September 9, 2019 achieved-much-more-with-much-less/1699343/ Following the crisis, recordings suggest There is need & space, for that both India and Pakistan contemplated using conventional ballistic missiles against recalibrating ‘no first use’ each other. This would have been a Seshadri Chari, Deccan Herald. September 7, serious and unpredictable escalation. Due 2019 to lightweight decoys, cooled shrouds and other measures to prevent detection, it is Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent nearly impossible to tell if a particular comment that India might have to rethink ballistic missile is armed with a nuclear its nuclear ‘No First Use’ policy in the future warhead or conventional warhead. In a raised a howl of protests. Those protesting crisis where these weapons are used, assumed that the government is preparing leaders are more likely to launch their own to do away with NFU and open up the nuclear weapons immediately in possibility of a nuclear first strike against retaliation rather than wait to see if the Pakistan, which in turn could lead to both enemy’s missiles result in a mushroom countries assuming hair-trigger alert cloud before firing back. postures. It would then take only one miscalculation or misreading on the part of While the possibility of war between two either for a long nuclear winter to descend nuclear states rapidly escalated, the news on the subcontinent. cycle was focused on the Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi. Democrats’ protests Nuclear first use or first strike option has against President Donald Trump’s state of neither insulated nuclear powers against emergency on the border and the Michael military setbacks nor given them any special Cohen testimony before Congress. Aside advantage, if we go by the conflicts over the from a few mentions on a news ticker, a last few decades. Advocates of a nuclear violent and escalating conflict between India were, and continue to be, aware of the India and Pakistan nearly slipped under fall-out of the Cold War and the arms race the radar of the U.S. media. that ran counter to the UN mandate of total disarmament and a nuclear weapons-free https://nationalinterest.org/feature/move-over- world. kim-jong-un-it%E2%80%99s-time-talk-about- south-asia-79176 Pakistan is developing low-yield warheads, which could be used by any one of the many Did India’s Chandrayaan-2 Moon ‘non-state’ actors on its eastern and western Lander Survive? The Chances Are borders, with everything from Tel Aviv to Dhaka in their purview. There are also Slim credible reports of Pakistan’s security Kenneth Chang, The New York Times, establishment clandestinely procuring and September 10, 2019 developing tactical nukes and short-range missiles that could ‘accidentally’ fall into the India’s first moon lander, which fell silent hands of jihadi forces. as it headed toward the lunar surface on Friday, has been located from orbit, the https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/there-is- country’s space agency says. That has need-space-for-recalibrating-no-first-use- created hope that it might be revived. If it 759854.html did indeed land in working condition, that 54 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
would be an impressive feat. In the history own satellites in low Earth orbit. Like of spaceflight, robotic probes that suffer a previous anti-satellite tests performed by malfunction while landing on another world the U.S., Russia and China, there were are not heard from again. immediate concerns about debris. Despite this, India clearly intended to send a Chandrayaan-2 — India’s second mission message to China and others, signaling to the moon — consists of two parts: an their ability to not only protect their own orbiter that will conduct research in orbit satellites but destroy threatening Chinese for up to seven years, and a lander named ones as well. Vikram (which also contained a rover, Pragyan). The lander and orbiter separated https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/indian- last week with the orbiter remaining in a moon-probe%E2%80%99s-failure- circular orbit 60 miles above the moon, and won%E2%80%99t-stop-asian-space-race- the lander moving to a more elliptical path, threatens-regional-security-79351 coming within 20 miles of the surface. Be proud of Chandrayaan-2: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/science/ Rakesh Sharma india-chandrayaan-2-vikram.html The Hindu, September 14, 2019 Indian Moon Probe’s Failure Won’t Stop an Asian Space Race that India can be proud of what it has achieved with the Chandrayaan-2 mission, despite Threatens Regional Security the problems encountered with the Vikram Wendy Whitman Cobb, National Interest lander, Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh Blog, September 11, 2019 Sharma, India’s first man in space, said on Friday. On Sept. 7, India’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission deployed its Vikram lander for an “I think it was a wonderful mission. It had attempted landing at the Moon’s south the entire nation riveted. I myself went to pole. Communications with the lander were bed at four in the morning. I think we are lost just minutes prior to the scheduled all very proud that we’ve achieved what landing. Recent imaging suggests that we’ve achieved,” Mr. Sharma said on the Vikram may have survived the landing sidelines of the fifth A.P.J. Abdul Kalam intact, but it might be unable to Lecture organised by the Indian Institute communicate. No matter the outcome, the of Space Science and Technology (IIST) mission has already proved successful as here. Chandrayaan-2 continues to orbit the Moon. “Things not coming through fully, well, This year alone, both China and India have that’s part of any research and landed, or attempted to land, probes on the development activity. So that’s par for the Moon. These types of missions are one way course. We are on the learning curve,” Mr. to achieve international prestige. But they Sharma told reporters here. also peacefully demonstrate capabilities that could be used in conflict. From my https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/ perspective as a space policy analyst, India’s Thiruvananthapuram/be-proud-of-chandrayaan- space activities, combined with its escalating 2-rakesh-sharma/article29411771.ece tensions with Pakistan, contribute to increasing regional tension. Has Chandrayaan 2’s Vikram Lander setback affected India’s India continues to feel pressure from its moon mission? Chinese neighbor. Following China’s anti- satellite test in 2008, India began Madhumathi D.S., The Hindu, September development of its own space weapons. In 15, 2019 March 2019, India successfully tested an Chandrayaan 2, comprising an orbiter, a anti-satellite weapon: a missile, launched lander and a rover, journeyed from earth from the ground, that destroyed one of its for eight days and reached the moon’s 55 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
vicinity on August 20. On September 2, the China, one Taiwan” or that Taiwan is an lander riding on the orbiter was separated independent and sovereign nation, the and got into a closer orbit around the moon, report said. China has not abandoned the moving pole-to-pole at a distance of 35 km option of annexing Taiwan by force and x 100 km. its actions have posed an ever-increasing threat to Taiwan’s military, it said. China Mission planners at ISRO had divided the remains dedicated to funding upgrades last critical 15-minute parabolic descent into for its attack helicopters and armored four smaller phases. At 1.38 a.m. IST on vehicles, as well as developing the JL-3 September 7, the lander perfectly cleared the intercontinental ballistic missile and other ‘rough braking phase’, swooping down long-range submarine-launched missiles, from 30 km to 7.4 km of the lunar surface in it added. 10 minutes. Its velocity had dropped as required from 1,640 metres a second to about http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/ 400 metres a second. archives/2019/08/31/2003721435
