TOP NEWS Nuclear missile threat a ‘red line’ for Trump on North Korea CNN Putin claims Russia is developing nuclear arms capable of avoiding missile defenses Washington Post New Russian nuke weapons aren’t new and may not be ready, say experts NBC News Pentagon looks to adjust missile defense policy to include threats from Russia, China Washington Post EAST ASIA U.S. conducts North Korea war games showing conflict like we’ve never seen before, report says Newsweek3/1/18 The U.S. has reportedly conducted secret war games devised to simulate a war with North Korea, which has defied international calls to disarm its nuclear weapons program. S. Korea previously sent special envoys to N.K. for summits, nuclear issue Yonhap News Agency3/2/18 As President Moon Jae-in has unveiled a plan to send a special envoy to North Korea, attention is being paid to what purposes South Korea dispatched special emissaries in the past. Nuclear missile threat a ‘red line’ for Trump on North Korea CNN3/1/18 The Trump administration is considering military action against North Korea if the rogue regime successfully builds a nuclear missile capable of hitting the United States, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the administration’s latest thinking. MIDDLE EAST Trump’s Iran nuclear deal deadline is forcing tough talks with Europe. It’s not certain they’ll work CNBC3/1/18 The United States and Europe are engaged in high-stakes talks after President Donald Trump imposed a deadline to revise the Iran nuclear deal. RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE Putin claims Russia is developing nuclear arms capable of avoiding missile defenses Washington Post3/1/18 Deploying emotional language and an animation of a cruise missile streaking toward North America, Russian President Vladimir Putin used an annual speech to his nation on Thursday to claim Russia was developing new nuclear weapons that he said could overcome any U.S. missile defenses. Putin’s Nuke Boasts Are Unlikely to Change Balance of Power US News3/1/18 Russia’s claim to have developed new strategic weapons impervious to Western defenses seems unlikely to change the balance of global power. Experts Aghast At Russian Claim Of Nuclear-Powered Missile With Unlimited Range NPR3/1/18 The weapon seems so fantastical that some analysts simply didn’t believe the initial reports of the missile that appeared on social media early Thursday. New Russian nuke weapons aren’t new and may not be ready, say experts NBC News3/1/18 U.S. officials and private experts tell NBC News that the new nuclear weapons Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted about Thursday were not a surprise to American intelligence analysts. But some of the weapons may not be ready for the battlefield. Putin doubles down on nuclear capabilities in sit-down interview with NBC CNN3/1/18 Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled down on his claims about Russia’s nuclear capabilities Thursday following his announcement earlier in the day unveiling new drones and nuclear weapons systems. What Russia’s newly announced nuclear systems actually mean Washington Post3/1/18 The advantage of using nuclear power for the missile is simple: Its range would be extended significantly. That extension is central to the geopolitics behind Putin’s announcements. U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY Pentagon looks to adjust missile defense policy to include threats from Russia, China Washington Post3/2/18 The Trump administration is working on an expanded U.S. missile defense policy that would address certain threats from Russia and China, departing from a previous strategy that focused nearly exclusively on rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran. Options Abound for New Nuclear Cruise Missile National Defense3/1/18 The Pentagon is looking to add a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, or SLCM, to its inventory. The cost of such a system could vary significantly depending on which development path is chosen, analysts said. OPINION AND ANALYSIS Commentary: Putin’s nuclear-tipped hybrid war on the West ReutersPeter Apps 3/1/18 This month marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s March 2014 annexation of Crimea, an event that shocked the world and shook European faith in the post-Cold War security order. Don’t Buy Putin’s Missile Hype SlateFred Kaplan 3/1/18 The United States should respond (to the extent we respond at all): Go ahead, waste your money. Putin Just Gave Trump the Arms Race He Sought Defense OneJoe Cirincione 3/1/18 ‘Let it be an arms race,’ Trump said, two years ago. Now we have one. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Chinese Navy Can Make North Korean Sanctions Bite Foreign PolicyDonald Rauch 3/1/18 Joint U.S.-Chinese naval operations would put real pressure on Pyongyang — and are in China’s interests, too. North Korea and Syria: The U.N. Uncovers Sanctions Evasion Through Illicit Weapons Trade LawfareMegan Reiss 3/1/18 On Feb. 27, the New York Times revealed that, according to an undisclosed United Nations report, North Korea has been supplying Syria with components for its chemical weapons and ballistic missiles programs. Putin’s Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile Is Bigger Than Trump’s Foreign PolicyJeffrey Lewis 3/1/18 There’s no point in competing with Russia’s new trove of bizarre doomsday devices. Don’t Give Saudi Arabia An Easy Path to Nukes Foreign PolicyVictor Gilinsky and Henry Sokolski 3/1/18 To prevent proliferation, any U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal needs to be tough.