Trump’s dangerous idea on nuclear testing – top Democrats demand answers
Top Democrats demand answers on Trump administration’s ‘unfathomable’ consideration of nuclear testing The Hill BY REBECCA KHEEL – 06/08/20 A group of top House Democrats is demanding answers from the Trump administration on reported conversations within the administration on whether to resume nuclear testing.“It is unfathomable that the administration is considering something so short-sighted and dangerous, and that directly contradicts its own 2018 Nuclear Posture Review,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter Monday to Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and Defense Secretary Mark Esper
The posture review, the lawmakers wrote, “which this administration often cites as inviolable, makes clear that ‘the United States will not resume nuclear explosive testing unless necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.’
The letter was signed by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), along with Reps. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces; Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), chairwoman of the Appropriations subcommittee on energy and water; and Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
The Pentagon declined to comment………
The lawmakers demanded answers to questions by June 22, as well as a briefing by June 25. Questions include under what legal authority and funding testing is being considered, whether the intelligence community is analyzing what the effects of a test would be on U.S. allies and adversaries, and whether there has been any independent assessment requested by the Energy or Defense departments on the need, cost and effect of resuming nuclear testing. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/501687-top-democrats-demand-answers-on-trump-administrations-unfathomable
Nuclear testing ban to be introduced in U.S. Congress
Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus announce nuclear testing ban legislation, 8 NewsNow by: Kaitlyn Olvera Jun 8, 2020, LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Congressman Steven Horsford and Congresswoman Dina Titus have introduced a nuclear testing ban. The Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear Explosives Testing (PLANET) Act, introduced Monday, would prevent President Donald Trump from restarting nuclear weapons testing in Nevada.This legislation “would prevent the Trump administration from restarting explosive nuclear weapons testing by restricting funds for fiscal year 2021 and all previous years from being used for such a purpose,” a release about the legislation stated.
The Washington Post reported the Trump administration had a discussion about conducting a nuclear test with top security officials on May 15, in response to accusations that Russia and China were performing low-yield nuclear tests. This is a claim both countries have denied.
Specifically, the PLANET Act would, according to Rep. Horsford’s office:
- Prohibit the use of funds appropriated in Fiscal Year 2021 or from any previous year to prepare for or to conduct an explosive nuclear test that produces any yield
- Allow for stockpile stewardship activities that are consistent with U.S. law – such as certifying the safety, security and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile – so long as those activities are consistent with the “zero-yield” scope of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)…… https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/reps-steven-horsford-and-dina-titus-announce-nuclear-testing-ban-legislation/
This week’s nuclear and climate news
Going back to “normal”? But “normal” IS the problem. The world waits, to see how the plans of nations to get over , recover, from the pandemic period are actually going to work. Not too well, in some cases. New Zealand shines.
The nuclear lobby is enthusiastically promoting itself as a saviour in helping deal with the pandemic. Does anyone believe this spin? Meanwhile nuclear nations, led by USA, turn to a renewed burst of spending on nuclear weapons.
Time to transfer funds from weapons to making vaccines.
The world is sleepwalking toward a period free of nuclear arms control.
New report calls out banks that make nuclear weapons investments.
Loophole in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): small military nuclear reactors lack safeguards.
Species are becoming extinct at an accelerating rate.
The most effective leader in the world – Jacinda Adern, Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Some bits of good news – For the First Time, U.S. Renewable Energy Surpasses Coal Every Day For An Entire Month. Coronavirus Cooking Survey’ Finds That People Are Eating Healthier and Wasting Less
USA.
- Nuclear detection helicopter Flies Mission Around Washington D.C. Amid Unrest .
- Top Democrats promote bill to ban live nuclear tests. Trump wants a nuclear test – adding to the sickness of the world. If he wins election, Joe Biden would restore Iran nuclear deal. Trump tells Iran they should get “a better deal” with him now, before the U.S. election.
- Many $billions for U.S. Air Force’s new nuclear weapons.
- USA nuclear-missile program data leaked, as contractor hit with Maze Ransomware.
- U.S. taxpayers bearing the crushing cost of nuclear waste. Legal challenge to “Interim” storage of nuclear wastes, before permanent disposal determined. Anxieties over the risks of spent nuclear fuel storage at San Onofre. Kentucky’s radioactive disaster site Paducah.
- Emergency preparedness at San Onofre Nuclear Plant – agreement approved. Beyond Nuclear files Federal Lawsuit Challenging High-Level Radioactive Waste Dump. Radioactive waste imported from Estonia for iconic Bears Ears, Utah?
