USAF Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies (CUWS) Outreach Journal Issue No. 1112, 25 April 2014 Welcome to the CUWS Outreach Journal! As part of the CUWS’ mission to develop Air Force, DoD, and other USG leaders to advance the state of knowledge, policy, and practices within strategic defense issues involving nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, we offer the government and civilian community a source of contemporary discussions on unconventional weapons. These discussions include news articles, papers, and other information sources that address issues pertinent to the U.S. national security community. It is our hope that this information resources will help enhance the overall awareness of these important national security issues and lead to the further discussion of options for dealing with the potential use of unconventional weapons. The following news articles, papers, and other information sources do not necessarily reflect official endorsement of the Air University, U.S. Air Force, or Department of Defense. Reproduction for private use or commercial gain is subject to original copyright restrictions. All rights are reserved. FEATURE ITEM: “Iran-North Korea-Syria Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Cooperation”. Congressional Research Service; by Paul K. Kerr, Mary Beth D. Nikitin and Steven A. Hildreth; April 16, 2014; 14 pages. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/R43480.pdf Congress has at times expressed concern regarding ballistic missile and nuclear programs in Iran, North Korea, and Syria. This report focuses primarily on unclassified and declassified U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) assessments over the past two decades. These assessments indicate that •there is no evidence that Iran and North Korea have engaged in nuclear-related trade or cooperation with each other, although ballistic missile technology cooperation between the two is significant and meaningful, and •Syria has received ballistic missiles and related technology from North Korea and Iran and also engaged in nuclear technology cooperation with North Korea. Outreach Journal Feedback or sign-up request: [email protected] Return to Top U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS 1. Air Force Implementing Improvements in Nuclear Force 2. Exclusive: Air Force to Scrutinize Nuke Bomber Units Following Missile Scandal HOMELAND SECURITY/THE AMERICAS 1. Nuke Commander: Lessons Learned from Cheat Scandal 2. Report: Feds Sharing Less Info on Hotspot WMDs with Congress ASIA/PACIFIC 1. N.K. Slams Obama's 'Dangerous' Asia Tour 2. N. Korea 'Technically Ready' for 4th Nuclear Test: Official 3. N. Korea Vows Not to Lay Down Nuclear Weapons 4. Pyongyang ‘Seals Tunnel Ahead of Nuclear Test’, Say South Korean Officials 5. China Warns against 'Chaos' over Anticipated N. Korean Nuclear Test 6. Analyst: North Korea May Already Have Militarized Warhead EUROPE/RUSSIA 1. Russia to Build Network of Modern Naval Bases in Arctic - Putin MIDDLE EAST Issue No.1112, 25 April 2014 United States Air Force Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies| Maxwell AFB, Alabama http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CUWS Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226 USAF Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies CUWS Outreach Journal Maxwell AFB, Alabama 1. Iran: Row with World Powers over Arak Reactor 'Virtually Solved' 2. Iran Admits Nuclear Agency Reshuffle to Pave Way for 5+1 Talks 3. Zarif: Iran-World Powers Final Deal Facing No Unsolvable Problem 4. Syria’s Chemical Weapons Wild Card: Chlorine Gas 5. Prince Turki: Gulf States ‘Must Balance Threat from Iran’ 6. Syria Eyes End of Chemical Arms Monitoring 7. Russia Dismisses Claims of Syrian Army Poison Gas Attack INDIA/PAKISTAN 1. Country Will Test Missile Shield Next Week: DRDO 2. Pakistan Test-Fires Short Range Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile COMMENTARY 1. China Goes Ballistic 2. BERMAN: Why Iran’s Missiles Matter 3. Iran’s “Amicable” Nuclear Program: Political Pitch While Centrifuges Enrich 4. US Key to DPRK Nuclear Issue 5. A Normal, Nuclear Pakistan 6. Editorial: Japan-U.S. Alliance Must Remain Strong, Form Base for Peace in Asia Great Falls Tribune – Great Falls, MT Air Force Implementing Improvements in Nuclear Force Written by Jenn Rowell, Tribune Staff Writer April 22, 2014 Improvements and initiatives suggested by airmen throughout the Air Force’s nuclear community are starting to be implemented. After the cheating investigation was announced in January, the secretary of the Air Force and head of Air Force Global Strike Command implemented a force improvement program that surveyed 1,800 airmen. The program identified about 400 recommendations, and the Air Force has identified $19 million for those of those items in this fiscal year budget, which runs through Sept. 30. Twentieth Air Force also