Nuclear Policy News – February 20, 2020

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Foreign, defense ministers of Russia and Italy discuss missile moratorium
TASS

Navy confirms global strike hypersonic weapon will first deploy on Virginia attack subs
USNI

China testing hypersonic weapon with intercontinental range, says USNORTHCOM commander
Jane’s

United States

Navy confirms global strike hypersonic weapon will first deploy on Virginia attack subs
USNI2/18/20
The Navy intends to deploy its conventional prompt strike hypersonic weapon on Virginia-class attack submarines, after previous discussions of putting the weapon on the larger Ohio-class guided-missile submarine (SSGN), according to budget request documents.

Nuclear missile upgrade could deliver $13 billion to Northrop
Bloomberg2/19/20
Northrop Grumman Corp. will receive as much as $13 billion in research spending through 2025 as the sole contractor on the Air Force’s replacement program for the aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.

OPINION: Trump is right to bide his time in renewing a nuclear treaty with Russia
Washington PostMichael Singh
2/19/20
With the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) last year following Russian violations, and Moscow’s flouting of other treaties meant to limit U.S.-Russian competition, the lapse of New START could prove to be the final nail in the coffin of the post-Cold War arms-control regime.

East Asia

China testing hypersonic weapon with intercontinental range, says USNORTHCOM commander
Jane’s2/18/20
China is testing an intercontinental-range hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), according to written testimony submitted to the US Senate Armed Services Committee on 13 February 2020 by US Air Force General Terrence J O’Shaughnessy, commander of US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Middle East

ANALYSIS: On Iran, Europe plays a weak hand to advantage
War on the RocksFerial Ara Saeed
2/20/20
No one is optimistic about Europe’s latest initiative to save the Iran nuclear deal.

Russia/Europe

Foreign, defense ministers of Russia and Italy discuss missile moratorium
TASS2/18/20
The foreign and defense ministers of Russia and Italy discussed a moratorium on the deployment of short- and intermediate-range missiles at a “two-plus-two” meeting in Rome, Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference.

Multilateral Arms Control

UN’s Disarmament Commission postpones session as Russian diplomat does not receive US visa
TASS2/18/20
The UN General Assembly’s Disarmament Commission has deferred the start of its 2020 organizational session for 10 days because Russia’s representative Konstantin Vorontsov did not receive a US visa on time, the UN said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

OPINION: Will the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty survive the 2020s?
The StrategistRod Lyon
2/20/20
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

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