weapons and war « nuclear-news

USA Nuclear Weapons Modernization to Cost $275 Billion

the NNSA intends to spend more than $175 billion (in then-year dollars) over the next two decades on building new nuclear weapons factories, testing and simulation facilities, and modernizing and extending the life of the nuclear weapons in the stockpile…..The plan does not include the more than $100 billion the Department of Defense is expected to spend in 2010-2030 on the platforms needed to deliver the warheads.

Nuclear Plan Shows Cuts and Massive Investments » FAS Strategic Security Blog, By Hans M. Kristensen, 12 July 2010, The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has sent Congress the FY 2011 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) with new information about what the administration plans to spend on maintaining and modernizing nuclear weapons and facilities over the next 15-20 years…. Continue reading →

July 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Moscow to get 5000 nuclear bomb safety bunkers

Moscow arms against nuclear attack – RT, 12 July, 2010, Nearly 5,000 new emergency bomb shelters will be built in Moscow by 2012 to save people in case of potential attacks. Moscow authorities say the measure is urgent as the shelters currently available in the city can house no more that half of its population.In the last 20 years, the area of air-raid defense has been developed little, and the existing shelters have become outdated. Moreover, they are located mostly in the city center, which makes densely populated Moscow outskirts especially vulnerable in the event of a nuclear attack……. Moscow arms against nuclear attack – RT

July 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

The movement for a Nuclear Free Pacific

VIDEO NZ On Screen – A Nuclear Free Pacific (Niuklia Fri Pasifik) , 10 July 2010, This documentary travels to nine Pacific nations, including New Zealand, to chronicle the long struggle to create a regional nuclear arms free zone. Interviews with politicians, activists, radiation victims and American and French admirals are counterpointed. When hopes of a treaty are dashed at a South Pacific Forum meet, it is pointed out that the David Lange-trumpeted independence of NZ’s nuclear free policy is evidently “not for export”. Local music scores the doco, including Australia’s Midnight Oil, whose lead singer (future MP Peter Garrett) is interviewed.

July 10, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | OCEANIA, weapons and war | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Military talked Nixon out of nuking North Korea

Richard Nixon planned nuclear strike on North Korea, Telegraph, 7 july 2010, The United States drew up plans for a tactical nuclear strike against North Korea in 1969, but quickly stepped back from the brink fearing it would trigger an all-out war, newly declassified documents in Washington have shown. By Peter Foster in Beijing 08 Jul 2010.…… Documents released by the National Security Archive in Washington detail plans for Operation Freedom Drop which included conventional war and a nuclear attack using bombs 20 times the size of that dropped on Hiroshima……… “But constantly you find the military saying, ‘But the risks probably still outweigh the potential gains,’.” Richard Nixon planned nuclear strike on North Korea – Telegraph

July 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

USA – no idea what to do with depleted uranium wastes

Feds seek a temp home for depleted uranium | The Salt Lake Tribune, By JUDY FAHYS 8 July 2010, The U.S. Department of Energy has started looking beyond Utah for temporary storage of nearly 10,000 drums of depleted uranium for up to seven years…….. Continue reading →

July 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | depleted uranium, USA | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Hyrdogen bomb was exploded in space

VIDEO

A Very Scary Light Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space 1962 | Before It’s News

Before It’s News, 3 July 2010, Since we’re coming up on the Fourth of July, and towns everywhere are preparing their better-than-ever fireworks spectaculars, we would like to offer this humbling bit of history. Back in the summer of 1962, the U.S. blew up a hydrogen bomb in outer space, some 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean. It was a weapons test, but one that created a man-made light show that has never been equaled — and hopefully never will. Here it is:

A Very Scary Light Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space 1962 | Before It’s News

LISTEN

A Very Scary Fireworks Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space : NPR

NPR, by Robert Krulwich, 1 July 2010, Since we’re coming up on the Fourth of July, and towns everywhere are preparing their better-than-ever fireworks spectaculars, we would like to offer this humbling bit of history. Back in the summer of 1962, the U.S. blew up a hydrogen bomb in outer space, some 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean. It was a weapons test, but one that created a man-made light show that has never been equaled — and hopefully never will. Here it is:

A Very Scary Fireworks Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space : NPR

July 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

The menace of USA’s new tactical nuclear weapons

The NPT is dead in the water because the US has now embarked on a new programme of low yield, dial up nuclear weapons that are far more efficient than any of the much larger bombs that were dropped on Japan during WW2…

Did the US drop tactical nuclear weapons on Iraq/Afghanistan – You bet, The Palestine Telegraph, Peter Eyre – Middle East Consultant – 4^th July 2010 “………Iraq 1991 – 317 Cruise missiles were launched against Iraq by 316 ships and 1 submarine Continue reading →

July 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Burma’s nuclear weapons program

Listen:

Windows Media

IAEA to investigate Burma’s nuclear program, Radio Australia:Asia Pacific, 30 june 2010, It’s been a rumour for years but now the international nuclear watchdog has formally turned its attention to Burma. The International Atomic Energy Agency is understood to be investigating a report, written by one of its own former directors. The document draws on a new dossier of material which was smuggled out of Burma, by a Burmese weapons expert. The IAEA has approached the Burmese regime asking it to explain why it appears to be manufacturing parts for nuclear weapons.