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/ Navy sends its most capable bengaluru-we-have-a-problem/article29418567.ece combat ship on escort mission China China Daily, September 10, 2019 China’s nuclear capabilities One of the most moving episodes in the maturing Chinese blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2 is the one in which the captain of a Type 052D Aaron Tu, Jake Chung, Taipei Times, guided-missile destroyer shouts “Fire!” to September 1, 2019 order the launch of supersonic cruise missiles to hit rebel troops in an imaginary The Chinese armed forces could soon have African nation holding Chinese hostages. full-fledged “tactical nuclear power” to However, this scenario could not have counter any major nuclear-armed nation, happened in real life because in the Gulf according to the Ministry of National of Aden there have been no Type 052D Defense’s People’s Liberation Army Report destroyers for this year. Such capabilities could allow China to attain its strategic goals of ending ÿnow considered the most capable combat calls for independence within and outside ship in the People’s Liberation Army of its borders; combating hegemony; Navy. Instead, the Navy has sent other establishing control of its border with India; vessels to the once pirate-plagued waters and stabilizing its frontiers, said the report, to protect civilian vessels for nearly 11 which was delivered to the Legislative Yuan years. yesterday. That is about to change, as the Navy has The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) decided to dispatch a Type 052D to take could by next year establish an arsenal of part in its latest escort mission. The CNS tactical nuclear weapons sizeable and Xining, the fifth in the Type 052D class, is powerful enough to deter a nuclear war and sailing toward the Gulf of Aden. The protect China’s borders, it said. By 2050, Xining, with the number 117 on its hull, China could complete the infrastructure was commissioned in January 2017. It is necessary to launch nuclear-armed aircraft part of the PLA Navy’s 33rd escort flotilla, for strategic bombing, it added. The report together with CNS Weifang, a Type 054A also maintained a theory from last year’s guided-missile frigate and CNS Hoh Xil edition that the PLA could conclude Hu, a Type 903A supply ship. All of the preparations to invade Taiwan by next year, ships belong to the naval force of the PLA but has limited ability to capture it due to Northern Theater Command, known as geographical and equipment challenges. the North Sea Fleet. The flotilla set sail from Beijing stands by its “one China” principle a naval base in Qingdao, Shandong and refuses to acknowledge any form of “one 56 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
province, on Aug 29. It will travel at least Pakistan 11,000 kilometers before reaching the Gulf of Aden in the next two weeks. The Navy What Exactly Did Pakistan’s Prime began to carry out escort missions in the Gulf Minister Say About the Country’s of Aden and the waters off Somalia in Nuclear Weapons? December 2008. In the past decade, it has sent 106 ships and more than 28,000 naval Ankit Panda, The Diplomat, September 3, personnel to escort at least 6,700 Chinese 2019 and foreign ships, according to the Navy. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, speaking on Monday, caused a bit of a stir http://eng.mod.gov.cn/news/2019-09/10/ with comments that were initially reported content_4850137.htm as a pledge by Islamabad to not use its nuclear weapons first in any conflict with Domestic arms key to deterrence plan India. That’s at least how it was reported Jason Pan, Taipei times, September 12, 2019 by Reuters India, which headlined its story: “Pakistan would not use nuclear The Ministry of National Defense’s annual weapons first, amid tensions with India: National Defense Report, released yesterday, PM Imran Khan.” outlines the capability of domestic weapons, Taiwan’s increasing role in regional security That was an attention-grabbing headline. and strategies for countering the continual If Khan had said something to that effect, threat of China’s military. The main theme it would have represented a recalibration of the report is the military as a “defender of standing Pakistani nuclear weapons of peace,” as it joins with Australia, Japan, policy for more than two decades. To deter South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and a conventionally superior India, Pakistan Thailand in promoting the US’ Indo-Pacific had long relied on the first-use of nuclear strategy. The nation’s indigenous defense weapons. Beginning in the late-2000s, industry has greatly evolved since President Islamabad lowered the nuclear-use Tsai Ing-wen took office, ministry threshold in South Asia even lower by spokesman Shih Shun-wen told a news introducing low-yield nuclear weapons conference in Taipei. The industry’s for battlefield use. The problem here was advancement has sustained existing projects that Khan didn’t exactly revisit Pakistani and initiated new programs, including the nuclear policy. manufacture of precision-fire missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), armored https://thediplomat.com/2019/09/what-exactly- personnel carriers, Tuo Jiang-class guided- did-pakistans-prime-minister-say-about-the- missile corvettes and submarines, the report countrys-nuclear-weapons/ said. “The main military threat still comes from China, as its top leaders have not The dangers of calling Pakistan’s renounced the use of force to invade Taiwan, ‘nuclear bluff’ have spent a substantial portion of the Inam UL Haque, The Express Tribune, national budget on increasing its military September 3, 2019 strength and moved to quickly modernize its armed forces. Military strategists and planners talk with responsibility and maturity when the issue The report was released with a summarized, is nuclear weapons. In one of my previous comic book version that targets the younger articles, Back from the Brink of War with generation so that the public can understand India: Key Takeaways for Pakistan, the nation’s defense programs and military published on April 3, 2019, in this space, strategies. For the first time, the report it was highlighted that decision-makers in presents new coastal defense plans to repel the Indo-Pak context are forced to take a force invading across the Taiwan Strait. popular and unwise decisions with the “decision space collapsing”. This is http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/ 2019/09/12/2003722125 extremely dangerous for India and 57 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
Pakistan, as they sit on a nuclear tinderbox. further said that Pakistani society is highly This piece discusses the pitfalls of nuclear radicalized and its growing nuclear decision-making and challenges some arsenal is a growing concern. Its academic notions. leadership does not care about its people.
Strategic and military decision-making is https://www.indiatoday.in/programme/india- science. However, in the Indo-Pak context, first/video/pakistan-most-dangerous-country-in- the ferocity of public sentiment and the ever- the-world-ex-us-defense-secy-james-mattis- escalating passions make rational decision- indian-astronauts-to-train-in-russia-more- making a tough call. After the media- 1595589-2019-09-04 generated jingoism after the Pulwama attack in February 2019, it was felt that Indian Divide and bleed decision-makers under BJP and PM Modi, F.S. Aijazuddin, Dawn, September 05, and duly supported by the ever 2019 argumentative army of defence and security analysts, seem to genuinely believe they In the past few weeks, there has been a would be able to browbeat Pakistan into the curious inversion of postures in New Delhi “new normal” on Kashmir and other issues, and in Islamabad. Indian defence minister annexation being a planned sequel. Rajnath Singh hinted broadly (the breadth of a nuclear warhead) that India will https://tribune.com.pk/story/2047751/6-dangers- reconsider its nuclear strike option. It is calling-pakistans-nuclear-bluff/ prepared to strike first. Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan won’t India’s nuclear posture initiate a military conflict. The common Naveed Ahmad, The News International, man is finding it hard to distinguish September 4, 2019 between peaceable hawks and aggressive doves. Whenever the lid blows off the Kashmir pressure cooker, a tsunami of public fury will Anyone with sense knows that India and unleash itself. India knew it and sees it even Pakistan are not equals. They also admit better now. If the curtain of fear falls and the truth that India cannot annex Pakistan. people take to the streets, the Indian military It does not need over 200 million more will take the trigger-happy course. Either ungovernable Muslims. That is why in way, strategists in India ponder as to how 1971 it preferred the creation of and when Pakistan responds. Islamabad has Bangladesh rather than have a reunified repeatedly warned the world of a nuclear Bengal. And it cannot incinerate Pakistan war. in a nuclear conflict without singeing itself. Pakistan cannot compete indefinitely with Around the same time came the stern India’s plans to improve its defence reminder from Prime Minister Imran Khan, superiority. At best, Pakistan can use, as “Whether the world joins us or not, Pakistan it has done in the past, operational will go to any lengths and its people will expertise to correct the technical support [Kashmiris] till their last breath.” imbalance.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/521805-india- https://www.dawn.com/news/1503647/divide- s-nuclear-posture and-bleed
