Top News Fears that Trump might launch a strike prompted General to reassure China, book says The New York Times North and South Korea conduct dueling missile tests as arms race heats up Reuters Iran intends to resume nuclear talks in the near future The Wall Street Journal United States Fears that Trump might launch a strike prompted General to reassure China, book says The New York Times9/14/21 Anxious about President Trump’s behavior on January 6, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley, reiterated to top commanders that the procedure for nuclear strikes required him in the loop. SUMMARY: Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4350) Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation9/15/21 A summary of the National Defense Authorization Act, including nuclear-related funding requests by the Department of Defense, National Nuclear Security Administration, and Department of Energy. East Asia North and South Korea conduct dueling missile tests as arms race heats up Reuters9/15/21 South Korea tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday, which North Korea followed by testing two ballistic missiles. Kim Jong Un’s sister warns of ‘destruction’ of S.Korean ties Associated Press9/15/21 Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, warned South Korea of “complete destruction” of bilateral relations following South Korea’s ballistic missile tests. Hyten: China’s ‘unprecedented nuclear modernization’ chief concern United States Naval Institute News9/14/21 The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. John Hyten expressed concern over China’s unprecedented nuclear modernization, and noted the utility of conventional hypersonic and long-range ballistic missiles in deterring conflict without escalating to nuclear war. ANALYSIS: Why North Korea’s new cruise missile matters Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceAnkit Panda 9/13/21 North Korea’s new cruise missile demonstrates that its nuclear capabilities continue to advance, prompting the need for U.S. and U.N. Security Council to take certain actions. Middle East Iran intends to resume nuclear talks in the near future The Wall Street Journal9/13/21 On Monday, Iran said that it intends to resume nuclear deal talks soon after the Biden administration said it would drop a resolution censuring Iran for failure to cooperate with the IAEA. Iran’s nuclear negotiator replaced by hardliner Axios9/14/21 Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and deputy foreign minister for political affairs has been replaced by Ali Bagheri, described as an ultra-hardliner. It is unclear what role Bagheri will play in future nuclear talks. Israel can live with a new Iran Nuclear Deal, Defense Minister says Foreign Policy9/14/21 Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Israel would accept the revival of the Iran Nuclear Deal. International New NTI paper identifies strengths and weaknesses in the global nuclear security architecture Nuclear Threat Initiative9/14/21 In a new NTI paper, Samantha Neakrase identifies weaknesses in the global nuclear security architecture and offers potential solutions.