Nuclear Policy News – January 8, 2020

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TOP NEWS

U.S. delays ban on licenses for bomb-grade uranium exports for two years
Reuters

REPORT: U.S. strategic nuclear forces: Background, developments and issues
Congressional Research Service

ANALYSIS: Iran’s recent nuclear announcement in the context of rising regional tensions
Center for Strategic and International Studies

United States

U.S. delays ban on licenses for bomb-grade uranium exports for two years
Reuters1/7/20
The U.S. Energy Department has waived a ban on licenses for the export of weapons-grade uranium for making medical isotopes, which critics said raises proliferation risks and undermines companies that are converting to safer materials.

‘It’s all come to life’: StratCom is now monitoring military threats from its new command post
Omaha World-Herald1/3/20
StratCom moved its battle-watch staff from the old hilltop headquarters building at Offutt Air Force Base — where teams have operated continuously since 1957 — into the brand-new $1.3 billion command-and-control facility about 500 yards away.

REPORT: U.S. strategic nuclear forces: Background, developments and issues
Congressional Research Service1/3/20
Even though the United States has reduced the number of warheads deployed on its long-range missiles and bombers, consistent with the terms of the 2010 New START Treaty, it is also developing new delivery systems for deployment over the next 10-30 years.

ANALYSIS: U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty: What’s next?
Congressional Research Service1/2/20
After receiving the U.S. notice of withdrawal, Russia’s President Putin announced that Russia would also suspend its participation in the INF Treaty. He also indicated that Russia would develop INF-range missiles—including a land-based version of the sea-based Kalibr cruise missile and hypersonic intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles—to counter new U.S. systems.

Russia

ANALYSIS: Will Russia’s nuclear-armed bombers in 2040 be drones?
C4ISRNETKelsey D. Atherton
1/3/20
Speaking to a newspaper in December, Lt. Gen. Sergey Kobylash of the Russian Aerospace Forces stated that Russia would have a sixth-generation strategic bomber by 2040, and that this strategic bomber would already be unmanned.

Middle East

Iran’s arsenal includes hundreds of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles
Wall Street Journal1/7/20
Iran has hundreds of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles which it has been developing since the 1980s based on Soviet, North Korean and Chinese components.

‘We won’t let that happen’: Pompeo vows to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons
Washington Examiner1/7/20
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed President Trump’s all-caps tweet this week, saying the United States is committed to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

ANALYSIS: Iran’s recent nuclear announcement in the context of rising regional tensions
Center for Strategic and International StudiesEric Brewer, PONI Deputy Director
1/6/20
On January 5—amidst quickly escalating tensions between the United States and Iran—Tehran announced its latest steps to walk back its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal.

ANALYSIS: Iran’s retaliation for Soleimani is to race toward a nuclear bomb
Washington PostJosh Rogin
1/7/20
The United States and Iran are locked in a tense and dangerous standoff following President Trump’s decision to kill Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani. But while the Iranian regime plots its revenge, its parallel effort to expand its nuclear program could be the spark that ignites a broader conflict.

ANALYSIS: Why North Korea’s state media has barely mentioned U.S. killing of Iran’s Soleimani
Washington PostSimon Denyer
1/7/20
The prospect of a military confrontation between the United States and Iran has dominated global media coverage since the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran’s most powerful military commander.

ANALYSIS: Hope for the Iran nuclear deal is not completely lost
Atlantic CouncilKelsey Davenport
1/7/20
The extent to which this announcement increases the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program depends on the actions Iran takes—or chooses not to take—to operationalize its announcement.

East Asia

South Korea reportedly moves Patriot missile defense battery to Seoul
Stars and Stripes1/7/20
South Korea has moved a Patriot anti-missile battery to the center of Seoul in a bid to beef up its defense against the growing threat from the North, a local news agency reported Tuesday.

South Asia

India’s homemade anti-ballistic missile shield ready
The Diplomat1/8/20
India’s homegrown ballistic missile defense (BMD) system has reportedly been completed with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) seeking government approval to install and activate the system near the country’s capital, New Delhi, according to local media reports.

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