- An American nuclear reactor flooded by an extreme rainfall event – during the pandemic.
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will run environmental study BEFORE relicensing South Carolina nuclear fuel plant.
- Exhumed AREVA – now “Framatome” acquires BWX Technologies’ US nuclear services business.
UK. Climate Experts Predict ‘Grim Future’ For Nuclear Power . UK’s Sizewell nuclear plan in doubt, due to cost and China’s involvement? China is reconsidering building nuclear reactors in Britain. Deep concern over environmental cost of planned Sizewell C nuclear station. Caring about Cancer? A UK and Irish perspective. Most UK pension providers are investing in nuclear weapons companies. Choosing nuclear narrows future energy choices.
FRANCE. Huge police squadron paid by nuclear industry to monitor residents of Bure. French state-controlled utility EDF has to inspect valve leaks at Flamanville, Taishan, Finland nuclear sites. EDF terminates nuclear electricity supply contracts. High rate of cancers among Mururoa nuclear veterans’ families. France goes back to its restrictive nuclear compensation law affecting Polynesian nuclear test survivors.
RUSSIA. Russian city Severodvinsk, (near site of nuclear accident) sealed off due to Covid-19. Russia will now allow use of atomic weapons against non-nuclear strike. Anti–nuclear resistance in Russia: problems, protests, reprisals. The Mayak nuclear reprocessing plant: Rosatom’s dirty face- and the courageous opposition. Uranium mining protests in Russia. Activists, despite government oppression, campaign for decommissioning of Russia’s aging nuclear reactors . Nuclear submarine accidents contaminating Russia’s Far East.
INDIA. Nuclear power plants in the path of oncoming Cyclone Nisarga.
GERMANY. German Parliament in debate on basing of nuclear weapons. Discussion on Poland, Germany hosting nuclear weapons.
CZECH REPUBLIC. Czech Fiscal Council warns on the long-term risk of financing a new nuclear reactor.
IRAN. Iran challenges Donald Trump to return to nuclear deal.
NORTH KOREA. Kim Jong Un unlikely to use nuclear weapons – an alternative leader of N Korea might be worse.
ITALY. Latina plant, the last of Italy’s 4 nuclear power stations to be dismantled.
EUROPE. The European Union plus France, Germany and the UK “deeply regret” US decision on Iran sanctions. Desperate nuclear lobby tries to con the European Commission with its bogus claim about climate solving.
CHINA. China’s nuclear power ambitions face delays, waste problems, and the growing success of renewables.
ISRAEL. Nuclear Weapons: The Reason Why Even Iran Fears Israel.
AUSTRALIA. Australia’s nuclear-free, anti-uranium movement adapts to this pandemic period – presenting a series of webinars – “Yellowcake Country“.
Nuclear arms meeting planned, USA and Russia, – arms control expert is not enthusiastic
US and Russia to meet for nuclear arms negotiations this month Jennifer Hansler, CNN June 8, 2020 Washington US and Russian officials will meet later this month for nuclear arms negotiations, a top US arms control official announced Monday. |
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Number two executive of the defunct SCANA Corpto plead guilty to fraud conspiracy in nuclear plant failure
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Top SCANA ex-official to plead guilty to fraud conspiracy in nuclear plant failure https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article243356621.html, BY JOHN MONK
JUNE 08, 2020 The number two executive of the defunct SCANA Corp. — whose top officials engineered the biggest business failure in South Carolina history: the $10 billion V.C. Summer nuclear plant fiasco — has agreed to plead guilty to criminal conspiracy fraud charges in connection with the nuclear failure, according to a document filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Columbia.
The upcoming guilty plea of Stephen A. Byrne, 60, is a centerpiece of a Monday filing involving his alleged criminal actions. He will need to have his guilty plea formally accepted by a U.S. District Court judge before it becomes official. Byrne is charged with conspiring to commit mail fraud, the document said. The document is a motion requesting a stay in a Securities and Exchange civil fraud lawsuit against Byrne and SCANA’s former CEO, Kevin Marsh. That civil lawsuit was filed in February. One big difference between civil and criminal proceedings is that in a criminal proceeding, a defendant can be subject to a prison term. The document alleges that “through intentional and material misrepresentations and omissions, Byrne and others deceived regulators and customers to maintain financing for the (nuclear) project and to financially benefit SCANA.” The Monday filing said there is “an ongoing criminal investigation” and indicated more criminal charges against other former SCANA top officials may be in the offing. |
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Chinese Foreign Ministry urges US to avoid nuclear testing
BEIJING, June 8. /TASS/. China urges the United States to abide by its international obligations and abandon plans to carry out nuclear tests, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a briefing on Monday.