identified an additional $3 million for quality-of-life improvements. Those areas for repair include launch control center refurbishment and infrastructure repairs. In the proposed budget for fiscal year 2015, which begins Oct. 1, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said the Air Force has requested $455 million to sustain ICBM squadrons, ICBM helicopter support and critical communication areas. The proposed budget also identified $154 million in other requirements from the force improvement program, including readiness, training and improvements to launch control facilities, among other improvements, James said. The breakdown of how much money is going to which missile wings hasn’t been released yet, but that information is expected in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, 20th Air Force commander, has implemented several policy changes and released memos on the new initiatives. In one memo, Weinstein directed that all Missile Combat Crew Knowledge tests be changes from a percentage based test to pass/fail. Previously, 90 percent was passing but officers perceived that perfect scores were necessary for promotion, according to the Air Force investigation. Issue No.1112, 25 April 2014 United States Air Force Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies | Maxwell AFB, Alabama http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CUWS Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226 2 USAF Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies CUWS Outreach Journal Maxwell AFB, Alabama Another memo addressed airmen’s complaints of micromanagement, and Weinstein required delegation to the lowest appropriate level, according to AFGSC. The change allows missile combat crews to give their out-briefs to their squadron commander or squadron operations officer instead of having to give them to the operations group commander. Airmen no longer have to wear their formal blue uniforms to deliver the briefs, according to the memo. Another of Weinstein’s directives is that no launch control center will return to alert duty after a scheduled maintenance shutdown without a deep cleaning. The cleaning will be included in the contract for those who perform the periodic maintenance, according to AFGSC. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20140422/NEWS01/304220025/Air-Force-implementing-improvements- nuclear-force Return to Top Foreign Policy.com – Washington, D.C. Exclusive: Air Force to Scrutinize Nuke Bomber Units Following Missile Scandal The push underscores a fundamental question: Can the nuke force police its own? BY Dan Lamothe April 23, 2014 BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. — The Air Force will scrutinize its units that fly dozens of bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons across the globe, the latest aftershock of an embarrassing cheating scandal in its nuclear missile force that led to the unprecedented removal of nine commanders from their jobs and the resignation of a 10th in March. The review, which hasn't previously been reported, is the next phase of the service's nuclear "force improvement program," and will operate in a similar fashion to the ongoing assessment of the beleaguered missile units, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, who oversees both forces from here as the chief of the Air Force's Global Strike Command. The general said the first review found an array of areas that needed improvement, from old equipment to poor morale, and that he hopes the new internal study will identify parts of the bomber fleet that can be fixed to avoid future problems. Global Strike Command's forces include Boeing's massive eight-engine B-52H Stratofortress bomber and Northrop Grumman's stealthy, bat-wing shaped B-2 Spirit, each of which can be equipped with conventional or nuclear weapons. The bomber review will occur in May and June, and include interviews with hundreds of rank-and-file Air Force personnel. It comes just three months after senior Pentagon officials acknowledged that an investigation into drug use in the Air Force had uncovered widespread cheating on monthly proficiency tests among nuclear missile officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. About 100 officers were ensnared in the probe -- more than half of the 190 missileers at Malmstrom -- and 82 ultimately received administrative discipline ranging from letters of counseling to non-judicial punishment. Criminal cases remain open against nine officers for alleged drug activity or sharing classified information -- test answers -- on unclassified cell phones, Air Force officials said. The drugs linked to the case include ecstasy and amphetamines. The cheating scandal exposed significant problems with morale and leadership in the force safeguarding the United States' aging arsenal of nuclear missiles, top Air Force officials say. But it also raised a fundamental question for Global Strike