Presenter: Jeff Waters
Speakers: Robert Kelly, former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Radio Australia:Asia Pacific:Story:IAEA to investigate Burma’s nuclear program

July 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Burma, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, uranium | Leave a comment

North Korea “bolstering its nuclear deterrent”

North Korea: Pyongyang to boost nuclear arsenal, Spero News, 29 June 2010, North Korea wants to “bolster its nuclear deterrent” against threats from the United States and other nations. Experts believe that it is bluffing because it is decades away from developing an H-bomb. Continue reading →

June 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | North Korea, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Nuclear bomb for Iran not viable for several years

enriching the uranium to bomb grade would take another year, and it would take at least another year for them “to develop the kind of weapon delivery system in order to make that viable……counterproliferation efforts could further delay the Iranians’s efforts to put together a bomb for years further, if they make a final decision to do so.

New Iran Nuke NIE Still Not Ready, Newsweek, by Mark Hosenball June 28, 2010 In an ABC News interview Sunday, CIA Director Leon Panetta alluded to a fact that was reported by NEWSWEEK months ago: Continue reading →

June 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

French govt’s nuclear veterans’ cancer compensation inadequate

Veterans unhappy with French government’s compensation for nuclear tests, Google hosted news, By The Associated Press (CP) 29 June 2010, ARCUEIL, France — Veterans and workers who fell ill after France’s nuclear tests in Algeria and the South Pacific have said the government’s measures to compensate victims did not go far enough…..victims’ associations said Monday the government has ruled out compensating many people who should qualify. Continue reading →

June 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, weapons and war | antinuclear, cancer, France, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Not hard to get hold of Highly Enriched Uranium, especially in Russia

What’s It Take to Build a Nuclear Weapon? | TakePart by Adam Trunell, 25 June 2010, The Nuclear Material “………The most important ingredient in a nuclear bomb is the nuclear stuff itself, which is also the hardest to get. No way can you find nuclear material like plutonium or highly enriched uranium stockpiled in a tool shed behind some half-hearted padlock. Right? Wrong.

Every nuclear-powered nation on the planet has nuclear material, and not all of it’s under lock and key. Civilian stockpiles in Europe and Japan aren’t staffed by armed guards, nor are most nuclear research reactors on U.S. college campuses.But if you’re looking for a truly easy score, try Russia. Continue reading →

June 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, weapons and war | antinuclear, depleted, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

British govt plays waiting game on compensation for nuclear test veterans

Nuclear test veteran fears he may not live to see final decision, Burton News & Staffordshire Newspaper by ROB SMYTH, 24 June 2010, A NUCLEAR test veteran has described how he believes his battle for compensation from the Government may not be won in his lifetime.Archie Ross, of Oak Close, Castle Gresley, made the claim as an appeal by the Ministry of Defence, against a decision to allow compensation for more than 1,000 servicemen, continues. Continue reading →

June 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | UK, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive | Leave a comment

Questions in Washington on costs of nuclear weapons

Langevin calls for precise tally of nuclear weapons costs , Projo 7 to 7 News Blog | Rhode Island news | The Providence Journal Jun 22, 2010 | John E. Mulligan, Washington bureau
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin has joined a Republican colleague in calling for a more precise accounting of what it costs to develop and maintain the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Continue reading →

June 23, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

The Bunker mentality – U.S. nuclear weapons plans

The Obama administration is making generous concessions to the nuclear industry presumably, as alluded to above, to win votes from Republicans….ways to keep the “nuclear-industrial complex” humming along,

Seed of Destruction: Nuclear ‘Pits’, Foreign Policy In Focus , By Russ Wellen, June 21, 2010 “……The nuclear-weapons industry adopted the word “pit” for the weapon’s core, which is power-packed with the varieties of uranium or plutonium isotopes capable of a warp-speed chain reaction. Yes, it’s a seed for the a chain reaction. ……the pit instead serves as a cache for .. a seed of destruction……

A project for their production is pivotal to the Obama administration’s plans for nuclear modernization. In a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists piece titled Bunker mentality: Is NNSA digging itself into a hole at Los Alamos?, Greg Mello writes that “as part of the New START ratification package, the administration projects $16 billion in new warhead spending over this decade.” Continue reading →

June 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, reactors | Leave a comment