“We insist that the United States should strictly abide by its obligations to end nuclear testing… and we hope that it will listen to the international community,” the Chinese diplomat pointed out. “The US should abandon plans that could undermine global stability and strategic order,” she added……… https://tass.com/world/1165339
Sellafield’s 11000 cubic metres of nuclear waste – UK’s storage problem
 Plans for 11,000m³ of nuclear waste, In Cumbria, 8 June 20 A DECISION on whether Sellafield can continue storing 11,000 cubic metres of nuclear waste in one of its Seascale buildings is due to be made tomorrow (Tuesday).Sellafield was granted permission to build a five-storey building in 1992 for interim storage of encapsulated intermediate-level waste.
However the permission expires at the end of 2021, due to a condition imposed at the time by Copeland council. The nuclear firm now wants to have permission to continue storing the waste, as a more permanent solution is not yet available. The county council’s development control and regulation committee will discuss the application at a meeting at 10am. A report prepared for the authority said: “The building is required to be retained for the continued storage of intermediate-level waste (ILW) which is required to be stored until alternative facilities come on line. “The alternative storage solution is likely to be the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF), which is currently out to consultation on host site availability, and until such time as the GDF is made available a suitable interim storage place for ILW is required…… Both Seascale and Ponsonby parish councils have objected to the proposal. The report said that the Seascale authority wanted Sellafield to submit a full planning application. “When constructed these [facilities] had a 50-year life and Copeland put a time limit of 30 years to allow time for future storage options; these amendments need a full planning application. “Seascale Community are living with what are described as health and quality of life risks and this needs to be taken into account.”…….. The meeting is due to take place virtually. For more information on how to join the meeting, visit the council’s site cumbria.gov.uk https://www.in-cumbria.com/news/18502494.plans-11-000m-nuclear-waste/ |
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NEW REPORT CALLS OUT BANKS THAT MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS INVESTMENTS
NEW REPORT CALLS OUT BANKS THAT MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS INVESTMENTS https://futureoflife.org/2019/06/06/new-report-calls-out-banks-that-make-nuclear-weapons-investments/ By Kirsten Gronlund
Despite the 2017 international Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, weapons companies continue to build them. Facilitating this production is a massive amount of investment capital contributed by private financial institutions.
Don’t Bank on the Bomb’s new report, Shorting our security: Financing the companies that make nuclear weapons, identifies which banks are investing in nuclear weapons producers, and how much they’re investing. The aim of the report is to end the production of nuclear weapons by increasing the stigma associated with these investments.
Many nuclear weapons producers engage in commercial activity other than weapons production, and investors have no way of ensuring how their investments will be used. Thus, “the report shows investments in those nuclear weapon producers at the group level, regardless of the other activities of the company or the percentage of turnover it derives from nuclear weapons-related activities.”
The report finds that over 748 billion USD was invested in the top 18 nuclear weapons companies between January 2017 and January 2019. Investments in these companies have grown by 42% compared to Don’t Bank on the Bomb’s previous analysis, up from 325 billion USD. This is due in large part to a 40% increase in Boeing’s share prices; since the conclusion of this analysis, the Boeing 737Max airplane crash has negatively affected the company.
The 748 billion USD represents investments by 325 financial institutions, headquartered in 28 countries. In the previous analysis, only 25 countries hosted institutions with investments in nuclear weapons producers. Since that analysis, 94 institutions representing at least 55,507 million USD in investments ended their contributions. However, this loss is more than offset by the 90 institutions that have since made first-time investments totaling 107,821 million USD. Over half the total investment capital came from just the top 10 investors.
Who is investing the most?
The top 10 investors are all US companies. Their total investments, in millions USD, are listed below.
| NAME | 2019 REPORT | 2018 REPORT | CHANGE | % CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | 66,048 | 35,267 | 30,781 | 87% |
| BlackRock | 61,200 | 38,381 | 22,819 | 59% |
| Capital Group | 59,096 | 36,739 | 22,357 | 61% |
| State Street | 52,835 | 33,370 | 19,465 | 58% |
| Verisight (now known as Newport Group, formerly Evercore) | 31,509 | 13,712 | 31,509 | 130% |
| T. Rowe Price | 31,234 | 8,896 | 22,228 | 251% |
| Bank of America | 29,033 | 25,851 | 3,182 | 12% |
| JPMorgan Chase | 23,962 | 29,679 | -5,717 | -19% |
| Wells Fargo | 20,261 | 13,497 | 6,764 | 50% |
| Citigroup | 17,017 | 16,489 | 528 | 3% |
Search here to find out if your bank is investing in nuclear weapons.
