Top News Was Tulsi Gabbard’s nuclear war warning during Democratic debate hyperbole, or all too real? ABC News Time to Re-Task, Downsize, and Re-engineer the SSN, Part II Center for International Maritime Security Nuclear Risk Reduction: A Framework For Analysis United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research U.S. Nuclear Policy Was Tulsi Gabbard’s nuclear war warning during Democratic debate hyperbole, or all too real? ABC NewsLee Ferran 6/27/2019 Multiple candidates mentioned nuclear weapons or nuclear proliferation, but Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii — a combat veteran who served on the armed services and foreign affairs committees — went further, claiming that “we’re in a greater risk of nuclear war today than ever before in history.” Analyst: Trump made North Korea a normalized nuclear power CNN6/30/2019 CNN analyst Samantha Vinograd explains both the long and short-term consequences of President Trump’s decision to cross into North Korea. Pentagon selects Fort Drum for missile defense site it has no plans to build Task & PurposeMark Weiner 6/27/2019 The Department of Defense would choose Fort Drum in New York as the site of an East Coast missile defense site if it decides to build one in the future, according to a Pentagon official. Middle East International Efforts To Curb Iran’s Nuclear Ambition Take Another Hit NPR7/1/2019 An Iranian news agency is reporting that the country has exceeded limits for enriched uranium set in the 2015 nuclear deal. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of that agreement. 4 killed in Israeli airstrike on Syria UPI7/1/2019 Israeli warplanes launched attacks against military targets in the two cities after midnight Monday from Lebanese airspace and were confronted by the Syrian Air Defense Force, Syria’s state-run SANA reported. Turkey’s Erdogan: Russian missile defense system to arrive in 10 days: media Reuters6/30/2019 Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said Russian S-400 defenses would begin arriving within 10 days, Turkish media reported, setting the clock ticking on possible U.S. sanctions after his warm meeting with President Donald Trump on Saturday. Russia/FSU/Europe Russian Kilo-Class Sub May Surface Through NATO Anti-Submarine Exercise The Moscow Times7/1/2019 The Kilo-class Vladikavkaz is en route to St. Petersburg from the Kola Peninsula. Lockheed braces for German blowback over cost of missile-defense pitch Defense News6/28/2019 Lockheed Martin executives are preparing for a stiff debate in Germany about the price tag of a next-generation anti-missile system formally proposed to Berlin just days ago. Opinion/Analysis/Commentary Congress is not asking the right questions about missile defense Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsDeverrick Holmes 6/25/2019 The United States is no stranger to colossally bad ideas put forth in the name of security. The invasion of Iraq immediately comes to mind, or that time the Air Force thought about nuking the moon. The national missile defense program deserves a spot near the top of this list. Time to Re-Task, Downsize, and Re-engineer the SSN, Part II Center for International Maritime SecurityDuane J. Truitt 6/26/2019 As discussed in Part I, it is clear that NAVSEA needs to undertake a project now to completely re-engineer the next generation of SSNs. The old bloated SSN(X) (now “New SSN”) concept should be rejected entirely because it is more of the same, but bigger and more expensive. Instead, the Navy should go for a new class of SSN that is far smaller and cheaper than the current Block 5 Virginias. Arms Racing With China: Tactical Nuclear Weapons The Epoch TimesRick Fisher 6/28/2019 This first article in the series “Arms Racing with China” will explore the U.S.-China balance in tactical nuclear weapons. Special Interest Nuclear Risk Reduction: A Framework For Analysis United Nations Institute for Disarmament ResearchWilfred Wan 6/27/2019 To this end, this study presents an analytical framework that establishes initial parameters for exploring risk and risk reduction in particular contexts, including at the regional level. It identifies four pathways to potential nuclear use—doctrinal, escalatory, unauthorized, and accidental—and examines the sources and underlying conditions driving these scenarios. It then posits an approach to addressing each.