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☆ Analysis-Russia Seen as Highly Unlikely to Put a Nuclear Warhead in Space
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesAnalysts tracking Russia's space programs say the space threat is probably not a nuclear warhead but rather a high-powered device requiring nuclear energy to carry out an array of attacks against satellites. The Kremlin on Thursday dismissed a warning by the United States about Moscow's new nuclear capabilities in space, calling it a "malicious fabrication". Exploding a nuclear weapon in space would be another matter entirely. "If they do (detonate a nuclear device in space), they’d lose everything. James Acton, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, said for Russia to put a nuclear weapon in orbit would be a "blatant violation of the Outer Space Treaty."

Persons: Joey Roulette, Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON, Mike Turner, Antony Blinken, Daryl Kimball, Brian Weeden, Weeden, James Acton, Acton, Arshad Mohammed, Don Durfee, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . House, Reuters, Washington, U.S, Arms Control Association, U.S . Defense Intelligence Agency, Secure, Foundation, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace Locations: Russia, Russian, United States, U.S, China, India, Ukraine, Washington, Saint Paul , Minnesota

☆ China agrees to nuclear arms-control talks with US -WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The flags of the United States and China fly from a lamppost in the Chinatown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - China and the United States will discuss nuclear arms control next week, the first such talks since the Obama administration, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Those arms talks would be led on Monday by Mallory Stewart, a senior State Department official, and Sun Xiaobo, the head of the arms-control department at China's Foreign Ministry, the Wall Street Journal report said. Since then, U.S. officials had expressed frustration that China showed little interest in discussing steps to reduce nuclear weapons risks. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, said the overdue arms talks would likely focus on promoting greater transparency of each countries' nuclear doctrines and more effective crisis-communication channels.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Obama, Wang Yi, Mallory Stewart, Sun Xiaobo, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Daryl Kimball, Kimball, Jasper Ward, Dan Whitcomb, Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom, Sandra Maler, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Wall Street, China's, State Department, China's Foreign Ministry, Wall, U.S . State Department, Reuters, U.S . National, Pentagon, Biden, Control, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Chinatown, Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, Washington, Russia, Beijing, San Francisco

Ron DeSantis said Thursday he's arranged to send drones, weapons, and ammunition to Israel as it prepares for an incursion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attack. It's the latest official response DeSantis has taken to back Israel as he competes in the 2024 Republican primary. The state also worked with private groups to supply weapons and ammunition at the request of Israel's consul general in Miami, Redfern said. DeSantis is scheduled to speak Saturday morning to a Nevada Republican group at a casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. DeSantis has swiped at former President Donald Trump, the heavy front-runner in the 2024 primary, and former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley over Israel as well.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, he's, DeSantis, Jeremy Redfern, Redfern, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Israel, Daryl Kimball, Biden, Aamer Madhani, Eric Tucker Organizations: MIAMI, —, — Florida Gov, Republican, Democratic, Republican Jewish, Nevada Republican, Las, South, United Nations, Arms Control Association, Commerce Department, National Security Council, Associated Press Locations: — Florida, Israel, Gaza, Florida, Miami, Texas, Las Vegas, Nevada, South Carolina, Washington

☆ China could have 1,000 nuclear warheads and missiles that can hit the US by 2030, says Pentagon report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China is set to at least double its nuclear warheads by the end of the decade, according to the Pentagon. The growing world superpower had over 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May. AdvertisementAdvertisementChina is working toward doubling its nuclear warheads to 1,000 by the end of the decade, according to a Pentagon report reviewed by Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Pentagon estimates that China had more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal as of May 2023. By 2o30, China could have over 1,000 operational nuclear warheads, the Pentagon predicts.

Persons: — Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Insider, Security, Department of Defense, Control, US Locations: China, United States, People's Republic of China, Beijing, 2o30, Hawaii, Alaska

[1/2] An analyst monitors from a computer screen in the control room of the international nuclear test monitoring agency CTBTO in Vienna February 12, 2013. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 17 (Reuters) - Russia's parliament starts voting on Tuesday on withdrawing Moscow's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The CTBT is a 1996 treaty that bans "any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion" anywhere in the world. It says that the test ban, "by constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, constitutes an effective measure of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects". But the move would provide it with legal cover to test if it wanted to, and some security analysts see a Russian test now as more likely.

Persons: Heinz, Peter Bader, Matthew Harries, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Comprehensive, UN, Arms Control Association, State Duma, Publicly, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Britain, France, Russia, United States, Israel, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, US, London, RUSSIA, Ukraine, Russian, Belarus

☆ US Must Be Ready for Simultaneous Wars With China, Russia, Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Jonathan LandayWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel said on Thursday. The report from the Strategic Posture Commission comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan and other issues and worsening frictions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. A senior official involved in the report declined to say if the panel's intelligence briefings showed any Chinese and Russian nuclear weapons cooperation. "The United States and its allies must be ready to deter and defeat both adversaries simultaneously," the Strategic Posture Commission said. If such measures are not taken, the United States "will likely" have to increase its reliance on nuclear weapons, the report said.