Who stopped investing?
Below are the ten largest investors that no longer have investments in the top 18 weapons producers.
| NAME | COUNTRY | MILLIONS USD |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s Investment Fund Management | UK | 1,469 |
| Marathon Asset Management | Canada | 635 |
| William Blair & Company | USA | 474 |
| Mackie Research Financial | USA | 223 |
| Discovery Capital Management | USA | 174 |
| ABP | Netherlands | 104 |
| Blue Harbour Group | USA | 97 |
| Manning & Napier | UK | 82 |
| Teacher Retirement System of Texas | USA | 73 |
| Glenmede | USA | 70 |
Who started investing?
Below are the ten new investors with the highest investments.
| NAME | COUNTRY | MILLIONS USD |
|---|---|---|
| Unum Group | USA | 31,508.7 |
| WBC Holdings | USA | 20,260.8 |
| SMBC Group | Japan | 8,201.5 |
| Dassault Family | France | 6,772.5 |
| Janus Henderson | UK | 6,104.9 |
| United Overseas Bank | Singapore | 4,314.4 |
| AXA Equitable | USA | 3,733.7 |
| Point72 Asset Management | USA | 3,546.3 |
| Strategic Incoe Management | USA | 2,704.8 |
| Development Bank of Japan | Japan | 1,973.0 |
Where is the money going?
Total investments in each company are listed in millions USD.
| NAME | 2019 REPORT | 2018 REPORT | CHANGE | % CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aecom | 19,048 | 20,101 | -1,054 | -5% |
| Aerojet Rocketdyne | 4,791 | 2,685 | 2,107 | 78% |
| Airbus | 44,455 | 30,691 | 13,764 | 45% |
| BAE Systems | 22,814 | 25,986 | -3,172 | -12% |
| Bechtel | 4,000 | 7,000 | -3,000 | -43% |
| Boeing | 254,296 | 87,010 | 167,286 | 192% |
| BWX Technologies | 8,987 | 5,865 | 3,122 | 53% |
| Fluor | 17,465 | 18,276 | -812 | -4% |
| General Dynamics | 72,630 | 45,437 | 27,193 | 60% |
| Honeywell | 78,397 | 86,806 | -8,408 | -10% |
| Huntington Ingalls Industries | 12,568 | 9,915 | 2,653 | 27% |
| Jacobs Engineering (includes CH2M Hill) | 15,563 | 11,616 | 3,947 | 34% |
| Larsen & Toubro | 14,855 | 15,905 | -1,050 | -7% |
| Lockheed Martin | 77,543 | 79,118 | -1575 | -2% |
| Northrop Grumman (includes Orbital ATK) | 53,023 | 52,507 | 516 | 1% |
| Safran | 24,661 | 18,105 | 6,556 | 36% |
| Serco | 2,265 | 3,653 | -1,389 | -38% |
| Thales | 21,080 | 5,269 | 15,811 | 300% |
| GRAND TOTAL | 748,440 | 525,945 | 222,495 | 42% |
Top Democrats promote bill to ban live nuclear tests
Lead Dems back bill to ban live nuclear tests, Defense News, By: Joe Gould 5 June 20, WASHINGTON ― The Senate’s top Democrat, Sen. Chuck Schumer, is co-sponsoring legislation meant to prevent the Trump administration from restarting explosive nuclear weapons testing.
The Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear Explosives Testing, or PLANET, Act, announced Thursday, would bar any funds from being used for such tests. It follows a Washington Post report of high-level discussions around the possibility of doing a “rapid test” ― potentially America’s first live nuclear test since 1992.
The bill is led by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and a longtime arms control advocate on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While a key administration official has said tests could begin within months if ordered by the president for technical or geopolitical reasons, critics say it could incentivize Russia and China to openly test with little valuable data to show for U.S. tests…….. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/06/04/lead-dems-back-bill-to-ban-live-nuclear-tests/
If he wins election, Joe Biden would restore Iran nuclear deal
Biden would restore nuclear deal if he wins elections: George 
Washington University professor, By Javad Heirannia Tehran Times, June 7, 2020
Professor Askari, who served as special advisor to Saudi finance minister, also says a Democratic president “would set about undoing Trump’s foreign policy errors.”
