Center for Strategic Deterrence Studies (CSDS) News and Analysis
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Issue No. 1325 27 July 2018 // USAF CSDS Outreach Journal Issue 1325 // Feature Report “The Nuclear Security Summits: An Overview of State Actions to Curb Nuclear Terrorism 2010- 2016”. By Sara Z. Kutchesfahani, Kelsey Davenport, and Erin Connolly. Published by the Arms Control Association and Fissile Materials Working Group; July 2018 https://www.armscontrol.org/events/2018-07/nuclear%C2%A0security-summit-process-state- global-nuclear-security-architecture The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process significantly strengthened the global nuclear security architecture and brought high-level political attention to the risk posed by nuclear terrorism. The NSS pioneered the use of regular and voluntary nuclear security commitment-making by states and groups of states, leading to the creation of an effective new tool for continuously improving the nuclear security regime. While the NSS process ended in 2016, the threat posed by nuclear terrorism remains and the nuclear security regime must continue to evolve to address it. Issue No. 1320 22 June 2018 twitter.com/USAF_CSDS | au.af.mil/au/csds // 2 // USAF CSDS Outreach Journal Issue 1325 // TABLE OF CONTENTS NUCLEAR WEAPONS U.S. STRATCOM to Take Over Responsibility for Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (Space News) Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordered a change in the management of NC3 out of concern that it did not have a cohesive governance structure. Trump Officials Weigh Limits on Uranium, Invoking National Security (Washington Post) The United States is seeking to reduce the number of nuclear warheads worldwide, so there is little need for uranium imports for U.S. nuclear weapons. France Makes Progress on Refitting Submarine for M51 Missiles (Defense News) The government’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission is assembling and fitting the nuclear warhead on the missile on Ile Longue. Air Force Gets First Real Look at Future ICBM Designs (Space News) Boeing and Northrop Grumman discussed proposed ideas with the Air Force last month as the service faces a 2019 deadline to specify requirements for the GBSD ground-based strategic deterrent. Tactical Nuclear Weapon Launches into Development with Pentagon Policy Bill (Defense News) The Trump administration is poised to get congressional authorization to start building a controversial new submarine-launched low-yield, nuclear weapon. US COUNTER-WMD Congress Demands Space-Based Missile Defense Weapons and Sensors No Matter What (The Drive) The latest draft defense spending bill orders the Pentagon to develop these systems even if its own experts oppose them. L-3 Tapped for Aircraft for Imagery during Missile Defense Tests (UPI) L-3 Communications received a $73 million contract modification for aircraft that are part of the High Altitude Observatory systems used to collect imagery and data during tests of the ballistic missile defense system. Drug to Treat Smallpox Approved by F.D.A., a Move against Bioterrorism (New York Times) The antiviral pill, tecovirimat, also known as Tpoxx, has never been tested in humans with smallpox because the disease was declared eradicated in 1980, three years after the last known case. US ARMS CONTROL North Korea Wants US to Make ‘Bold Move’ towards Peace before Denuclearization, Source Says (CNN) The establishment of a legally binding peace treaty would require the approval of two-thirds of the US Senate. Trump Says U.S. Ready to Make a ‘Real Deal’ on Iran’s Nuclear Program (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday kept open the possibility of negotiating an agreement to denuclearize Iran, two days after he rattled his saber at the nation on Twitter. There are 14,500 Nuclear Weapons in the World: Here are the Countries that Have Them (CNBC) While the exact number of nukes in each country's arsenal is closely guarded, below is a breakdown of how many weapons exist, according to estimates from the Arms Control Association and Federation of twitter.com/USAF_CSDS | au.af.mil/au/csds // 3 // USAF CSDS Outreach Journal Issue 1325 // American Scientists. COMMENTARY The US and Russia Have Plenty of Areas for Cooperation. Let’s Get to Work. (Defense One) U.S. President Donald Trump is hellbent on engagement with Russia, so engagement is going to continue to occur. The question is at what level and on what topics that engagement will be. Deterrence, 2018-Style (Air Force Magazine) The principles of deterrence have not changed: Enemies must know that attacking the US will cost them more than they can stand. The Sobering Reasons Congress Must Step Up on Arms Control (The Hill) As Americans try to make sense of President Trump’s disturbing meeting with Mr. Putin, some history may help put our current troubled relationship with Russia in perspective. The US Must Build Saudi Arabia’s First Nuclear Reactors (Defense One) For all the attention on Iran’s atomic ambitions and the