Pakistan most dangerous country in A nuclear flashpoint the world: Ex-US defense secy Dr N Elahi, The News International, James Mattis September 8, 2019 India Today, September 4, 2019 After the arbitrary and unlawful Formal US Defence secretary James Mattis annexation of Kashmir by India, the risk has said that he considers Pakistan as the of a nuclear war between India and most dangerous country in the world. He Pakistan is not a very distant possibility. 58 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Rather India has given two strong gestures sided affair as was evident when Pakistan to make it clear that it intends to use nuclear retaliated immediately and decisively after weapons in a war against Pakistan. Indian attack at Balakot. It is time for leaders on both sides to reflect and save First, India made it public that its first their people from the devastations of war. domestically built nuclear-powered submarine had recently completed a https://dailytimes.com.pk/463072/kashmir-and- “deterrence patrol”, giving it the capability impending-nuclear-holocaust/ to fire nuclear weapons from land, air and sea. This could be a message both for Going ballistic: Why Imran Khan’s Pakistan and China. China is equally nuclear threat is a sign of annoyed over the annexation of Laddakh Pakistani impotence on which it has a long-standing claim. Rakesh Krishnan Simha, Business Today, https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/523568-a- September 9, 2019 nuclear-flashpoint Powerless to do anything after India Kashmir and Impending Nuclear revoked Article 370 and turned Jammu & Holocaust Kashmir into a union territory, the Pakistani political-military leadership has Asif Durrani, Daily Times, September 9, been reduced to firing rockets on Twitter, 2019 trying to storm the Indian embassy in London, and issuing threats of nuclear The former US President Bill Clinton war. described Kashmir as “nuclear flashpoint” after the Kargil mini-war between Pakistan What’s ironic is the Pakistan Army (which and India. It happened at a time when both has 600,000 soldiers) urging Pashtuns to India and Pakistan had become declared fight in Kashmir. A clash with India would Nuclear Weapons States (NWS). It was be too much for the corrupt generals of unprecedented in the post-World War-II the Pakistan Army. The conqueror of global scenario that the two nuclear powers corner plots doesn’t have the cojones to directly challenged each other in such a fight the powerful Indian Army. Having dangerous manner, except for the Cuban lost all four previous wars against India, Missile Crisis in 1962. The danger of war the actual war would be well outside their between India and Pakistan looms large comfort zone. even today as unresolved disputes, especially Jammu and Kashmir, continue to haunt https://www.businesstoday.in/opinion/columns/ both the states and any miscalculation on pakistan-nuclear-threat-war-imran-khan- either side may spell disaster not only for pakistani-army-india-article-370-jammu-and- the two countries but the entire world. kashmir-narendra-modi/story/377963.html The above questions are not for the academic ‘Good Lord help us’ purposes but call for practical steps to protect the lives of innocent people who Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Daily Times, have no say in policymaking. Similarly, September 13, 2019 innocent Kashmiris are facing complete Over the past one year especially and from lockdown over a month now with no fault two and half years in general our serious of theirs. They are being suppressed for national issues are now prime target of raising voice for the right to self- flagrant and comical statements. But it determination, an inalienable right granted was never expected that our nuclear to them under UN Security Council’s program and doctrine which is the most resolutions. The Hindutva leadership is crucial part of our security and strategic certainly following a suicidal course in the apparatus will be discussed through such conduct of relations with Pakistan without mirthful statements. realizing that a war would not be a one- 59 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
We must know what’s Pakistan’s nuclear an inordinately expensive, extremely doctrine which is not changed according to technically challenging, and—evidently!— spokesperson and why foreign office is in downright unsafe. panic to give clarifications on PM’s statements about nuclear deterrence. PM’s https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/forget- statement was headline of all papers that in russia-america-nearly-built-its-own-skyfall- case of Indo-Pak conflict we are not going nuclear-powered-cruise-missile-77226 to use nuclear weapons first. As we know from years, India’s declared nuclear doctrine The Secret History of the Push to in case of conflict with Pakistan is not to Strike Iran strike first with nuclear bomb. Pakistan also Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti, The have declared nuclear doctrine from years New York Times, September 4, 2019 that we have established certain levels of national forbearance. one is internal level. In July of 2017, the White House was at a If India will cross that level(attack in crossroads on the question of Iran. Pakistani territory and its installations or President Trump had made a campaign buildings with conventional or pledge to leave the “terrible” nuclear deal unconventional force or crossing of that President Barack Obama negotiated international border with conventional with Tehran, but prominent members of force) then we can use nuclear weapon. We Trump’s cabinet spent the early months have our economic threshold too: if India of the administration pushing the will stop or divert our river water or in case mercurial president to negotiate a stronger of naval blockade then we can also use agreement rather than scotch the deal nuclear bomb. These few points are entirely. Thus far, the forces for negotiation considered our declared “nuclear doctrine”. had prevailed. Now according to PM’s statement it seems this old doctrine has been changed with “not But counterforces were also at work. to strike first” nuclear doctrine. Stephen K. Bannon, then still an influential adviser to the president, turned to John https://dailytimes.com.pk/465089/good-lord-help- Bolton to draw up a new Iran strategy that us/ would, as its first act, abrogate the Iran deal. Bolton, a Fox News commentator and USA former ambassador to the United Nations, had no official role in the administration Forget Russia: America Nearly Built as of yet, but Bannon saw him as an Its Own ‘Skyfall’ Nuclear Powered outside voice that could stiffen Trump’s Cruise Missile spine — a kind of back channel to the president who could convince Trump that Sebastien Roblin, National Interest Blog, his Iran policy was adrift. September 1, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/maga- After days of speculation by Western zine/iran-strike-israel-america.html analysts that a deadly accident on August 8 that briefly spiked radiation levels in northwestern Russia was tied to tests of an Can President Trump Really exotic nuclear-powered “Skyfall” nuclear- Tweet A Highly Classified powered cruise missile, Russian sources Satellite Photo? Yep, He Can confirmed to the New York Times the Geoff Brumfiel, National Public Radio, explosion of a “small nuclear reactor.” September 5, 2019 While there’s a tactical rationale behind The first thing Melissa Hanham did when Russia’s development of a fast, surface- she saw President Trump’s tweet last week skimming cruise missile with an unlimited was take a screen grab. “My reaction was range as a means of bypassing American to immediately save the image to my missile defenses, it strikes many analysts as phone just in case it got taken down,” she 60 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
