Top News Russia’s New Arctic Missile Knocks out Targets in Massive Test Launch The Moscow Times Nuclear weapons becoming more modern despite drop in stockpile Newshub France: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability U.S. Nuclear Policy Pentagon Seeks Laser-Armed Space Drones to Attack Enemy ICBMs Warrior Maven6/17/2019 Laser-armed drones operating in space may soon sense, track, target and ultimately incinerate enemy ICBMs Patriot™ air and missile defense system upgrading to gamer-style interface PR Newswire6/17/2019 Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) engineers are integrating a Warfighter-Machine Interface, or WMI, into PDB 8.1., a soon-to-be-fielded Patriot upgrade. Space Force Soon To See The Day Light ZMR News6/17/2019 Adam Smith, the current HASC Chairman, is confident that Space Force would be authorized soon. Russia/FSU/Europe Defense One: Russia Adds Missiles, Fighters to Crimean Peninsula Newsmax6/12/2019 Russia has added fighter jets and air defense systems to Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, indicating it is flexing its muscles along the Black Sea. Calls grow louder for a fresh European air-defense push Defense News6/16/2019 NATO members in Europe should band together and sharpen their focus on short- to medium-range air defense, with Germany taking the lead in forging a coalition, analysts on the continent argue. Russia’s New Arctic Missile Knocks out Targets in Massive Test Launch The Moscow Times6/15/2019 It was a show of force and capability as the Russian Northern Fleet this week tested its new Tor-M2DT missile system (SA-15 Gauntlet). The testing took place at the Kapustin Yar shooting range in the south of the country. South Asia India to buy US missile system to shield Delhi The Times of India6/10/2019 The system will be used to erect an ambitious multi-layered missile shield over the National Capital Territory of Delhi against aerial threats. India plans to launch own space station: space agency Reuters6/13/2019 India will look to create its own space station following the completion of the country’s first manned mission into space in 2022, its space agency chief said on Thursday. China, India and Pakistan Increasing Size of Nuclear Arsenals: Report NDTV6/17/2019 All nuclear weapon-possessing countries are modernising these arms – and China, India and Pakistan are also increasing the size of their arsenals Opinion/Analysis/Commentary The CTBT Takes Another Hit Arms Control WonkMichael Krepon 6/17/2019 It’s a target rich environment for those who oppose arms control. Add the CTBT to the list. Nuclear weapons becoming more modern despite drop in stockpile NewshubAAP 6/17/2019 The world’s nuclear powers have continued to modernise and develop their arsenals amid a slight drop in the number of nuclear warheads, according to a Sweden-based peace research institute. Davy Crockett: The Mobile Nuclear Missile Launcher That Fired Neutron Bombs The National InterestWarfare History Network 6/13/2019 Initially intended to be used for lightweight thermonuclear weapons, the prototype subsequently was adapted for a variety of tactical uses by the armies in the field. Special Interest France: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications Nautilus Institute for Security and SustainabilityBenoit Pelopidas 6/13/2019 In this essay, Benoît Pelopidas outlines what is known about French NC3 and identifies discursive, sociological and temporal challenges to assessing the validity of claims on this topic. After reviewing the primacy of presidential nuclear authority, the nuclear chain of command, civilian control over the arsenal, tension between legitimacy and robustness of the chain of command, the role of military authority in the launch order, inadequate code transfer, and accidents and close calls, he concludes: “Beyond the problems of arbitrariness, mismanagement, incidents and accidents outlined above, there are key components of the French nuclear command and control system about which we either do not know much or have partial and conflicting accounts.”