India’s secret escalation of the nuclear arms race
India’s Secret Nuclear Weapons Program, The Market Oracle, by Marya Mufty, Aug 05, 2012 If there was any arms race in the region, India has won it, at whatever the cost may be. But the claims to have good neighbourly relations, with MFN-status, no-war pact or no-first-use nuclear arsenal are just a dream seemingly never to come true.
In April this year India yanked open the door of the exclusive ICBM (International Ballistic Missile) club with the first test of Agni-V. Now, if DRDO is to be believed, India has quietly gate-crashed into an even more exclusive club of nuclear-tipped submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
The most ironic part of this achievement on part of India is that New Delhi had been able to successfully keep it as a secret ‘black project’. Continue reading
Andrew Marshall, 91, the Pentagon’s man for war-making
A former nuclear strategist, Marshall has spent the past 40 years running the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment, searching for potential threats to American dominance…. a dangerous tendency toward alarmism that is exaggerating the China threat to drive up defense spending.
U.S. model for a future war fans tensions with China and inside Pentagon WP, By Greg Jaffe, August 1 When President Obama called on the U.S. military to shift its focus to Asia earlier this year, Andrew Marshall, a 91-year-old futurist, had a vision of what to do.
Marshall’s small office in the Pentagon has spent the past two decades planning for a war against an angry, aggressive and heavily armed China. No one had any idea how the war would start. But the American response, laid out in a concept that one of Marshall’s longtime proteges dubbed “Air-Sea Battle,” was clear.
Stealthy American bombers and submarines would knock out China’s long-range surveillance radar and precision missile systems located deep inside the country. The initial “blinding campaign” would be followed by a larger air and naval assault.
The concept, the details of which are classified, has angered the Chinese military and has been pilloried by some Army and Marine Corps officers as excessively expensive. Some Asia analysts worry that conventional strikes aimed at China could spark a nuclear war. Continue reading
Nuclear bomb for Iran is not inevitable or imminent
“They’ve been creating the technical know-how and the infrastructure, but they haven’t made that decision, and there is much more time than the Israelis portray there to be. I don’t think an Iranian nuclear weapons capability is inevitable or imminent.”
No imminent threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, experts say LA Times, August 3, 2012 Israeli and U.S. politicians lately have been bandying about the prospect of an airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities, stirring fear that another destabilizing clash could be provoked in a region already rife with civil war in Syria and other religious and political tensions.
But nonproliferation experts and Middle East analysts are skeptical of Israeli claims that the Tehran regime is so close to building a nuclear weapon that time is running out for a peaceful resolution of the decades-long standoff. Continue reading
Lucrative business for America’s weapons and drones makers
War business booming: Pentagon orders $531 million worth of drones, 
TECHNOLOGY, JULY 20, 2012 Business booming for Pentagon’s war on terror contractors As Americans slide further down the rough path of service cuts, unprecedented surveillance and other related human rights abuses, the Pentagon has had defense spending spree this week, $24.5 billion over five days on defense contracts including $531 million worth of drones, a situation requiring more from lawmakers, Congressman Michael McCaul toldHomeland Security.
“General Atomics, the people behind the wildly successful Predator and Reaper drones, just scored two huge contracts this week,” reportsBusiness Insider Military & Defense on Friday.
“One contract is $411 million for Gray Eagle systems, a derivative of the Predator drone. The second contract is for $120.6 million and will buy MQ-9 Reaper spares for the Air Force. They’ll also get ground support systems and spares.”
Business Insider says, “America … enjoy your latest purchases.”
This week, the 2013 Defense Appropriations bill passed in Congress with 326 “Yea” and 90 “Nay.”
DHS drones to dominate U.S. skies in two and a half years Plans exist to allow the widespread use of unmanned aircraft, or drones, in civilian airspace,violating numerous human rights that prompted experts and members of the U.S. Congress told a House committee this week that lawmakers must do more to protect privacy and reduce the likelihood of sabotage….
In May, a young Pakistani filmmaker of the award-winning movie about drones, The Other Side,was denied entry into the United States to receive his prestigious award at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle. His film follows a child whose entire family was killed by a drone. http://www.examiner.com/article/war-business-booming-pentagon-orders-531-million-worth-of-drones
Australia rejects proposal to base a US nuclear aircraft carrier group near Perth , The Independent, KATHY MARKS 03 AUGUST 2012 Australia, which tries to tread a fine line between supporting its closest ally, the US, and not upsetting China, its biggest trading partner, yesterday rejected a proposal to base a US nuclear aircraft carrier group near Perth,saying it did not want American bases in the country.
The idea was raised in a Pentagon-commissioned report by the influential Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, which suggested relocating a carrier and its support fleet from the US east coast to HMAS Stirling, an Australian naval base south of Perth, as part of a new strategic focus on Asia. Continue reading
Nuclear study unveiled ( Why did The Age remove this story from the Internet?)