says. The wording on the tweet was cryptic: “maximum pressure” — a tough-talking, “The United States of America was not sanction-heavy policy designed to force involved in the catastrophic accident during adversaries into compliance. final launch preparations for the Safir [space launch vehicle] Launch at Semnan Launch Trump’s former National Security Adviser Site One in Iran,” the president said. “I wish John Bolton was a primary architect of Iran best wishes and good luck in maximum pressure. After his ouster determining what happened at Site One.” earlier this week, there have been reports that Bolton was fired for his ultra-hawkish https://www.npr.org/2019/09/05/758038714/can- stance on Iran and North Korea. president-trump-really-tweet-a-highly-classified- satellite-photo-yep-he-can https://www.dw.com/en/why-trump-shouldnt- run-the-north-korea-playbook-on-iran/a- After Trump, the United States 50414607 Should Return to Obama’s Iran Deal Russia Edoardo Saravalle, Foreign Policy, September 10, 2019 Russia’s Delta-Class Missile Submarines: One the Best Subs The narrowing of the field for the 2020 U.S. Ever? Democratic Party presidential nomination has thrown the contenders’ policy Robert Farley, National Interest Blog, differences into sharp relief. Nearly every September 7, 2019 candidate set to take the debate stage The Soviet Union appreciated the need for Thursday, however, agrees on at least one a sea-based deterrent from an early point thing: The United States should reenter the in the Cold War. The Soviet leadership Iran nuclear deal. But none of them have worried that American superiority in fully explained how they intend do so. delivery systems (initially in both numbers The accord, from which U.S. President and accuracy) would render it vulnerable Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, contained to a decapitating first strike, and more a complicated mix of U.S. and Iranian generally to nuclear blackmail. commitments—which means the precise Accordingly, the USSR began way in which the United States might choose experimenting with submarines equipped to rejoin matters just as much as the will to with strategic nuclear weapons in the mid- do so. Getting these nuts and bolts right 1950s. But technical problems made it would solidify the deal, lay the groundwork difficult to make achievements. Generally for progress to follow, and free up a new speaking, the Soviets found themselves a administration to pursue new foreign-policy few years behind the Americans in both priorities. submarine and missile technology.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/09/10/after-trump- In any case, arms control agreements with the-united-states-should-return-to-obamas-iran- the United States, the end of the Cold War, deal/ and the collapse of the Russian economy made it impossible to maintain such a large Why Trump shouldn’t run the North fleet of boomers. The last Delta I left service Korea playbook on Iran in 1998, with the Delta IIs decommissioning at around the same time. Wesley Rahn, Deutsche Welle, September 13, The Delta III and Delta IV classes would 2019 remain the core of the Russian nuclear US President Donald Trump calls his deterrent well into the twenty-first century, however. Due to the high administration’s strategy for keeping operating cost of the Typhoon class subs, nuclear weapons away from Iran and containing a nuclear North Korea several Delta IIIs were refueled and kept 61 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
in service into the 2010s, although the last range of 500 kilometers (311 miles), which now appears to have left service. exceeds INF Treaty limits.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russias- https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/will- delta-class-missile-submarines-one-best-subs-ever- venezuela-become-russian-missile-base-80561 78701 West Asia This Nuclear Submarine Freaks Russia Out: Meet the Astute-Class Trump Solving the Iran Crisis (Not American) Requires A “Deal of the Century” Shahed Ghoreishi, The National Interest. Robert Farley, National Interest Blog, September 2, 2019 September 10, 2019 With Tehran Washington needs to realize Key Point: The Astutes are among the most the positive ramifications that could only formidable submarines in the world, and come after thorough innovative, high-level certainly pose a major threat to any Russian diplomacy with Iran. by Shahed designs on the North Atlantic or the Arctic. Ghoreishi On August 13, Iran’s Supreme Since the commissioning of HMS Leader Ayatollah Khamenei met with Dreadnought in 1963, the Royal Navy has Houthi representatives in Tehran in what maintained a formidable force of nuclear was a rare overt display of support. Since attack submarines. Indeed, HMS Conqueror the Yemeni civil war began in 2015, Iran is the only nuclear attack submarine (SSN) had kept the Houthis at arm’s length. to ever sink an enemy warship in anger. But However, recent divisions within the the Royal Navy has undergone a Saudi coalition and the Houthis’ success transformational crisis over the past decade, establishing themselves in Yemen changed shrinking in size and changing in the calculus. The public meeting was a composition. The latest nuclear attack subs, clear sign of strengthening ties between the Astute class, have become a critical Iran and the Houthis in the face of a component of the future of the Royal divided adversary. Yemen isn’t the only Navy—but, given Russia’s resurgence, are unstable nation-state in the region where they enough? the Iranians have gained major leverage. From Beirut to Kabul, Iran has managed https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/nuclear- to become a player of increasing submarine-freaks-russia-out-meet-astute-class- significance. This is why it is as critical as not-american-79306 ever for the United States to move beyond its animosity with Iran and move towards Will Venezuela Become a Russian high-level diplomacy—regional allies Missile Base? included—in order to stabilize the region enough for the United States to be able to Michael Peck, National Interest Blog, end its forever wars. The nuclear deal and September 13, 2019 the immediate need to deescalate tensions With the United States developing a new in the Persian Gulf should just be the generation of cruise missiles in response to beginning—not the ultimate goal. At the alleged Russian arms control violations, a end of the day, Iran’s regional role is response from Moscow was inevitable. essential to the United States pivoting away from the region and turning its But Russian missiles in Venezuela? That’s attention to more pressing global matters what some Russian commentators are better aligned with its actual interests. calling for in retaliation for the Trump administration withdrawing from the https://nationalinterest.org/feature/solving-iran- Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) crisis-requires-deal-century-tehran-77271 Treaty. The Pentagon has already tested a new ground-launched cruise missile with a 62 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
Iran Says Its Cruise Missiles Are into submission is a failure when those who Better Than America’s. That can’t be customarily favor pressuring Iran true? Can it? acknowledge that failure. Take what has become the administration’s go-to Michael Peck, The National Interest, rationale for the campaign in the face of September 6, 2019 other evidence that it is not working: the claim that U.S. sanctions have undercut The newest Iranian weapon, the Mobin, was Iran’s “malign” activity in the Middle East displayed at the MAKS 2019 defense trade by reducing the funds available for such show in Russia in August. The cruise missile activity. In a recent op-ed, Dennis Ross has a range of 450 kilometers (280 miles), a and Dana Stroul of the Washington speed of 900 kilometers (560 miles) per hour, Institute for Near East Policy debunk this and a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet. It notion by describing how and why a also features a warhead of up to 120 financial pinch on Iran does not translate kilograms (265 pounds) and has a “low into retrenchment in Iranian regional radar cross-section and high radar-evading activity. capability,” according to Iran’s Fars News Agency. In Syria, for example, Iranian-backed militias “may be suffering from salary cuts, In February, Iran unveiled the longer-range but less take-home pay has not led to a Hoveizeh cruise missile. “The range of the reduction in violence.” The same pattern Hoveizeh missile is over 1,350 kilometers of reduced cash not leading to reduced [840 miles] and it is good for targeting armed activity is seen with Hezbollah in ground targets,” said Iran’s Defense Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. And Minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami. although the administration has tried to “The Hoveizeh ground-to-ground cruise highlight reductions in Iran’s military missile has been test-fired in a 1,200- budget, assertive Iranian activity in the kilometer [745 mile] range and it managed Persian Gulf such as sabotage or the to precisely hit the specified target,” Hatami seizure of foreign tankers has gone up, not also said. down, since the start of the administration’s pressure campaign. In Hatami “mentioned rapid reaction, low short, Ross and Stroul accurately observe, flight altitude, high precision in navigation Iran does what it does in the region “on and high destruction power as among the the cheap.” Its regional activity is not main features of the missile,” said Fars News. determined by the balance in its bank account. Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister, Brigadier General Qassem Taqizadeh, also claimed last https://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/ week that Iran’s cruise missiles were more maximum-pressure-iran-has-failed-80611 accurate than America’s. Taqizadeh said Iranian cruise missiles “enjoyed higher Watch Out: Iran Has a New “Kia” precision-striking power than the U.S-.made Spy Drone. But how good is it? ones,” according to Fars News. The National Interest, September 13, 2019 https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/iran-says- its-cruise-missiles-are-better- Iran has unveiled the Kia high-precision america%E2%80%99s-78681 drone that can locate and attack targets far from the country’s borders, according Maximum Pressure on Iran Has to officials. Al Jazeera News reports. Iranian Brig. Gen. Alireza Sabahifard Failed displayed the unmanned aerial vehicle Paul R. Pillar, The National Interest, (unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)) at a September 14, 2019 ceremony in the capital, Tehran, saying it can fly more than 620 miles and climb to It is a sure sign that the Trump an altitude of 16,000 feet, according to administration’s campaign to squeeze Iran state media.The jet-propelled drone comes 63 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
in two models capable of surveillance and The Asahi Shimbun, September 10, 2019 at reconnaissance missions and continuous 15:45 JST flight for precision missions. Tokyo Electric Power Co. has indicated it https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/watch-out- may decommission at least one aging idle iran-has-new-kia-spy-drone-80506 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture if it can East Asia restart two new reactors at the site. TEPCO said it will start taking “steps Japan within five years” that could result in the decommissioning of one or more of the No. Japan-Russia talks on peace treaty, 1 to No. 5 reactors after two newer and Northern Territories have whiff of more powerful reactors, the No. 6 and No. futility 7 reactors, are brought back on stream. The company, operator of the disaster-stricken Mainichi Japan, September 6, 2019 Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, has Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met for talks with been seeking to restart the two reactors Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 5 after they passed safety screenings on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic implemented by the Nuclear Regulation Forum in Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East. Authority. The last time they spoke face-to-face about hammering out a formal peace treaty was Masahiro Sakurai, the mayor of in Osaka in June, though there was no Kashiwazaki, home to the seven-reactor progress to be seen then. The two leaders’ plant, has demanded that the utility most recent tete-a-tete, too, seems to have present a decommissioning plan for the produced no decisive movement, resulting other five reactors as a condition to in only a commitment to “working with a agreeing to the restarts of the No. 6 and forward-facing attitude.” The former Soviet No. 7 reactors. TEPCO’s announcement Union launched hostilities against Japan in was a response to Sakurai’s demand. In the dying days of World War II, and no touching on the possibility of peace treaty was signed between the two decommissioning for the first time, TEPCO countries in the ensuing decades. did not go into specifics. Instead, the utility’s announcement seemed designed The issue that must be resolved before a to put pressure on the city to allow the two peace treaty can be signed is the fate of the reactors to be restarted as an initial step. Northern Territories, a clutch of islands just That is a baffling attitude. off the coast of the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido. Seized by the Soviets in 1945, http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/ AJ201909100038.html the islands remain under Russian control but are claimed by Japan — and Abe and Putin do not see eye-to-eye on their return to North Korea Japanese sovereignty. The pair’s Vladivostok Uncertainty of nuclear talks talks did nothing to change this. In fact, circumstances surrounding to bilateral Korea Times, September 9, 2019, Tong Kim territorial talks are getting rougher, which The prospect of resuming nuclear talks forces us to ask: Is the government even able between North Korea and the United to sketch out a concrete resolution to this States does not look good. Washington process? says it is ready to negotiate with https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190906/p2a/ Pyongyang on a working-level whenever 00m/0na/010000c they are ready. Two month ago, Trump said after his meeting with Kim Jong-un Put state in charge of TEPCO’s plan at Panmunjeom that Kim had agreed to for reactor restarts hold working-level talks “in a few weeks.” The United States is still waiting to hear 64 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
from the North on when or whether they order. Nor is Great Abaco the first will return to the table. A possible venue for Caribbean island to be devastated by a such talks can be determined after the date hurricane. But it does represent another is set. For logistical considerations (including significant piece of evidence that as the travel cost), the North may prefer world warms, the weather will become Panmunjeom for the talks. The problem is more extreme. We can expect stronger the North is not ready. hurricanes, longer droughts in some areas, too much rainfall in others and a In April, the North Korean leader set a significant disruption of the weather with deadline by the end of 2019 to wait and see consequences that will be difficult to “if the U.S. changes its method of control. calculation,” a proposition that the U.S. drops its position seeking an early big deal These two menacing factors ¯ nuclear by which the North would denuclearize first weapons and climate change ¯ came in return for consequent sanctions relief and together in a peculiar way last month security guarantees. The big deal attempt when Axios reported that President was rejected and failed in Hanoi. But, Donald Trump has suggested multiple Washington has not produced a times to senior Homeland Security officials transformed version of its negotiating and national security officers that we strategy. The North is waiting to hear that explore the possibility of using nuclear the U.S. will accommodate the North Korean bombs to disrupt hurricanes before they proposal for a phased process with hit land. “Why can’t we do that?” Trump reciprocal, corresponding measures toward reportedly asked. It’s an intriguing idea, the end state of “complete and in fairness to Trump, he’s not the first denuclearization.” In the meantime, the to suggest it. The Washington Post reports North has conducted a series of provocative that just weeks after the atomic bombs missile launches to test newly developed were dropped on Hiroshima and short-range ballistic missiles and long-range Nagasaki, the mayor of Miami Beach asked multiple rocket launchers, all capable of President Harry Truman to explore the striking all of South Korea and western parts possibility of using a nuclear bomb to of Japan disrupt hurricanes that threaten beachfront property. Scientists at the time http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/ quickly dismissed the idea, noting that 09/137_275348.html dropping a bomb on a hurricane could have unpredictable consequences, South Korea including making the storm worse.