Persons: Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON, Madelyn, Jon Kyl, Kyl, Joe Biden's, Jonathan Landay, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Arms Control Association, Pentagon, Columbia Locations: United States, Russia, China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russian, U.S, Asia, Europe

☆ The US is planning its first fusion plant, and it could generate pollution-free power by 2035
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Nuclear fusion is a breakthrough technology that could help the US achieve pollution-free power. Calling nuclear fusion a pioneering technology, Granholm said President Joe Biden wants to harness fusion as a carbon-free energy source that can power homes and businesses. A successful nuclear fusion was first achieved by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California last December in a major breakthrough after decades of work. Nuclear energy is an essential component of the Biden administration's goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions economy by 2050. "We want to see everybody moving forward as quickly as possible (on the clean energy transition), including ourselves," she said.

Persons: it's, —, Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Granholm, Joe Biden, It's, Dennis Whyte, Rishi Sunak, Sunak Organizations: Service, US, Associated Press, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Control, Plasma Science, Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Energy, UK Locations: VIENNA, Vienna, California, France, Washington

“Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict – by accident, intention, or miscalculation – is a terrible risk. New Construction at Russia's Novaya Zemlya nuclear test site, June 22, 2023. Lop Nur nuclear test site. “The Chinese test site is different than the Russian test site,” Lewis said. Both countries keep their strategic nuclear arsenals on “hair-trigger” alert, meaning that nuclear weapons can be launched on short notice.

Persons: Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, ”, Cedric Leighton, “, Vladimir Putin, ” Lewis, Lewis ’, António Guterres, ” Guterres, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Lewis, we’ve, Leighton, they’d, ” Leighton, Nur, Hans Kristensen, Kristensen, Israel –, Dyess, Frederic J . Brown, Fiona Cunningham, Yang Kun, ” Daryl Kimball, Kimball, Michael Frankel, James Scouras, George Ullrich, Soviet Union –, Russia –, We’re Organizations: CNN, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, US, US Air Force, Atomic Scientists, Soviet Union, United Nations, Russia’s Security, Russian Defense Ministry, Planet Labs PBC, Middlebury, Science and Global Security, Novaya, Middlebury Institute, China Observer, China’s Foreign Ministry, Planet Labs, Nevada National Security, National Security Administration, US Department of Energy, Office, National Security Council, International Monitoring, Federation of American Scientists, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Columbia, Northrop Grumman's Air Force, Getty, Control Association, ACA, NGO, PLA, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arms Control Association, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Soviet Locations: Russia, United States, China, Xinjiang, Nevada, . China, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Soviet, Belarus, Minsk, Novaya Zemlya, Zemlya, Soviet Union, Lop Nur, Japan, Lop, Beijing, Stockholm, United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Ellsworth, Palmdale , California, AFP, Yuli County, Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Baltimore, Russian, Hiroshima

☆ Allies React Cautiously to Prospect of U.S. Cluster Weapons for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The United States appears to be on the verge of providing Ukraine with cluster munitions, a senior Biden administration official said. What are cluster munitions? “There’s just not a responsible way to use cluster munitions,” said Brian Castner, the weapons expert on Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Team. The New York Times has documented Russia’s extensive use of cluster munitions in Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022. The Convention on Cluster Munitions also limits the ability of nations that have signed on to cooperate militarily with countries that employ them.

Persons: Laura Cooper, “ There’s, ”, Brian Castner, Castner, “, Ukraine —, Jerry Redfern, Mary Wareham, Cooper, Biden, Gabriela Rosa Hernández, David Guttenfelder, Oleksandr Kubrakov, ” Eric Schmitt, John Ismay, Gaya Gupta Organizations: Biden, Washington, U.S, Pentagon, National Public Radio, United Nations, Amnesty, Cluster Munitions, Getty, The New York Times, The Times, Human Rights Watch, NATO, Ukraine, Munitions, Arms Control, Ukraine’s, Brigade, ., Munich Security Locations: States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Eurasia, Tibnin, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Balkans, Laos, U.S, United, United States, LightRocket, Russian, Kramatorsk, Ukrainian