The Australian government finally declassifies its most secret study of the potential impact on Australia of a nuclear war between the US and the former Soviet Union.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/nuclear-study-unveiled-20120803-23l9y.html
Nuclear study unveiled http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/169021/nuclear-study-unveiled/?cs=8 By Philip Dorling Aug. 4, 2012 More than three decades after it was written, the Australian government last week finally declassified its most secret study of the potential impact on Australia of a nuclear war between the US and the former Soviet Union.
Australia’s peak intelligence agency largely dismissed any danger to Australia from global radioactive fall-out or stratospheric distribution of smoke from burning cities.
In the top secret intelligence assessment released by the National Archives of Australia, the Office of National Assessments also questioned whether Australian cities would be targets for Soviet missiles, suggesting the US’ southern hemisphere ally would be a ”low priority” in a global nuclear exchange. But it acknowledged that direct attacks were a possibility.
USA to put nuclear weapons in Australia, and make the Australians pay for them?
Nuclear drumbeat grows as US eyes Australia, Crikey, by 
Harley Dennett , 2 August 2012 Australian policymakers could not be getting a clearer picture of what our US ally expects of us. Nuclear weapons and joint military bases aimed at containing our largest trading partner will, sooner or later, be put in our backyard — and we’ll be expected to pay for the privilege.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies report making headlines over a proposal to establish a US base in Perth to host nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and manned and unmanned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) drones is but the first report commissioned by this Congress. The second — as revealed by Crikey in May — will focus on positioning nuclear force in the Pacific.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith’s denials overnight were revealed as word trickery by the comments of the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Plans Robert Scher in Congressional hearings early this morning, who pointed out that “no US bases” really means they expect Australia and other allies to share the costs of hosting large numbers of American troops at these so-called “shared facilities”: Continue reading
USA’s B61 nuclear warhead – useless but oh so costly!
A Golden Mistakehttp://www.ploughshares.org/blog/2012-07-30/golden-mistake BY BENJAMIN LOEHRKE JULY 30, 2012 The B61 life extension program gets a gold medal for setting records as the most expensive nuclear warhead in U.S. history. It also gets another ignominious recognition – costing more than its weight in solid gold.
The B61 bombs are the oldest bombs in the operational arsenal – first deployed in the 1960s. The Life Extension Program is intended to update and overhaul the warheads to keep them in the arsenal for decades to come, allowing the B61 to continue serving as the last remaining tactical nuclear warhead in the arsenal. The bombs remain deployed in Europe, despite broad recognition that they have no military utility. Continue reading
USA’s Pentagon curse of costly nuclear weapons
The Midas Touch of Nuclear Weapons http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-cirincione/the-midas-touch-of-nuclea_b_1726028.html 07/31/2012 The United States is about to buy a nuclear bomb that costs 1.5 times its weight in solid gold. It would make even King Midas blush. Nuclear weapons programs now cost so much they are actually more expensive than if they were made of gold.
The defense budget is famous for waste . The Pentagon has bought a $640 toilet seat, a $7,600 coffee maker , and a $436 hammer.
Now, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency in charge of the United State’s nuclear warheads, wants to pay $10 billion to overhaul its B-61 nuclear bombs — at $28 million per bomb . This is a bomb designed to fight a nuclear war in Europe, and still kept in our inventory.
Today on the Ploughshares Fund blog, we’ve presented an infographic depicting the B-61 bomb’s current cost versus its cost in solid gold. Even with the record gold prices, the real bomb is more expensive than its hypothetical golden cousin by roughly $10 million per bomb.
The solid gold nuclear bomb is only one example, but the Midas touch does not stop there. Across the board, nuclear costs are exploding.
A few years ago, NNSA told Congress it wanted to build a new plutonium plant for its nuclear bombs (called the CMRR) for an estimated $660 million . The cost for the plant has now skyrocketed to over $6 billion .
The Navy wants to build 12 new nuclear-armed submarines for an estimated $350 billion over the life of the program. When these boats go into production, they will eat up to 25 percent of theNavy’s entire shipbuilding budget .
There’s a smarter approach. Former officials like Gen. James Cartwright and Amb. Thomas Pickering say the U.S. should get rid of its excess Cold War weapons, not waste money on them. With almost 5,000 nuclear bombs in our active stockpile, we have plenty of room to cut.
At the end of the myth, King Midas was starving and begging to be relieved of his terrible golden touch. Isn’t it time for the Pentagon to get rid of its own golden curse, before it starves our military of the resources they truly need?
AP: Link between nuclear weapons and nuclear power is “becoming increasingly clear” says Japan professor — Nuclear power industry not thrilled people are talking about it July 31st, 2012 By ENENews Title: Japan pro-bomb voices grow louder amid nuke debateSource: Associated Press Date: July 31, 2012 “.. as Japan weighs whether to phase out nuclear power, some conservatives, including some influential politicians and thinkers, are becoming more vocal about their belief that Japan should have at least the ability to make nuclear weapons.