Bombs and weather: Trump drops http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ another one 09/113_275422.html John M. Crisp, Korea Times, September 10, 2019 Beijing-Seoul ties after Xi’s Pyongyang visit We have no shortage of serious global issues to worry about, but nearly all of them are Lee Seong-hyon, Korea Times, September made more threatening by the ominous, 17, 2019 double-edged backdrop against which they There are some qualitative differences in play themselves out: nuclear weapons and the way China treats South Korea since climate change. India and Pakistan are not Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to the first two countries to maintain a long- Pyongyang. The visit to Pyongyang, which standing territorial dispute. Kim Jong-un took place in late June, itself was a isn’t the first megalomaniacal dictator to significant event in Sino-North Korea ties; bluster himself onto the world stage. But the China signified it was raising its stake in irreversible fact of nuclear weapons elevates the geopolitical dividends of the North problems such as these into crises of the first Korea nuclear matter. Interestingly, 65 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
without any public announcement, China’s (ÒnÑ s^) happy. In fact, the opposite has dealings with South Korea have since also occurred. The Trump White House has shown a nuanced shift. arguably done more to help ensure Taiwan’s continued freedom and First, the Chinese side did not highlight the independence from the People’s Republic THAAD issue in various academic and of China (PRC) than any administration policy meetings between Seoul and Beijing. in well over 40 years. The majority of Chinese participants also underscored that the discord has yet to be Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, fully resolved. The Chinese side expressed and Ronald Reagan cut deals with Beijing concerns over the possibility of additional at the expense of Taipei. The result was THAAD battery deployment by Washington the three US-PRC communiques. To their to U.S. military bases in South Korea. credit, George W. Bush and Barack China’s new 2019 Defense White Paper Obama avoided the pitfall of signing a included a clause about THAAD. “The U.S. fourth communique. However, both has severely destroyed the strategic balance presidents were responsible for arms sales of the region by deploying the THAAD freezes and sought to curry favor with system in South Korea, and inflicted severe China by keeping Taiwan at a distance. damage on the strategic security interests of the regional countries,” it said. To sum up, There were concerns that President Trump THAAD is still an important issue for China, might follow in his predecessors’ footsteps, but Beijing wants to improve ties with Seoul or worse. He has a track record of being and it doesn’t want THAAD to become an openly critical of democratic allies and obstacle. skeptical of burdensome defense commitments. He’s prone to ignore Second, China ratcheted up publicly Congress, the intelligence community, and recognizing and praising President Moon even his own foreign policy advisors. He’s Jae-in’s mediating role in the nuclear talks famous for his unpredictable and ruthless between the United States and North Korea. dealmaking, and he has demonstrated a It is notable that the Chinese still praised high degree of tolerance for dictators like Moon for his steadfast peace outreach effort Chairman Xi. Indeed, at one point, Trump in transforming the Korean Peninsula reportedly challenged his advisors to tell situation even during the recent negotiation him why the US should defend Taiwan. impasse. Chinese note that ‘With Xi Jinping’s visit to No rth Korea, relations between http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ North Korea and China have entered a new archives/2019/09/16/2003722357 high period. They also expressed hope that the ties between Seoul and Beijing could be P. Interview also further strengthened. Obama arms official: Nuclear http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/ deterrence must be strengthened 09/137_275686.html Kenji Minemura, The Asahi Shimbun, September 10, 2019 Taiwan Japanese optimism for nuclear Ian Easton On Taiwan: Why the US disarmament has dwindled following defends Taiwan recent events, including the ending of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Taipei Times, September 16, 2019 Their disappointment appears to be For many Asia-watchers, one of the biggest compounded because they held high hopes surprises of Donald Trump’s last two years when U.S. President Barack Obama and eight months in high office has been that pledged to work toward a world without he hasn’t sold Taiwan out in return for nuclear weapons. Frank Rose served as China’s help on North Korea, a trade deal, both assistant secretary of state for arms or just because it would make Xi Jinping control, verification and compliance as 66 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
well as deputy assistant secretary of state working toward reducing the number of for space and defense policy under Obama. nuclear weapons in the world? Now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Rose was asked about recent A: I think in the last 25 years, we’ve been developments regarding nuclear weapons too focused on reducing the numbers of under the administration of U.S. President weapons and not on enhancing a stable Donald Trump. deterrence with the objective of preventing miscalculations. My No. 1 priority is Excerpts of the interview follow: preventing nuclear use. And if we don’t reduce a single additional nuclear weapon, Q: Former President Obama won the Nobel but we don’t have a nuclear detonation, Peace Prize for seeking a world without that’s success. nuclear weapons, but such a world has not materialized. As one of the Obama Q: How do you assess the new nuclear administration officials in charge of arms posture review released by the Trump control, what are your thoughts on that? administration calling for strengthening the U.S. nuclear deterrent? Rose: The president said, “We’ve got to take pragmatic steps to create the conditions for A: I don’t agree with the Trump a world without nuclear weapons.” But he administration on many issues, but one also in the same speech said, “This may not issue I do agree with them is that we have happen in my lifetime.” And secondly, “As returned to great power competition with long as nuclear weapons exist, the United Russia and China. And to successfully States will maintain a safe, secure and deter Russia and China in this new era, effective deterrent to protect the United we need to modernize the U.S. strategic States and our allies.” The Prague speech nuclear deterrent. was a very carefully crafted speech, but unfortunately, people read what they Q: How do you assess President Trump’s wanted to read into the speech. policy toward North Korea?
Q: As the only people that had atomic A: There really was not much preparation bombs dropped on them, many Japanese for these meetings (between Trump and have been deeply disappointed just because North Korean leader Kim Jong Un). I have they started to have hopes from the Obama a hard time seeing the North Koreans speech. What’s your view on that? giving up their nuclear weapons because fundamentally it’s Kim Jong Un’s ultimate A: The majority of the Japanese public is of insurance policy for regime survival. the view we need to reduce and ultimately eliminate nuclear weapons. That said, I Q: President Trump has frequently think fundamentally we misjudged the expressed dissatisfaction with the Japan- security environment. What really drove the U.S. Security Treaty. Can Japan continue nuclear reductions in the 1990s was the to trust being under the U.S. nuclear collapse of the Soviet Union and Russia’s umbrella? subsequent financial difficulties. China and A: If Japan were attacked by another Russia have done major modernizations of country, I believe the United States would their nuclear forces. We need to be realistic. meet its commitments and obligations of I think we have returned to an era of great the treaty. But the more you publicly call power competition. We’re going to have to those commitments into doubt, the less manage that competition, especially with weight they have over time. And that’s a regards to nuclear weapons and other concern that I have. strategic capabilities. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/ Q: But as a nuclear superpower, shouldn’t AJ201909100011.html the United States play a leading role in 67 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
