TOP NEWS Project Aurora: U.S. Government, Intel Aim for Nation’s Fastest Computer Reuters Flooded U.S. Air Force Base Underscores Climate Risk To Security: Experts Reuters Russia Sends ‘Squadrons’ Of Nuclear-Capable Bombers To Crimea In Response To U.S. Missile Shield In Romania Japan Times U.S. Nuclear Policy Project Aurora: U.S. Government, Intel Aim for Nation’s Fastest Computer Reuters3/18/2019 A U.S. government-led group is working with chipmaker Intel Corp and Cray Inc to develop and build the nation’s fastest computer by 2021 for conducting nuclear weapons and other research, officials said on Monday. Boeing Contracted to Integrate LRSO Cruise Missile with the B-52H Bomber Jane’s 3603/15/2019 The US Air Force (USAF) Nuclear Weapons Center has awarded Boeing a USD250 million contract to integrate the Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) cruise missile weapon system with the B-52H large-payload multirole strategic bomber aircraft. Stealth Bombers, Nuclear Attack Submarines and Aircraft Carriers: The U.S. Military’s Future The National Interest3/19/2019 Hypersonic weapons, Research and Development, attack submarines, drones and AI are all massive areas of priority for Pentagon weapons developers as they seek to accelerate its growing “pivot” to major-power warfare, seeks to address deficits and – perhaps of greatest significance – stay ahead of Russia and China when it comes to weapons areas of great concern to the US military services. Middle East The Unspoken Reason Israel Is a Military Superpower: Nuclear Weapons National Interest3/18/2019 There are a lot of mysteries surrounding Israel’s nuclear arsenal. That is partly due to the Israeli security establishment’s unwritten rule of never speaking about the country’s nuclear weapons program in public in order to preserve the principle of deterrence. But there are indeed some basic elements of Israel’s nuclear program that are acknowledged by defense analysts in the United States and around the world. U.S. Says Iran Missile Program Detribalizing Middle East Reuters3/19/2019 A senior U.S. arms control official said on Tuesday that Iran’s missile program is detribalizing the Middle East and raising the risk of a “regional arms race” through the provision of such weapons to armed groups in Lebanon and Yemen. An Iranian diplomat took the floor to reject her remarks as “cheap, unprofessional, false, irrelevant and pathetic” and accused the United States of “sabotaging” the Geneva forum. Trying to Kill the Iran Deal Could End Up Saving It Defense One3/18/2019 The Trump administration has made a priority of punishing and pressuring Iran. But the same administration that withdrew from the nuclear deal that President Donald Trump dubbed “a great embarrassment” may actually end up preserving it. Asia/Pacific North Korea Should Take ‘Actual Action’ Towards Giving Up Its Nuclear Weapons: Moon Jae-In Adviser Times Now 3/19/2019 https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/north-korea-should-take-actual-action-towards-giving-up-its-nuclear-weapons-moon-jae-in-adviser/385147 North Korea should take “actual action” towards giving up its nuclear weapons to break the deadlock in talks with Washington, a top security adviser to the South’s president said, suggesting Seoul’s patience with Pyongyang may be wearing thin. President Moon Jae-in was instrumental in brokering the negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington, seizing on the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea to catalyze a rapid diplomatic rapprochement after a year of missile tests, threats and tensions. North Korea Must Abandon Nuclear, Missile Programmes – U.S. Reuters 3/19/2019 https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-us-nuclear/north-korea-must-abandon-nuclear-missile-programmes-u-s-idUKKCN1R012Z A senior U.S. arms control official said on Tuesday that the only way for North Korea to achieve security and development is to abandon all of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes. Russia/FSU/Europe Russia Sends ‘Squadrons’ Of Nuclear-Capable Bombers To Crimea In Response To U.S. Missile Shield In Romania Japan Times3/19/2019 Russia has sent “squadrons” of nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 strategic bombers to Crimea in response to the deployment of U.S. Navy Aegis Ashore missile defense installations in Romania, according to a report in Russian state-run media. Nuclear Race Defines Russia’s Military Doctrine Polygraph.info3/18/2019 Most Western military analysts agree that there is a fundamental difference between what Russia says in its public documents and what it does to increase its nuclear arsenal. The country’s procurement and deployment prioritize nuclear weapons by a huge margin. Pentagon officials have reported that Russia is aggressively building up its nuclear forces and expected to deploy a total of 8,000 warheads by 2026. They will include both large strategic warheads and thousands of new low-yield and very low-yield warheads to support Moscow’s new doctrine of using nuclear arms early in a conflict. INF Treaty collapse may trigger arms race in several regions, Moscow warns TASS Russian News Agency3/19/2019 The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty’s collapse may spark a multilateral arms race simultaneously in several regions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday on occasion of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the March 20 Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Special Interest Flooded U.S. Air Force Base Underscores Climate Risk To Security: Experts Reuters3/18/2019 Flooding at a U.S. Air Force base in Nebraska that damaged buildings and forced the removal of a plane integral to the nation’s nuclear attack response highlight the risks climate change poses to national security, experts said on Monday. The Limits of Orthodoxy: What Diversity Brings to Nuclear Security Council on Foreign Relations3/18/2019 While policymakers are trying to find answers to these hard questions, they should consider another: Does who participates in the talks have an impact on policy innovation?