☆ Putin warns NATO over being drawn into Ukraine war, says Russia has more nukes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Zahid Mahmood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned there is a “serious danger” of NATO being drawn further into the Ukraine war if members of the alliance continue to supply military weaponry to Kyiv. “NATO, of course, is being drawn into the war in Ukraine, what are we talking here,” Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. While Ukraine is not a member of NATO, some NATO members have been supplying Kyiv with tanks, armored vehicles and other weaponry – prompting threats of retaliation from Russia. During his speech to the forum, Putin also suggested Russia’s large number of nuclear weapons would “guarantee” its security – noting that Russia had more such weapons than NATO countries. “Nuclear weapons are created to guarantee our security in the broader sense and the existence of the Russian state,” Putin said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ” Putin, American Bradley, Jens Stoltenberg, Putin, we’ll, “, ” Organizations: CNN, NATO, St ., Economic, Atlantic Treaty Organization, British Challenger, Leopards, Arms Control Association, Foreign Ministry Locations: Ukraine, St, St . Petersburg, Soviet Union, Russia, American, Britain, France, Russian, United States

☆ US does not need to boost nuclear arsenal to deter Russia, China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He also said the United States would abide by the nuclear weapons limits set in the New START treaty until its 2026 expiration if Russia does the same. Sullivan made the remarks in a speech in which he sought to coax Moscow and Beijing into arms control talks. "The United States does not need to increase our nuclear forces to outnumber the combined total of our competitors in order to successfully deter them," Sullivan told the Arms Control Association, the oldest U.S. arms control advocacy group. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File PhotoRussian President Vladimir Putin in February said Moscow was suspending participation in New START, the last remaining pact limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arms. "Rather than waiting to resolve all of our bilateral differences, the United States is ready to engage Russia now to manage nuclear risks and develop a post-2026 arms control framework."

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Tom Brenner, Vladimir Putin, ”, Jonathan Landay, Arshad Mohammed, Matthew Lewis Organizations: White House, Arms Control Association, White, National, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: United States, Russia, China, Moscow, Beijing, U.S, Washington ,, Washington

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - CIA director William Burns visited China last month for talks with Chinese counterparts, two U.S. officials said on Friday as Washington seeks to boost communications with Beijing. Burns, a veteran U.S. diplomat before leading the CIA, has made dozens of sensitive overseas trips as head of the agency, including to hold talks with Russian counterparts, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. The CIA, which does not regularly announce such visits, declined to comment on the China trip. Ties between the world's two largest economies are strained over issues ranging from Taiwan and China's human rights record to military activity in the South China Sea. "That's why we're also ready to engage China without preconditions, helping ensure that competition is managed, and that competition does not veer into conflict," Sullivan said.

Persons: William Burns, Burns, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Biden, Lloyd Austin, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, we're, Wang Yi, Michael Martina, Jonathan Landay, David Brunnstrom, Susan Heavey, Tim Ahmann, Alistair Bell, Matthew Lewis, Don Durfee Organizations: CIA, Washington, Reuters, Financial Times, Russian, Blinken, U.S . Defense, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, White House, People's, Arms Control, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, Afghanistan, U.S, Taiwan, South China, . U.S, Singapore, Austin, People's Republic of China, Vienna

☆ Factbox: Russia's nuclear arsenal: how big and who controls it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

What is Russia's nuclear arsenal, how big is it and who commands it? NUCLEAR SUPERPOWERRussia, which inherited the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons, has the world's biggest store of nuclear warheads. Around 1,500 of those warheads are retired (but probably still intact), 2889 are in reserve and around 1588 are deployed strategic warheads. The United States has around 1644 deployed strategic nuclear warheads. The Russian president is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to using Russian nuclear weapons, both strategic and non-strategic, according to Russia's nuclear doctrine.

The following are details of Russia's nuclear arsenal, how big it is and who commands it. NUCLEAR SUPERPOWERRussia, which inherited the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons, has the world's biggest store of nuclear warheads. Around 1,500 of those warheads are retired (but probably still intact), 2889 are in reserve and around 1588 are deployed strategic warheads. The United States has around 1644 deployed strategic nuclear warheads. The Russian president is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to using Russian nuclear weapons, both strategic and non-strategic, according to Russia's nuclear doctrine.

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - More than 100 arms-control, environmental and other activist groups have urged the Biden administration to formally apologize to the Marshall Islands for the impact of massive nuclear testing there in the 1940s and '50s and to provide fair compensation. The activists, led by the by the Arms Control Association and including Greenpeace, Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Marshallese Education Initiative, made the call in a Dec. 5 letter to President Joe Biden. It urged Washington to deliver on promises of nuclear justice in ongoing negotiations with the Marshall Islands on renewing a Compact of Free Association (COFA) that has been the basis of relations with the Pacific territory since the 1980s. COFA provisions will expire in 2023 for the Marshall Islands and another Pacific territory, the Federated States of Micronesia, and with Palau in 2024. They said that as well as issuing a formal apology and meeting compensation claims, Washington should support long-term environmental remediation, expand access to healthcare, especially for illnesses associated with radiation exposure, and declassify documents related on nuclear testing.

