Nuclear Policy News – August 19, 2020

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Top News:

South Korea is packing submarines with rockets for taking out North Korea’s nukes
Forbes

Democrats interested in working with Russia on reducing nuclear stockpiles
Tass

‘Ball is in Russia’s court’ on nuclear arms deal, U.S. says
Reuters

United States

An arms race is brewing in orbit
The Economist8/15/20
Experts want to clarify how the laws of war on Earth apply beyond it.

OPINION: The W93/Mk7 program: Ensuring the future of U.S. nuclear deterrence
Heritage Foundation8/18/20
Maintaining the United States’ nuclear deterrent includes development of the W93 warhead, which, along with its Mark 7 (Mk7) re-entry vehicle, will replace the aging warheads atop the Navy’s Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

East Asia

South Korea is packing submarines with rockets for taking out North Korea’s nukes
Forbes8/17/20
As part of a sweeping, five-year defense plan costing $250 billion, Seoul plans to develop a new class of attack submarine carrying non-nuclear ballistic missiles.

OPINION: Do U.S. nuclear weapons protect Taiwan?
Union of Concerned ScientistsGregory Kulacki
8/17/20
The United States is prepared to use nuclear weapons to win that war. Some believe that helps protect Taiwan. But does it?

Middle East

OPINION: The latest Iran nuclear deal mess
PoliticoNahal Toosi
8/19/20
The fate of the Iran nuclear deal could hang on the definition of a single word: participant.

OPINION: Iran ‘snapback’ isn’t worth the risk
Wall Street JournalJohn Bolton
8/16/20
For the U.S., there is one point of high principle worth dying in a ditch for at the United Nations: Never impair the Security Council veto. That’s what President Trump is preparing to do, exacerbating President Obama’s mistakes in negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Russia and Europe

Democrats interested in working with Russia on reducing nuclear stockpiles
Tass8/18/20
The program draft includes the promise to stand up “to a revanchist Russia” together with European partners.

‘Ball is in Russia’s court’ on nuclear arms deal, U.S. says
Reuters8/18/20
The United States has informed Russia of its terms for extending a landmark treaty that limits their deployed strategic nuclear weapons and expires in February, and now it is Russia’s move, the U.S. envoy to arms control talks said on Tuesday.

U.S., Russia still at odds over new nuclear arms treaty
Associated Press8/18/20
The United States and Russia concluded two days of arms control talks Tuesday with the two sides still at odds over the U.S. demand to include China in any new treaty but showing signs of a possible willingness to extend the existing New START deal, which expires next year.

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