The two issues are intertwined because nuclear plants can develop the technology and produce the fuel needed for weaponry, as highlighted by concerns that nuclear power programs in Iran and North Korea are masking bomb development.
Shigeru Ishiba, former Defense Minister and current lawmaker told The Associated Press
- “Having nuclear plants shows to other nations that Japan can make nuclear weapons”
Hitoshi Yoshioka, professor of social and cultural studies at Kyushu University
- “The recognition that both nuclear issues must be addressed is heightening in Japan”
- The link between the two is “becoming increasingly clear”
Tatsujiro Suzuki, vice chairman at the Japan Atomic Energy Commission, a government panel that shapes nuclear policy
- “If people keep saying (nuclear energy) is for having nuclear weapons capability, that is not good”
- “Technically it may be true, but it sends a very bad message to the international community” http://enenews.com/ap-link-between-nuclear-weapons-and-nuclear-power-is-becoming-increasingly-clear-says-japan-professor-nuclear-power-industry-not-thrilled-people-are-talking-about-it
USA military top brass call for revising USA’s nuclear weapons – DOWN
There may not be agreement on the size or shape of the future force, but there is a growing consensus that revising the outdated nuclear posture will not only save billions of dollars,
but also make for a more effective national security strategy.
The call for a revised nuclear strategy THE HILL, By Mary Kaszynski, policy analyst, American Security Project – 07/30/12 There may not be agreement on the size and shape of the future force, but there is growing consensus among the nation’s leaders that it’s time to bring U.S. nuclear strategy into the 21st century. This consensus includes two former commanders of U.S. Strategic Command….
“The current U.S. nuclear force remains sized and organized operationally for fighting the “last war” – the Cold War – even though threats from that era posed by the Soviet Union and China have greatly diminished or disappeared,” reads Gen. Cartwright’s joint testimony with Ambassador Thomas Pickering before the Senate Appropriations Committeelast week.
“The U.S. (and Russian) arsenal is thus over-stocked. Ample latitude exists for further nuclear cuts,” the testimony concludes, reflecting the analysis of a panel Gen. Cartwright chaired, which included former Senator Chuck Hagel and General Jack Shaheen.
Gen. Cartwright is not the only STRATCOM commander to determine that the U.S. nuclear force, which numbers some 8,000 warheads, is unsuited to today’s strategic environment. Continue reading
Leave the Multi-Billion-Dollar Nuclear Decisions to the Experts POGO, Project on Government Oversight, 30 July 12, Mia Steinle When the president released his Fiscal Year 2013 federal budget proposal earlier this year, opponents of government waste took heart: the budget zeroed out funding for a proposed nuclear weapons facility that had been plagued by massive cost overruns and schedule delays for about a decade. Now it seems that eight senators are trying to undermine the president’s proposal and put funding back into the New Mexico facility, even though the agency and congressional overseers who know the project best say it’s unnecessary. Continue reading
Russia to get stronger nuclear navy, Putin says By Gleb Bryanski SEVERODVINSK, Russia | Mon Jul 30, 2012 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin oversaw the start of construction of one of Russia’s newest generation submarines on Monday and vowed to boost nuclear naval forces to safeguard the country’s position as a leading sea power.
Warning that its navy would protect top energy producer Russia’s interests in the oil-rich Arctic, Putin led the ceremony to begin building the submarine Prince Vladimir, named after the ruler who founded a precursor state to modern Russia.
The vessel is the fourth Borei class submarine, designed to carry one of the country’s newest and most powerful intercontinental nuclear missiles, the Bulava, or Mace…… Putin is working to make the submarines and the missiles they will carry a cornerstone of the Russian navy, which will receive nearly a quarter of the 20 trillionroubles ($621.31 billion) to be spent by the end of the decade…… http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/30/us-russia-putin-navy-idUSBRE86T1D320120730
What has happened with UK’s nuclear Polaris missiles?
Faslane and Coulport nuclear weapons maintenance to be privatised – Polaris? For Argyll.com July 28, 2012 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has made a contractual commitment to hand over to a private sector consortium the maintenance of the UK’s nuclear weapons – described by the BBC as ‘Trident and Polaris weapons systems’ – held in Argyll at Faslane and Coulport on the Clyde.
This raises an immediate public information issue.
What is our position on the Polaris system? It was quite a shock to see it mentioned, like a rising from almost forgotten history. Polaris – and are we storing redundant warheads? Continue reading
NUKES TO GO PRIVATE PRIVATE Daily Star 29 July 12 “… contractors are to take over the maintenance of the UK’s nuclear weapons in Scotland.
The MoD has signed a 15-year deal with a consortium to provide support for the Trident weapons system at the Royal Navy’s Clyde bases.
Under the contract 149 MoD civilian posts will transfer to thecontractor, ABL Alliance…..
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/264444/Nukes-to-go-private/
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Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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