TOP NEWS U.S., Russia Say They Have Met Nuclear-Reduction Targets Under Treaty Wall Street Journal China successfully conducts anti-missile test amid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles program Newsweek How Mattis changed his mind on nuclear weapons Washington Post Russia deploys Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad: RIA Reuters Tillerson won’t rule out talks with North Korea at Olympics CBS News EAST ASIA North Korea ‘Months Away’ From Ability to Hit U.S. With Nuclear Weapon: U.S. Envoy US News2/6/18 North Korea is only months away from obtaining the capability to hit U.S. territory with a nuclear weapon and must be disarmed, a U.S. envoy said on Tuesday, dismissing Pyonyang’s diplomatic thaw with South Korea as a “charm offensive” that fooled no one. China successfully conducts anti-missile test amid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles program Newsweek2/6/18 China has successfully conducted another anti-missile test, amid rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and Beijing’s own militarization of the South China Sea. Japan, U.S. finalizing statement on DPRK Japan News2/5/18 The Japanese and U.S. governments are making final arrangements for the release of a joint statement confirming their continued efforts to strengthen pressure on North Korea, it has been learned. North Korea army parade to show off military, nuclear power on eve of South’s Winter Olympics South China Morning Post2/6/18 Analysts say Kim Jong-un wants to cement country’s image as a de facto nuclear state by using the spotlight of the Games, but Seoul sees the move as a slap in the face Tillerson won’t rule out talks with North Korea at Olympics CBS News2/5/18 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson isn’t ruling out the possibility of the U.S. talking with North Korea at the Olympics later this month. Hagel Calls Preemptive North Korea Strike a ‘Gamble’ Not to Take Bloomberg2/5/18 Hitting North Korea with U.S. military strikes to dismantle or disrupt Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapons capabilities is a “pretty big gamble I wouldn’t want to take” because of the millions of lives at risk from the likely response, former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said. North Korea Says U.S. Considering Limited Pre-Emptive Strike US News2/6/18 North Korea accused the United States on Tuesday of seeking to aggravate the situation on the divided Korean peninsula by “deploying large nuclear assets” nearby and lay the ground for a possible pre-emptive strike against it. As Koreans plan to march as one, Pence to disrupt North Korea’s Olympic charm CBS2/5/18 Following a year of incendiary tweets, name-calling and false missile threat alerts that raised the prospects of a nuclear war with North Korea, Vice President Mike Pence, leading the White House delegation, heads to the region for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea on Monday. MIDDLE EAST Iran says jails ‘nuclear spy’ for U.S., European country Reuters2/4/18 Iran has sentenced an unnamed person to six years in jail for selling information about its nuclear program to the United States and a European country, the Iranian judiciary’s news website reported on Sunday. RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE Russia questions US compliance with key nuke accord AP2/6/18 Russia challenged U.S. compliance with a key nuclear arms control treaty Monday and warned that the Trump administration’s new nuclear strategy lowers the threshold for using atomic weapons. U.S., Russia Say They Have Met Nuclear-Reduction Targets Under Treaty Wall Street Journal2/5/18 Nations meet Monday deadline, but face task of renewing pact in three years amid dispute over another weapons agreement Russia deploys Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad: RIA Reuters2/5/18 Russia has deployed advanced nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to its Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea, the RIA news agency quoted a senior lawmaker as saying on Monday. SOUTH ASIA India Successfully Test-Fires Short Range Nuclear Capable Ballistic Missile Agni-I NDTV2/6/18 India today successfully test-fired its short-range nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-I with a strike range of over 700 km. U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY How Mattis changed his mind on nuclear weapons Washington Post2/5/18 When retired Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis became defense secretary last year, he arrived at the Pentagon with reservations about the U.S. nuclear arsenal. US’s new nuclear policy ‘a blueprint for war’, Nobel peace laureate says The Guardian2/5/18 Australia’s Nobel peace laureate says America’s aggressive new nuclear policy is “a blueprint for nuclear war” that returns the world to a cold war mentality. US warns about the expanding nuclear arsenals of China, Russia, and North Korea CNBC2/6/18 North Korea is only months away from obtaining the capability to hit U.S. territory with a nuclear weapon and must be disarmed, a U.S. envoy said on Tuesday, dismissing Pyonyang’s diplomatic thaw with South Korea as a “charm offensive” that fooled no one. Pentagon mistakenly labels Taiwan as part of China in nuclear report CNN2/5/18 The US Defense Department was forced to correct several mistakes in its Nuclear Posture Review after an initial version of the report released last week labeled Taiwan as part of China and included the disputed Kuril islands in a chart depicting Russia. OPINION AND ANALYSIS America’s crucial nuclear nonproliferation treaty with Russia Boston GlobeJohn Kerry 2/5/18 America’s record of nuclear accords with the former Soviet Union remains a remarkable example of the ways we can address formerly intractable issues, step by step. Little place for arms control in Trump’s nuclear strategy Fox NewsRobert Burns 2/6/18 There’s a place for arms control in the Trump administration’s new nuclear strategy. It’s a very small place. Nuclear Posture Review: Recognizing the return to great power competition Defense NewsMac Thornberry 2/5/18 The United States’ nuclear deterrent has been the cornerstone of our national defense and of international stability since World War II. Today, operating, sustaining, and recapitalizing our nuclear deterrent accounts for only about 4 percent of our overall defense budget, yet its value to America’s security is incalculable. The right way to manage nuclear competition with Russia Washington PostMichael McFaul and Jon Wolfsthal 2/5/18 Tragically but necessarily, the United States and our allies must seek to develop more effective strategies for containing Russian aggression, just as we did during the Cold War. Why do we monitor everyone in charge of nuclear weapons except presidents? USA TodayBandy Lee and James Merikangas 2/5/18 The military evaluates the mental capacity of officers who handle nuclear weapons, but doesn’t assess the commander in chief who can order a strike. What if the Iran Deal Was a Mistake? SlateJoshua Keating 2/6/18 I supported Obama’s signature foreign policy achievement. Now I think it may have made things worse. Lesson from the Hawaii false alarm: We need to do more than ‘duck and cover’ Chicago Tribune2/5/18 My family in Hawaii spent 38 panicked minutes wondering what they should do in the event of a nuclear missile strike. Now, they’ve started preparing for the worst — just in case. Trump’s nuclear policy is taking us back to the Cold War Washington Post2/6/18 The Trump administration has touted its new nuclear policy, released at the end of last week by the Pentagon, as a tough, realistic assessment of foreign threats and U.S. capabilities. Here’s Where Advocates and Critics of the Iran Nuke Deal Can Agree Foreign PolicyMichael Singh 2/5/18 Supporters and detractors alike should see an opportunity in Trump’s threats to the accord. Kim Jong Un: The greatest showman The HillSung-Yoon Lee 2/6/18 The exotic Pyongyang-blessed, faceless Pyeongchang pageantry known as the 2018 Winter Olympiad has morphed into political theater whose success hangs on the degree of glitz concocted and gullibility of the audience assembled. A nervous Nuclear Posture Review IISSMatthew Harries 2/5/18 The Trump administration’s diagnosis of nuclear-weapons challenges is understandable, but its prescriptions are misguided.