Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies (CUWS) …

USAF Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies

(CUWS) Outreach Journal

Issue No.1215, 13 May 2016 United States Air Force Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies| Maxwell AFB, Alabama

https://cuws.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CUWS Phone: 334.953.7538

CUWS Outreach Journal 1215

13 May 2016

Feature Item: “China’s Expanding Ability to Conduct Conventional Missile Strikes on Guam.” Authored by Jordan Wilson, Policy Analyst, Security and Foreign Affairs; Published by U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Staff Research Report; May 10, 2016.

http://origin.www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/Staff%20Report_China%27s%20Expanding%20Ability%20to%20Conduct%20Conventional%20Missile%20Strikes%20on%20Guam.pdf

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) perceives that its legitimacy in the eyes of China’s citizens is based, in part, on its ability to demonstrate that it is capable of strengthening the nation and safeguarding China’s territorial interests and claims. Yet the CCP leadership believes the United States’ presence in the Asia Pacific could interfere with its ability to defend these interests and claims if a regional crisis were to arise. This concern has prompted Beijing to develop conventional missile capabilities to target U.S. military facilities in the Asia Pacific in general, and Guam in particular, in order to expand China’s options and improve its capacity to deter or deny U.S. intervention during such a crisis.

Several new conventional platforms and weapons systems developed by China in recent years have increased its ability to hold U.S. forces stationed on Guam at risk in a potential conflict. Currently, accuracy limitations and platform vulnerabilities render this risk relatively low, but China’s commitment to continuing to modernize its strike capabilities indicates the risk will likely grow going forward. The current array of Chinese conventional missiles able to reach Guam includes: 1) the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), not yet a precision strike weapon but potentially of concern in large numbers; 2) the DF-26 antiship ballistic missile (ASBM), unproven against a moving target at sea but undergoing further development; 3) air-launched land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs), launched from bombers with a high probability of being detected and intercepted by U.S. aircraft and anti-aircraft systems; 4) air-launched antiship cruise missiles (ASCMs), with the same aircraft limitation; 5) sea- launched ASCMs, of concern should the platforms be able to move into range undetected, a challenge for China’s relatively noisy submarines; and 6) sea-launched LACMs, which China does not currently field but is likely working to develop. To evaluate China’s ability to strike Guam going forward, the areas that should be monitored most closely are increased deployments of DF-26 missiles and qualitative improvements to China’s precision strike capabilities, bomber fleet, in-air refueling capability, and submarine quieting technology.

U.S. Nuclear Weapons

1. U.S. Nuclear Force Must Modernize to Deter Russia and China, General says 2. USAF Abandons Sole-Source UH-60M Black Hawk Plan

U.S. Counter-WMD

1. US Defense Shield Goes Live in Europe, Russia Condemns the Move 2. China Reiterates Opposition to U.S. Missile System in S. Korea

https://cuws.au.af.mil/

https://twitter.com/USAF_CUWS



USAF Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies CUWS Outreach Journal Maxwell AFB, Alabama



3. Putin: NATO’s Missile Shield Complex Activation in Romania Complicates Global Situation

U.S. Arms Control

1. East Siberian, Urals Missile Divisions to Get Sarmat ICBMs 2. Ex-US Official: Next Administration to Review Washington’s Nuclear Posture 3. Russia Developing New ICBMs Capable of Overcoming US Missile Shield — Commander 4. Problems with New Russian Ballistic Missile Cause Postponement of Tests — Source 5. Russia Could Drop START Treaty Due to New Air Defense Systems in Europe 6. Russia Starts Creating Elements of Rail-Mobile Ballistic Missile System — Source

Homeland Security/The Americas

1. Chinese Ballistic Missiles Dubbed ‘Guam Killer’ Pose Increasing threat to U.S. Island, Report says

Asia/Pacific

1. Chinese Nuclear Strategist Believes China’s MIRVs Are Decoys 2. Kim Jong-un Declares NK a Nuclear State 3. N.Korea 'Could Mount Nuke on Mid-Range Missile' 4. N.K. Commander Responsible for Failed Missile Tests Removed from Party Military