☆ Iran expands uranium enrichment at underground nuclear site amid violent crackdown on protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Iran has started expanding uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity at an underground site in Fordow days after foreign governments accused Tehran of failing to cooperate with a U.N. investigation into its past nuclear work. Iran last year already embarked on enrichment up to 60 percent elsewhere at an above ground site in Natanz. The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in return for an easing of U.S. and international sanctions on Iran. As Iran defied the provisions of the 2015 nuclear deal, it faced renewed international criticism over its response to a wave of anti-regime protests that erupted in September.

Some experts argue that recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, something Pyongyang seeks, is a prerequisite for such talks. North Korea has rejected U.S. calls to return to talks. Asked if it was time to accept North Korea as a nuclear state, she replied: "Wording aside, we are committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We do not accept North Korea with that status. "She was acknowledging, as other officials in other administrations have, that North Korea does have nuclear weapons, but in violation of its commitments under the NPT not to pursue nuclear weapons," he told Reuters.

☆ Weapons in Ukraine aren't flooding Europe's black markets, but that could change
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The volume of weapons sent to and in Ukraine has raised concern that some could end up on the black market. The United Kingdom has sent Ukraine more than 4,200 such weapons since Russia invaded. Similarly, the UK has sent more than 5,000 point-and-shoot NLAW anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, weapons that can readily target and destroy most moving vehicles. However, "At the moment," he said, "there is no evidence of increased arms trafficking from Ukraine to other countries." In September, the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the creation of a new unit dedicated to combating illicit arms trafficking.

☆ Explainer: Iran and Russia's growing drone alliance amid Western outcry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Michael Georgy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A Russian drone is seen during a Russian drone strike, which local authorities consider to be Iranian made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Shahed-136, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 17, 2022. Saudi Arabia and the United States have said they believe Iran was behind a drone and missile attack on prized Saudi oil facilities in 2019, which Tehran denies. The United States fears long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. WHY HAS IRAN BUILT UP ITS OWN MISSILE AND DRONE CAPABILITY? Western powers are expected to impose more sanctions on Iran.

☆ 60 years after the Cuban missile crisis, the nuclear dangers posed by the war in Ukraine are 'far worse,' experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

October marks 60 years since the Cuban missile crisis, when the US and USSR were on the brink of nuclear war. "The current crisis is far worse than the Cuban missile crisis," one historian recently told Insider. But today's simmering Ukraine war poses 'far worse' nuclear dangers, experts say. "The current crisis is far worse than the Cuban missile crisis, in part because during the Cuban missile crisis both Kennedy and Khrushchev were willing to discuss a way of walking back the confrontation. "This crisis is more dangerous than the Cuban missile crisis," Andy Weber, a former assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological programs, recently told Politico.

☆ Putin's nuclear threats are stirring fears of a nightmare scenario. Here's what's in his arsenal and what could happen if he orders the unthinkable.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The use of a nuclear weapon is "directly tied to Russia's fate on the battlefield," one expert recently told Insider. Putin, who claimed to have placed Russia's nuclear deterrent forces on high alert just days later, has continued to remind the world of Russia's nuclear might in the months since. There are tactical nuclear weapons that are more than four times as powerful. At best, a single tactical nuclear weapon could destroy about a dozen tanks, Podvig said. Kristensen said during the ACA webinar on Tuesday that he believes it's unlikely that Russia employs nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

☆ A Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine would 'almost certainly' trigger a military response from Kyiv's partners: senior NATO official
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian nuclear attack would "almost certainly" trigger a military response from Kyiv's friends, a senior NATO official said. There would be "unprecedented consequences" should Putin turn to nuclear weapons, they said, per Reuters. There would be "unprecedented consequences" should Russian President Vladimir Putin turn to nuclear weapons, the unnamed NATO official said, according to Reuters. A Russian nuclear attack would "almost certainly be drawing a physical response from many allies, and potentially from NATO itself," the official warned. "I do not believe that a nuclear response is something that the United States and its allies should be placing on the table.

☆ The Biden administration has been privately warning Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine for months, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US has been privately warning Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, per The Washington Post. Putin recently threatened to use nuclear weapons in an escalation of rhetoric over his war in Ukraine. Experts and the international community are divided about how seriously to take Putin's nuclear threats. Biden administration officials have noted that Russia has made threats about nuclear weapons since it began its invasion of Ukraine in February and that there are no indications Russia is moving nuclear weapons in preparation for a strike, per The Washington Post. "The consequences of even a so-called 'limited nuclear war' would be absolutely catastrophic."

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