Imran Khan on ‘genocide’ in a conventional war, there is every Kashmir and possible war with possibility that it is going to end up into India nuclear war. The unthinkable.” “If say Pakistan, God forbid, we are fighting a Al Jazeera, September 14, 2019 conventional war, we are losing, and if a country is stuck between the choice: either It has been a year since the former cricketer- you surrender or you fight ‘til death for turned-politician Imran Khan became your freedom, I know Pakistanis will fight Pakistan’s prime minister. Khan’s campaign to death for their freedom. So when a slogan was “Naya Pakistan” or “New nuclear-armed country fights to the end, Pakistan”, a reflection of his promises to turn to the death, it has consequences.” the country’s economy around and end corruption. But the first year of his “So that’s why we have approached the premiership has not gone as smoothly as he United Nations, we are approaching every may have hoped or even expected, especially international forum, that they must act in terms of the economy. The Pakistani rupee right now because this is a potential has lost 35 percent of its value during his disaster that would go way beyond the time in office. Khan’s critics call him the Indian subcontinent.” Until recently, prime minister of u-turns, as he has been Pakistan had made attempts to open forced to go back on many of his campaign dialogue with India “to live as civilised pledges in an attempt to rescue the situation. neighbours, to resolve our difference [over Kashmir] ... through a political “I’m glad they say I’m a prime minister of settlement”, but according to Khan, this u-turns. Only an idiot doesn’t do any u- is no longer the case. “We discovered that turns,” Khan tells Al Jazeera. “Only a while we were trying to have dialogue, they moron, when he’s on a course and he comes were trying to push us in the blacklist in across a brick wall, only that stupid idiot FATF [Financial Action Task Force] ... If keeps banging his head against a brick wall. Pakistan is pushed into the blacklist of An intelligent person immediately revises his FATF that means there will be sanctions strategy and goes around it.” But have any on Pakistan. So they were trying to of these “u-turns” had a positive impact on bankrupt us economically, so that’s when the country? In terms of foreign affairs, we pulled back. And that’s when we Pakistan is closer than ever to its neighbour, realised that this government is on an China. But relations with its other agenda ... to push Pakistan to disaster,” neighbour, India, are at a new low. Asked says Khan. whether these two nuclear countries are at risk of another major conflict, or even war, “There is no question of talking to the Khan tells Al Jazeera he “absolutely” Indian government right now after they believes war with India could be a revoked this article 370 of their own possibility. constitution and they annexed Kashmir illegally against the UN Security Council “Eight million Muslims in Kashmir are resolution which had guaranteed the under siege for almost now six weeks. And people that they would be able to hold a why this can become a flashpoint between referendum, a plebiscite, to decide their India and Pakistan is because what we destiny.” Khan has not only faced criticism already know India is trying to do is divert about the country’s ailing economy and attention from their illegal annexation and his u-turns. Civil rights acitivists and their impending genocide on Kashmir,” he journalists are saying that the space for says. “They are taking the attention away dissent and freedom of expression has by blaming Pakistan for terrorism.” shrunk and that there was a crackdown “Pakistan would never start a war, and I against the media since he took office. am clear: I am a pacifist, I am anti-war, I “This is utter and utter nonsense,” Khan believe that wars do not solve any says. “Pakistan is one of the freest places problems,” he says. But, he adds: “When two in the world in media .... the freedom that nuclear-armed countries fight, if they fight 68 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
journalists have in this country is https://www.radio.gov.pk/15-09-2019/war- unprecedented.” Asked about his between-two-nuclear-states-to-affect-the-whole- government’s achievements after its first world-dr-firdous year in office, Khan says: “We are already in a new Pakistan ... This government has Q. Think Tanks done things which no government has done before. But, as they say, Rome was not built What Happens If the Last Nuclear in a day. When you start making these Arms Control Treaty Expires? massive changes, reforms, it takes time. The Pranay Vaddi, Nicholas Blanchette, Garrett time to judge a government is five years ... Hinck The first year was the most difficult period, but from now onwards people will start Carnegie Endowment for International seeing the difference ... the direction of the Peace, September 05, 2019 country is now right.” WHAT IS NEW START? https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/ The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty talktojazeera/2019/09/imran-khan-genocide- (New START) is an agreement between kashmir-war-india-190913134545416.html the United States and Russia that limits certain nuclear weapons. It caps each War b/w two nuclear states country at the lowest levels of deployed Pakistan, India to affect whole long-range nuclear forces since early in the World: Dr. Firdous Cold War. These are nuclear weapons ready to be used on delivery systems Radio Pakistan, September 15, 2019 (missiles and bombers) that can reach Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on targets a continent away. Confused about Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous New START and the INF Treaty? Explore Ashiq Awan has said Pakistan Tehreek-e- the key differences below. Insaf government is taking steps to improve life of common man by introducing WHY DID BOTH COUNTRIES SIGN UP? programmes like Ehsas and Sehat Insaf The treaty entered into force in 2011. The Cards. Talking to a private news channel, then president Barack Obama’s she said government is promoting export- administration successfully negotiated it as oriented industry by taking ease of doing a follow-on to the original START Treaty, business initiatives to restore confidence of which was in effect from 1994 to 2009. The investors. She said today Pakistan is in safe older START Treaty had expired without hands as civil and military leaderships are a replacement. Neither Russia nor the on same page to steer the country out of United States were carrying out START- crises. related inspections and notifications She said reforms are being introduced in during this gap between the agreements, national institutions for better public services so each country lost valuable insight into delivery. Firdous said Jammu and Kashmir the other’s nuclear forces. is a national issue and all opposition parties Moscow and Washington both wanted should join hands with government for provisions that allowed them to be flexible exposing Indian human rights violations in in the make-up of their nuclear arsenals, occupied Kashmir across the globe. She said to inspect each other’s nuclear bases, and the world powers like Russia and China are to limit either side’s ability to cheat and supporting Pakistan’s stance. She said a war build a secret force of weapons to break between the two nuclear states of South Asia out from the treaty. These provisions would affect the whole world. To a provided transparency into each side’s question, she said foreign ministers of United nuclear operations and thereby reduced Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had visited at least one major source of potential Pakistan and asked India to lift curfew in instability between them. the occupied valley. 69 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/09/05/what- triad. Intercontinental ballistic missiles happens-if-last-nuclear-arms-control-treaty- (ICBMs) are the quickest-reacting leg, expires-pub-79782 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) the most survivable, and bombers The Last Nuclear Arms Treaty the most flexible leg. The triad is the foundation for strategic stability, because Pranay Vaddi, Nicholas Blanchette, and all three legs cannot be destroyed at once. Garrett Hinck Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/09/10/ September 05, 2019 commonsense-policy-for-avoiding-disastrous- nuclear-decision-pub-79799 Why New START Matters India’s Space Power: Revisiting New START is the only nuclear arms control treaty left between the United States and the Anti-Satellite Test Russia. But it expires on February 5, 2021, Shounak Set, Carnegie Endowment for unless extended by up to five years. Without International Peace, September 6, 2019 it, there will be no limits on—or transparency into—the size and Against the backdrop of former U.S. composition of the U.S. and Russian nuclear president Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars arsenals. program, Satish Dhawan, a pioneer of the Indian space program, observed that time https://carnegieendowment.org/publications/ would tell whether Indian activities in interactive/new-start space would remain exclusively civilian and pacifist.1 Around three decades later, A Commonsense Policy for on March 27, 2019, Indian Prime Minister Avoiding a Disastrous Nuclear Narendra Modi surprised the world with Decision his announcement that India had become the fourth country to conduct an anti- James A. Winnefeld, Carnegie Endowment for satellite (ASAT) missile test (after the International Peace, September 10, 2019 United States, Russia, and China). The test on March 27 was preceded by an Stable nuclear deterrence relies on the unsuccessful one in February; but that impossibility of one nation being able to doesn’t eclipse the significance of the successfully conduct a preemptive nuclear exercise. Only three publicly recorded first strike on another. To this end, the ASAT tests have been conducted since the United States has developed the capability end of the Cold War, and, arguably (the to be able to respond while it is under attack, possession of latent capabilities before the bulk of its nuclear forces, their notwithstanding), it is the actual testing command-and-control system, and even the of a technology that represents a salient president are destroyed. But the intense time transformation in a country’s capabilities. pressure involved in accurately diagnosing, and then ordering and executing a response Dubbed “Mission Shakti” (shakti denotes to a nuclear attack, could easily backfire “power” in Sanskrit), the test entailed catastrophically. Specifically, the time launching a ballistic missile into outer pressure inherent in this launch-under- space to destroy an Indian satellite located attack approach creates two unacceptable about 300 kilometers above the earth’s risks: that the president might fail to respond surface, in low earth orbit (LEO)—which to a real attack, or that he or she might order ranges between 80 kilometers and 2,400 a nuclear response to a false warning. To kilometers above the earth’s surface, address these risks, the president should be depending on contrasting definitions. The able to order a delayed response—an option direct-ascent missile destroyed the satellite I call “decide under attack.” kinetically, in under three minutes, by the sheer impact of the collision rather than a The United States fields three long-range warhead-induced explosion. India nuclear strike capabilities, known as the 70 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
