TOP NEWS Nuclear Command, Control, Comms Under Scrutiny National Defense Seoul: Increased vehicle movement at NKorea’s ICBM center AP Are Nuclear Weapons Keeping the India-Pakistan Crisis From Escalating—Or Making It More Dangerous? Brookings Institution US Nuclear Policy Nuclear Command, Control, Comms Under Scrutiny National Defense3/8/2019 The Pentagon is taking a closer look at its nuclear command, control and communications needs as it fleshes out what technologies it plans to buy. Existing systems are aging. The last major upgrade of the architecture took place in the 1980s, noted a recent report by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies titled, “Modernizing U.S. Nuclear Command, Control and Communications.” Asia & Pacific Put Hanoi summit failure aside and plot path to nuclear-free Korean peninsula, China tells Trump and Kim South China Morning Post3/8/2019 China’s top diplomat says achievable goals and breaking the cycle of mistrust are key to solving decades-old problem Space Launch Would Violate North Korean Commitments to U.S., Official Warns New York Times3/7/2019 President Trump declared himself a “little disappointed” on Thursday by new evidence that North Korea was restoring a space-missile launch site, as a senior American official warned that a satellite launch would violate Kim Jong-un’s commitments to suspend missile and nuclear testing. Seoul: Increased vehicle movement at NKorea’s ICBM center AP3/7/2019 Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said the U.S. and South Korean militaries are closely coordinating intelligence over the developments at the North’s missile research center in Sanumdong on the outskirts of the capital, Pyongyang, and also at a separate long-range rocket site. She did not elaborate on what the developments were. Middle East Before Saudi Arabia Goes Nuclear, It May Have to Follow Iran’s Lead Bloomberg3/6/2019 International monitors reminded Saudi Arabia this week that it still has work to do before delving deeper into an ambitious nuclear program that could transform how the kingdom generates its energy. U.S. Urges U.N. To Restore Tough Missile Restrictions on Iran After Tests Reuters3/7/2019 The United States accused Iran on Thursday of defying a U.N. Security Council resolution with one ballistic missile test and two satellite launches since December and urged the council to “bring back tougher international restrictions” on Tehran. Russia/Europe/FSU Remove nuclear weapons from Europe for ‘everyone’s peace of mind’ – Russian PM to US RT3/6/2019 The US should transfer its nuclear arsenal from Europe back to its own country and eliminate the nuclear infrastructure based on the continent, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said ahead of his visit to Luxembourg. Opinion and Analysis Are Nuclear Weapons Keeping the India-Pakistan Crisis From Escalating—Or Making It More Dangerous? Brookings Institution – Caitlin Talmadge3/8/2019 Scholars disagree about whether nuclear weapons stabilize or destabilize relations between adversaries. India and Pakistan Are Flirting With Nuclear Disaster Wall Street Journal – Sadanand Dhume3/7/2019 If you had to name the man most likely to spark a nuclear war, who would you pick? Kim Jong Un? Here’s another candidate: Masood Azhar, the founder of the Pakistani jihadist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, or Army of Mohammed. This Is Where a Nuclear Exchange Is Most Likely. (It’s Not North Korea.) New York Times – Editorial Board3/7/2019 The current focus on North Korea’s growing arsenal obscures the fact that the most likely trigger for a nuclear exchange could be the conflict between India and Pakistan.