Following is the text of the interview:…………………..
Q: If Joe Biden is elected the next president of the United States, will he change his approach toward China? Also, what would be his approach to Iran and the nuclear deal in general?
A: I think a Biden, or for that matter any Democratic President, would set about undoing Trump’s foreign policy errors. Yes, he would try to chart a new course with China. Tough but with a plan that is step by step to restore workable relations. Not a series of disjointed reactions to the moment in time. He would restore, or rejoin, the nuclear agreement with Iran. But now he would want an extension of the time that Iran could resume for nuclear research and have breakout capabilities. In this way, he would appear as tough but at the same time reduce tensions in the Persian Gulf and America’s military exposure around the world. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/448604/Biden-would-restore-nuclear-deal-if-he-wins-elections-George
Trump tells Iran they should get “a better deal” with him now, before the U.S. election
Urging Iran to ‘Make the Big Deal,’ Trump Ties Nuclear Negotiations to Election, The president’s invitation came as international inspectors were said to have found that Iran had boosted its stockpile of low-enriched uranium in the past three months.
Aides to Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Trump declined to explain why, if the United States was negotiating in its own national interest, Iran might get preferential treatment for negotiating with Mr. Trump before the election……
“We had a deal when you entered office,” Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, responded to Mr. Trump in a tweet on Friday. Iran and the other participants in the 2015 agreement — Britain, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia and China — “never left the table,” he said. “Your advisers — most fired by now — made a dumb bet. Up to you to decide *when* you want to fix it.”
Hesameddin Ashena, the top policy adviser to President Hassan Rouhani of Iran also responded. “You are going down on November 3rd and we know that,” he tweeted. “So you’ll need to offer much more than Obama did!”…….. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/world/middleeast/trump-iran-nuclear.html
Legal challenge to “Interim” storage of nuclear wastes, before permanent disposal determined
Holtec’s interim nuclear waste application challenged in court, BY THERESA DAVIS / JOURNAL STAFF WRITER, AlbuquerquebJournal, June 6th, 2020
Holtec International’s proposed nuclear waste interim storage facility in southeast New Mexico faces a new legal challenge.
Anti-nuclear group Beyond Nuclear filed a petition for review Thursday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The group asks for review of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rejection of their petitions.
The group alleges that the NRC cannot issue Holtec a license because the company’s application includes a provision that the U.S. Department of Energy may be the owner of the facility’s nuclear waste. The group says approval would violate the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
That law prevents the government from taking ownership of nuclear waste from private utilities before a permanent repository is in operation. The government has yet to open such a site.
“The reason that provision is in the NWPA is to protect a state like New Mexico from being forced to store this waste before a permanent repository is opened,” said Kevin Kamps, a radioactive waste specialist with Beyond Nuclear. “(Holtec has) now added a clause that includes ‘and/or nuclear utilities’ in the list of potential customers. That was good enough for the NRC, apparently.”
Beyond Nuclear presented its petition to NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. In April, the NRC upheld that board’s dismissal of the petition.
An April 23 NRC order says Holtec “hopes Congress will change the (NWPA) law to allow DOE to enter into temporary storage contracts with Holtec.”………
The petition alleges that the NRC is also violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
“Agencies have to work with what Congress gave (them),” said Mindy Goldstein, an attorney for Beyond Nuclear and the director of the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at the Emory University School of Law. “We feel NRC is stepping around that requirement. Congress has said that DOE can’t own this waste.”
The proposed facility would store spent nuclear fuel in 500 canisters on a 1,000-acre site between Carlsbad and Hobbs. The full project could store 10,000
The most effective leader in the world – Jacinda Adern
New Zealand’s Prime Minister May Be the Most Effective Leader on the Planet. Uri Friedman 19 April 20 The Atlantic Amid the Trump administration’s calamitous response to the Covid-19 pandemic, media have been looking to other countries for inspiration in responsible leadership during a period of crisis. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has been one popular pick, having capably managed to limit the damage to only 1,504 infections and 22 deaths, as of June 5.
A widely shared article in the Conversation (4/5/20) described Ardern as putting on a “masterclass in crisis leadership.” The Washington Post (4/7/20) characterized her government’s response as a “triumph of science and leadership.” Elsewhere, she has been praised as “the most effective leader on the planet” (Atlantic, 4/19/20) who “should be teaching the rest of the world” (Guardian, 4/10/20). The Financial Times (4/19/20) unironically anointed her “Saint Jacinda.”