reportedly adapted its missile defense construction and operational capability in interceptor, the Prithvi Defense Vehicle nuclear power, and entered a new stage Mark-II, into an ASAT weapon, making it of safe and efficient development. the third country to demonstrate the capability for a direct-ascent kinetic China took the lead in the construction kill.2 Though its technological antecedents and operation of the GW-class pressurized have been engendered through the ballistic water reactor, AP1000, using advanced missile defense program since 2006, recent passive safety systems, and the European global and regional dynamics arguably advanced pressurized water reactor, EPR. catalyzed Mission Shakti. The ineluctable The Hualong-1 nuclear reactor, a product questions now revolve around the mission’s of independent research and intentions, impact, utility, and potential next development, ranks among the highest in steps. the world in terms of safety design, the white paper said. By June 2019, China had https://carnegieindia.org/2019/09/06/india-s- 47 nuclear power units in operation, space-power-revisiting-anti-satellite-test-pub- ranking third in the world, and 11 nuclear 79797 power units under construction, ranking first in the world. Original Documents and reports The performance indicators of nuclear China’s nuclear power development power units are generally good. In the maintains high-level safety: white comprehensive ranking of similar units of paper the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) in recent years, Xinhua, September 3, 2019 operating units in China have performed In 2000, 2004, 2010 and 2016, the above the world median for more than 80 International Atomic Energy Agency percent of the indicators, and have conducted four comprehensive reviews of reached the world advanced level for China’s nuclear and radiation safety more than 70 percent of the indicators. In regulation, giving full recognition to China’s 2018, China led the world with 12 good practices and experiences, the white operating units achieving full marks in paper said. WANO composite index, according to the white paper. SAFE, EFFICIENT NUCLEAR POWER DEVELOPMENT SAFE OPERATION OF OTHER KEY NUCLEAR FACILITIES In accordance with the concept of multiple protective barriers and defense-in-depth, Based on its own strength and drawing and with the aim of ensuring that they are on advanced international experience, completely safe and reliable, China uses the China has designed and developed most advanced technology and the most research reactors such as high- stringent standards for the development of temperature gas-cooled reactors, fast nuclear power, and strictly manages the reactors, small nuclear power reactors, entire life cycle of nuclear facilities from molten salt reactors, and transmutation siting, design, construction, and operation devices, according to the white paper. to decommissioning. Since 1985, when the Nineteen operating civil research reactors first nuclear power plant on the Chinese and critical assemblies maintain safe and mainland, the Qinshan Nuclear Power stable operation. “We have implemented Plant, began construction, China has the strategy of a closed nuclear fuel cycle adopted safe and reliable reactor and gradually established a complete technology, and learned from the nuclear fuel cycle system, including experiences and lessons of major nuclear uranium mining and metallurgy, uranium accidents abroad to make safety conversion, uranium enrichment, improvements. After more than 30 years, processing of nuclear fuel elements, spent China has achieved independent design, fuel reprocessing, and treatment and 71 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
disposal of radioactive waste,” the white safety level of nuclear technology paper said. Eighteen civil nuclear fuel cycle utilization,” the white paper said. As of facilities and two low- and intermediate- this June, 142,607 radioactive sources and level radioactive solid waste disposal sites 181,293 radiation-emitting devices were in have a good safety record, according to the use in China, and a total of 73,070 units white paper. were engaged in the production, sale and use of radioisotopes and radiation-emitting CLASSIFICATION, SAFE DISPOSAL OF devices. RADIOACTIVE WASTE One hundred percent of radioactive China implements radioactive waste sources and radiation-emitting devices are classification: near-surface or medium-depth subject to licensing management, and 100 disposal of low- and intermediate-level percent of waste radioactive sources are radioactive waste in locations that meet the safely stored. The annual incidence of requirements of nuclear safety, and deep radiation accidents from radioactive geological disposal of high-level radioactive sources has continued to decline, from 6.2 waste in centralized locations, according to per 10,000 sources in the 1990s to less than the white paper. To ensure permanent one per 10,000 sources at present, the safety, nuclear facility operating lowest level in history, according to the organizations and radioactive waste white paper. disposal organizations carry out minimization and decontamination of UPGRADED NUCLEAR SECURITY radioactive waste in accordance with the law. All provinces and equivalent China regards nuclear security as an administrative units have built urban important protective screen for nuclear radioactive waste repositories for safety and controls nuclear materials in centralized storage and proper disposal of accordance with the strictest standards, radioactive waste produced by nuclear according to the white paper. Nuclear technology. power plants, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and radioactive source security systems are “We will continue to promote the safe in line with international standards. The storage and treatment of spent fuel, enhance rules and regulations are sound and our capacity in the treatment and disposal complete, and the mechanisms for non- of radioactive waste, carry out the proliferation and nuclear terrorism decommissioning and environmental prevention are improving. restoration of uranium mining and metallurgical facilities, and standardize the “We are building a nuclear security system environmental management of waste rock, for new nuclear facilities in accordance waste water, tailings and slag in uranium with the latest international standards, mining and metallurgy, so as to ensure that and have invested billions of yuan in radiation is maintained at safe levels,” the special funds to upgrade the security white paper said. system of the original nuclear facilities, thus greatly strengthening our prevention MARKEDLY IMPROVED SAFETY IN USE capabilities,” the white paper said. To date OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY there have been no incidents of theft, loss or illegal use of nuclear materials, China implements dynamic management of according to the white paper. radioactive sources from cradle to grave, and brings all source-related units into the scope GOOD RADIATION ENVIRONMENT of government regulation, the white paper QUALITY said. “We have established a national database for the management of nuclear The radiation environment monitoring technology utilization, taken measures to data in China show that the radiation enhance the safety of radioactive sources, environment quality across the country is realized the real-time online monitoring of within the range of natural environmental high-risk mobile sources, and improved the radiation, and the activity concentration 72 Volume 11, Number 18 September 30, 2019
levels of artificial radionuclides are normal. declared in E.O. 12947, “Prohibiting Surveillance monitoring data show that Transactions with Terrorists Who radiation in the environment around Threaten to Disrupt the Middle East Peace national nuclear facilities and nuclear Process.” The amended E.O. strengthens technology utilization projects has not and expands both the Department of changed significantly compared with the State’s and the Treasury’s authorities to level prior to construction, and the target terrorists and their supporters, individual public dose is far lower than the including by imposing correspondent national limit, according to the white paper. account or payable-through account sanctions on any foreign financial http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/03/ institution that knowingly conducted or c_138360745.htm facilitated any significant transaction for or on behalf of any Specially Designated Update to OFAC’s list of Specially Global Terrorist after the effective date. Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/ sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/ US Department of Treasury, September 13, 20190910.aspx 2019 The SDN list has recently been updated. OFAC’s Sanctions List Search tool employs fuzzy logic on its name search field to look for potential matches on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and on its Consolidated Sanctions List. This consolidated list includes the Non-SDN, Palestinian Legislative Council List “NS-PLC List,” the Part 561 List, the Non-SDN Iran Sanctions Act List “NS-ISA List,” the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List “FSE List,” the Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List “SSI List,” and the List of Persons Identified as Blocked Solely Pursuant to Executive Order 13599 “the 13599 Lis
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanc- tions/SDN-List/Pages/default.aspx
Executive Order Amending Counter Terrorism Sanctions Authorities; Counter Terrorism Designations and Designations Updates; Iran- related Designation; Syria US Department of Treasury, September 10, 2019 Today, the President issued a new Executive Order (E.O.) “Modernizing Sanctions to Combat Terrorism.” This E.O. amends E.O. 13224, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism” and terminates the national emergency 73 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest
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