U.S. withdrawal from a deal meant to hold them in check, there is another nuclear story unfolding in the Middle East. twitter.com/USAF_CSDS | au.af.mil/au/csds // 4 // USAF CSDS Outreach Journal Issue 1325 // NUCLEAR WEAPONS Space News (Alexandria, Va.) U.S. STRATCOM to Take Over Responsibility for Nuclear Command, Control and Communications By Sandra Erwin July 23, 2018 Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordered a change in the management of NC3 out of concern that it did not have a cohesive governance structure. WASHINGTON — After a months-long review, the Pentagon has decided that U.S. Strategic Command should be solely in charge of the classified communications system that keeps the president connected to military forces during a nuclear event. The review was prompted by concerns that the nation’s nuclear command, control and communications systems, or NC3, was not under a single chain of command. Officials also have warned that the technology is outdated and that there is no clear plan to modernize it. “The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has appointed the commander of U.S. Strategic Command to be the NC3 enterprise lead, with increased responsibilities for operations, requirements, and systems engineering and integration,” U.S. STRATCOM spokeswoman Maj. Meghan Liemburg- Archer said on Monday in an email to SpaceNews. The office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment will handle resources and acquisition for NC3. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordered the review out of concern that NC3 did not have a cohesive governance structure. The commander of U.S. Strategic Command Gen. John Hyten told SpaceNews in March that he was spending a lot of time dealing with the future of NC3. CNN reported on Friday that Hyten revealed during a recent speech at the naval base in Kings Bay, Georgia, that he would be taking charge of NC3 operations and systems. Hyten said in that speech that Mattis wanted a single officer responsible for NC3, as opposed to the “committee-like” structure that has existed so far. Air Force Global Strike Command manages the Air Force’s portion of NC3. The Air Force is responsible for about 70 percent of the 62 air, space and ground systems that make up the NC3 and collectively provide secure, survivable and resilient communications for the president to issue nuclear orders. The Pentagon’s Nuclear Posture Review released in February raised alarms about the state of the NC3 system. Networks that were on the cutting edge in the 1970s are now “subject to challenges from both aging system components and new, growing 21st century threats,” the NPR said. “Of particular concern are expanding threats in space and cyber space.” The NC3 includes warning satellites and radars; communications satellites, aircraft, and ground stations; fixed and mobile command posts; and the control centers for nuclear systems. The NPR said many of these systems use technology that has not been modernized in almost three decades. Ensuring the security of satellites that support classified nuclear communications and missile warning is a major concern because they are also used by the military in day-to-day operations. Some are specific to the nuclear mission, but most support both nuclear and conventional missions. twitter.com/USAF_CSDS | au.af.mil/au/csds // 5 // USAF CSDS Outreach Journal Issue 1325 // In the interview with SpaceNews, Hyten noted that NC3 is “very resilient against threats, and I’m very confident it can handle anything today. But not 10 years from now.” When nuclear weapons systems now in development become operational — like the the B-21 bomber, a new long-range cruise missile, a new ICBM and the Columbia-class submarines — they will have modern technology and eill have to plug into the NC3 architecture. This will require a major update of NC3. Hyten said Mattis came to STRATCOM headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska last September. “We probably spent half a day talking NC3.” https://spacenews.com/u-s-stratcom-to-take-over-responsibility-for-nuclear-command-control- and-communications/ Return to top The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.) Trump Officials Weigh Limits on Uranium, Invoking National Security By Steven Mufson July 18, 2018 Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross took a first step to expanding the trade war to uranium Wednesday, saying he would launch an investigation into whether quotas should be used to restrict imports in the name of national security. But utilities with nuclear plants fear such actions would raise the cost of electricity and nuclear experts said the military already has stockpiles big enough to last for decades. “Our production of uranium necessary for military and electric power has dropped from 49 percent of our consumption to 5 percent,” Ross said in a statement. That change took place over 30 years, he said. Much of the imported uranium comes from friendly nations. In 2017, Canada and Australia provided more than half of U.S.