Committee 5. Party Charter Declares N.Korea a Nuclear State 6. N. Korea Shows No Indications of Impending Nuclear Test: 38 North 7. N.Korea's Ex-Army Chief 'Not Dead' 8. Japan Has Interceptors Stand Down as North Korea Missile Threat Abates 9. N. Korea Won't Test Nukes if Peace Treaty Talks Open: Experts 10. N.Korea Deploys Missiles along Chinese Border 11. Recent N. Korean Congress Replaces over Half of Party's Central Committee

Europe/Russia

1. Ex-CIA Analyst: Armenia May Have Stockpiles of Highly Radioactive Materials (exclusive)

Middle East

1. Saudi Prince: Getting Nuclear Weapons Possible 2. Commander Says Iran Tests 2000km-Range Ballistic Missile 3. Defense Chief Denies Iran Tested Missile with 2000-km Range 4. Iran to Drown US Warships if Threatened: IRGC 5. S-300 Missiles Handed to Country's Air Defense System 6. Iran to Launch Homegrown “Mesbah” Satellite into Orbit 7. IAEA Reports Confirm Iran Implementing Commitments under JCPOA: Deputy FM 8. IRGC Navy Commander: Iran Sees US as Only Threat







India/Pakistan

1. EXPRESS EXCLUSIVE: ICBM Agni-V Test Put on 'Hold' for Modi's US Visit

Commentary

1. Is Pyongyang’s No-First-Use Pledge New Stance? 2. Submerged Deterrence: China’s Struggle to Field an SSBN Fleet 3. Russia Is Building the Largest ICBM Ever (and America Should Be Worried) 4. NORTHCOM: How America Should Deal with Russia’s Nuclear “Deescalation” Doctrine

Return to Top

Air Force Times – Springfield, VA

U.S. Nuclear Force Must Modernize to Deter Russia and China, General says

By Phillip Swarts, Air Force Times

May 6, 2016

The U.S. must modernize its nuclear force to remain on-par with near-peer adversaries Russia and China, a top Air Force general said Friday.

Lt. Gen. Stephen “Seve” Wilson, the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said the U.S. has no choice but to modernize and update its nuclear force if it wants to continue deterring other nations.

“Broadly, our nation and our Department of Defense stopped thinking about deterrence in 1992,” Wilson said during a breakfast meeting hosted by the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute in Washington, D.C. “We need a really credible and ready and resilient nuclear force; and we’re doing just that. The department is investing a lot of money across the five-year defense plan on our nuclear force.”

The Pentagon is facing a “bow wave” of nuclear modernization costs in the early 2020s, when experts expect much of the Defense Department’s budget will be taken up by replacing and upgrading air-, land- and sea-based nuclear capabilities.

Wilson argued that replacing existing equipment is a critical step in allowing the U.S. to maintain its nuclear deterrence. Russia is already working on building new intercontinental ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles, and China isn’t far behind.

“They’re modernizing their forces,” he said. “Just last week [Russia] had another successful hypersonic glide vehicle test.”

The boost-glide technology is a way of allowing missiles to achieve hypersonic speeds — generally considered to be above Mach 5 — by sending the missile to the upper reaches of the atmosphere and essentially letting the warhead fall back to Earth. Such speeds could overcome most missile defense systems and cut down on a target’s reaction time. It’s a technology both Russian and China are researching.






“Speed matters. Speed complicates anything,” Wilson said, adding that he could see a role for similar technology as part of a U.S. deterrence plan. “Our adversaries are doing that because it complicates any kind of defense. As technology moves forward, I think that technology will become important. As adversaries build up capability, they do it to defeat our missile defenses. We’re going to pursue that same type of technology.”

Wilson said he’s also looking to the new B-21, which is expected to enter service sometime in the 2020s.

