Nuclear Policy News – August 30, 2021

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Top News:

Iran renews vow to downscale nuke activities if U.S. “returns to all obligations”
Xinhua

Air Force Global Strike Command welcomes new commander
U.S. Air Force

House defense authorizers want independent review of NC3 modernization
Defense Daily

United States

Air Force Global Strike Command welcomes new commander
U.S. Air Force8/30/21
Gen. Anthony Cotton took command of Air Force Global Strike Command from Gen. Tim Ray, outgoing AFGSC commander, during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, Aug. 27. Cotton is the newest leader of the U.S. Air Force’s portion of the nuclear enterprise, which maintains the nation’s only force of intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic bombers.

House defense authorizers want independent review of NC3 modernization
Defense Daily8/30/21
The draft House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) version of the fiscal 2022 defense authorization bill requests an independent review of the modernization of the nuclear command and control and communications (NC3) system under U.S. Strategic Command.

OPINION: Biden’s nuke policy review should cancel the sea-launched cruise missile
Responsible Statecraft – Ellen Leonard
8/30/21
Trump revived the unnecessary program that was cancelled long ago due to redundancy.

East Asia

North Korea appears to have restarted Yongbyon nuclear reactor
Wall Street Journal8/30/21
North Korea appears to have resumed operation of its plutonium-producing reactor at Yongbyon in a move that could enable the reclusive country to expand its nuclear-weapons arsenal, the U.N. atomic agency said.

U.S. says North Korea nuclear report shows “urgent need for dialogue” -official
Reuters8/30/21
A U.N. watchdog report that North Korea appears to have restarted a nuclear reactor reflects an urgent need for dialogue and the United States is seeking to address the issue with Pyongyang, a senior administration official said on Monday.

China will soon surpass Russia as a nuclear threat –senior U.S. military official
Reuters8/27/21
China, in the midst of a rapid nuclear weapons buildup, will soon surpass Russia as the United States’ top nuclear threat, a senior U.S. military official said on Friday, warning that the two countries have no mechanisms to avert miscommunication.

ANALYSIS: World Politics Review
China’s nuclear build-up could make for a more dangerous future – Miles Pomper, David Santoro
8/30/21
Satellite photos recently obtained by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, the Federation of American Scientists, and others appear to show that China is building vast fields of new missile silos in its sparsely populated western region.

Middle East

Iran renews vow to downscale nuke activities if U.S. “returns to all obligations”
Xinhua8/30/21
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Iran will downscale its nuclear activities if the United States fully returns to “all of its commitments under the nuclear agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 in a verified manner.”

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