Despite its obvious geographical and economic advantages, New Zealand certainly deserves praise. But less deserving have been the European countries corporate media consistently highlight as outstanding performers. With over 185,000 cases and 8,763 deaths, Germany has one of the highest per capita fatality rates in the world. Yet Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn effusive praise as somebody who “embraces science” (Atlantic, 4/19/20; Guardian, 4/16/20; Financial Times, 4/3/20). CNN (5/7/20) proclaimed her a “global leader on coronavirus”; Vox (5/21/20) said she’d been “praised for her clear and effective communication with her country — and the world.”
In its editorial on crisis leadership, the New York Times editorial board (4/30/20) also praised Merkel (while attacking China for supposedly covering up the outbreak). They highlighted and applauded the leadership of several other countries, including Denmark, Norway and Finland. Amazingly, the editorial also singled out and commended Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, whose inept response has led to Italy having the third-highest number of deaths in the world at the time of its publication.
There was far less praise for leaders in the Global South. Indeed, the only one mentioned by name was Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, and this was primarily because she “sent millions of face masks to the United States and Europe”—although with 443 total cases and only seven deaths, Taiwan has had a far more enviable record on Covid-19 than most of the countries featured in the editorial. True Asian leadership, according to the Times editorial board, is helping white people, apparently.
Many $billions for U.S. Air Force’s new nuclear weapons
The Air Force Is Getting Ready To Receive New 
Nuclear Weapons, National Interest, David Axe, 5 June 20, Here’s What You Need To Remember: Now the command is in the beginning of a modernization effort costing tens of billions of dollars. New B-21 stealth bombers are slated to supplant the B-1s and B-2s starting in the mid-2020s. The Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent rocket, a replacement for the 1960s-vintage Minuteman, is in development.
The U.S. Air Force’s nuclear command says it’s about to undergo a major reorganization as it prepares to field new bombs, missiles, bombers and rockets.
Air Force Global Strike Command stood up in 2009 as the successor to Strategic Air Command, which maintained around-the-clock nuclear alerts during the Cold War.
Today the command’s 34,000 personnel oversee 20 B-2 stealth bombers, 76 B-52 bombers and 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles together capable of delivering thousands of nuclear warheads.
It also operates 62 B-1 bombers that do not have a nuclear mission.
AFGSC’s forces comprise the aerial and ground “legs” of the United States’s atomic triad, which also includes the U.S. Navy’s submarine-launched Trident ballistic missiles.
The command’s forces are capable of extinguishing essentially all life on Earth within a matter of hours.
Accidents and misbehavior marred AFGSC’s early years. In 2014 ICBM crews got caught cheating on tests. In 2018 security forces at Minot Air Force Base, home to a portion of the Minuteman fleet, lost track of some of their weapons. The suicide rate is high in the atomic force.
Now the command is in the beginning of a modernization effort costing tens of billions of dollars. New B-21 stealth bombers are slated to supplant the B-1s and B-2s starting in the mid-2020s. The Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent rocket, a replacement for the 1960s-vintage Minuteman, is in development.
The new Long-Range Stand-Off Weapon, a nuclear-tipped cruise missile, will replace the B-52’s current nuclear cruise missiles. The bomber fleet is getting a refurbished model of its main atomic gravity bomb, the B-61. The missile wings’ security forces are swapping out their five-decade-old UH-1 helicopters for new MH-139s……….https://news.yahoo.com/air-force-getting-ready-receive-060000340.html
China is reconsidering building nuclear reactors in Britain
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China poised to pull plans for UK nuclear plants https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/china-poised-to-pull-plans-for-uk-nuclear-plants 5 June 20 LONDON (BLOOMBERG) – China’s ambassador to the UK said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to seek alternatives to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd in the 5G network could spoil plans for Chinese companies to build nuclear power plants and the HS2 high-speed rail network, the Sunday Times reported.Mr Liu Xiaoming signalled that Beijing is viewing the decision over Huawei as “a litmus test of whether Britain is a true and faithful partner of China”, the newspaper reported the ambassador telling business leaders, saying that the words were “interpreted as a threat by those listening”.
China General Nuclear Power Corp plans to build its own nuclear reactor at Bradwell in Essex, according to the newspaper report. China has a minority share in nuclear power plants at Hinkley Point in Somerset and Sizewell C in Suffolk, both in partnership with EDF of France. |
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Now until to February 10, 2026 Radioactive waste storage in France: the debate is finally open! How to participate?
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