Top News U.S. rebuffs Putin bid to extend nuclear arms pact for a year New York Times Complicated restart of niobium alloy production at Y-12 could delay nuclear weapons deliveries, GAO says Exchange Monitor American hostility means China can’t come clean on its nuclear arsenal, Beijing official says South China Morning Post United States U.S. and Canada sign memorandum of understanding on safeguards and nonproliferation U.S. Department of Energy10/16/20 The United States and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enable more effective collaboration in the areas of nuclear safety and security. NNSA Administrator visits naval nuclear laboratory sites Los Alamos Daily Post10/16/20 Administrator Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and U.S. Department of Energy’s Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, visited two sites Thursday within the Naval Nuclear Laboratory Enterprise. Complicated restart of niobium alloy production at Y-12 could delay nuclear weapons deliveries, GAO says Exchange Monitor10/16/20 Future nuclear weapons programs will be delayed if the National Nuclear Security Administration is not able to produce depleted-uranium-niobium alloy ingots in Oak Ridge, Tenn., in the next three years, according to a report the Government Accountability Office. REPORT: NNSA plans to modernize critical depleted uranium capabilities and improve program management Governmental Accountability Office10/16/20 The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is taking steps to establish a new supply of high-purity depleted uranium (DU) to modernize the nuclear weapons stockpile. East Asia American hostility means China can’t come clean on its nuclear arsenal, Beijing official says South China Morning Post10/16/20 To ensure the effectiveness of its nuclear strategy, ‘China maintains a certain degree of ambiguity’ regarding numbers of warheads, head of the foreign ministry arms control department says. China passes new law restricting sensitive exports Associated Press10/18/20 China has passed a new law restricting sensitive exports to protect national security, allowing Beijing to reciprocate against the U.S. as tensions mount between the sides over trade and technology. North Korea’s new missle appears designed to overwhelm U.S. defenses Voice of America10/16/20 North Korea’s new intercontinental ballistic missile, unveiled at a military parade last week, appears designed to overwhelm U.S. missile defenses, security analysts say, a development that may spur the U.S. to add costly new interceptors. ANALYSIS: Tears don’t mean Kim Jong Un is softening. Just look at his military hardware CNNJoshua Berlinger 10/18/20 On October 10, Kim Jong Un – North Korea’s notorious dictator – became one of the few world leaders to publicly shed tears while apologizing to his people for the hardships they’ve had to endure this year. OPINION: North Korea’s big new ICBM doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about dealing with Kim Jong Un Business Insider10/17/20 After insults and missile tests, summits and “love letters,” U.S.-North Korea relations have come to a stall for the better part of a year, each nation preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic. Middle East U.S. threatens sanctions after U.N. arms embargo against Iran expires CNBC10/18/20 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Sunday that the United States will slap sanctions on any individual or entity that assists Iran’s weapons program, a move that will likely intensify tensions between Washington and Tehran. UN arms embargoes on Iran expire despite U.S. objections Associated Press10/19/20 A decade-long U.N. arms embargo on Iran that barred it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired Sunday as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers, despite objections from the United States, which insists the ban remains in place. Russia and Europe U.S. rebuffs Putin bid to extend nuclear arms pact for a year New York Times10/16/20 With negotiations for a five-year extension stalled, the Russian president’s proposal puts pressure on President Trump to salvage an Obama-era accord.