“Our B-2s and our B-52s are the most flexible leg of our triad. They also provide a really significant conventional capability,” he said. “Yet look at the B-52, it’s over 60 years old. And our younger B-2 is over 25 years old. So I’m really heartened and pleased to see the progress we’re making on a new bomber, the B-21. … What bombers bring in payload, range, mass, precision and persistence are unique capabilities.”

The general also noted that Navy's Ohio-class nuclear submarines will be more than 40 years old by the time of their planned retirement.

“Salt water, metallurgy, physics happens. We need to replace those subs,” he said.

It is a “remarkably and challenging complex world that we live in,” Wilson said, and that it’s only become more so in the past 24 months.

“In February of 2014, I was addressing the AFA group in Orlando,” he said. “I didn’t talk about Ukraine, I didn’t talk about Crimea, I didn’t talk about ISIS, I didn’t talk about Boko Haram, I didn’t talk about new islands in the South China Seas … I didn’t talk about Sony cyber attacks, I didn’t talk about OPM data breaches … I didn’t talk about North Korean nuclear tests … I didn’t talk about Ebola virus or Zika … I didn’t talk about Paris attacks, I didn’t talk about Brussels attacks … I didn’t talk about any of the enormous refugee crises or migration challenges going across Europe and the Middle East.”

“I didn’t talk about any of those because at the time none of that existed,” Wilson said.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2016/05/06/us-nuclear-force-must-modernize-deter-russia-and-china-general-says/84022832/

Return to Top

Flightglobal.com – London, U.K.

USAF Abandons Sole-Source UH-60M Black Hawk Plan

By James Drew

12 May, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC -- The US Air Force has decided against sole-sourcing a portion of its Bell UH-1N replacement requirement to Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky for the UH-60M Black Hawk, instead reverting back to an earlier plan for a “full and open competition” to replace all 62 Vietnam War-era Hueys.

Air Force Global Strike Command uses two dozen UH-1Ns to guard America’s nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles at three expansive air force based in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota.









The air force had been considering replaced those Hueys as a priority by piggybacking on a US Army multi-year contract for Black Hawks – acquiring 41 examples for an estimated $1.4 billion. The remaining Hueys would be replaced via competitive tender.

The air force initiated a Huey replacement programme last year after abandoning an earlier Common Vertical Lift Support Platform (CVLSP) acquisition in 2012. The new procurement furnishes up to 72 new helicopters via an open competition, but the commander of US Strategic Command requested that the air force speed up the process, prompting leadership to consider a quick, sole-source Black Hawk buy.

“The air force attempted to accelerate UH-1N replacement deliveries into fiscal year 2018 via the Economy Act by requesting an above threshold reprogramming (ATR), but the department decided against an ATR and opted to continue with the FY2017 president's budget plan to compete the contract,” a service spokesman explains in an email to Flightglobal on 11 May. “After thorough review, the department remains committed to a competitive acquisition approach, as reflected in the FY2017 budget plan. The air force has taken multiple steps to mitigate shortfalls in mission requirements to enhance readiness and security of the nation's nuclear deterrent.”

The proposal to acquire new M-models via the army attracted strong support as well as criticism from various factions in Congress. The air force already knows that the Black Hawk meets the ICBM security mission requirements in terms of speed, range, armaments and troop carrying capacity, and some lawmakers said buying new UH-60Ms would achieve better unit pricing for the military and quicken the UH-1N’s inevitable retirement. Others say it unfairly sidelines other alternatives assembled in America like the Bell Helicopter UH-1Y Venom, Airbus UH-72A Lakota and Leonardo AW139.

The air force believed the Black Hawk plan would meet an immediate need while allowing for a separate competition to replace the remaining UH-1N fleet, such as those operated by the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Andrews AFB in Maryland, which shuttles government officials around Washington DC and would transport them to safety in the event of an attack. Another handful of Hueys support base logistics overseas and weapons testing at home. Recently refurbished TH-1H models are used to train pilot at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico.

The air force has tried multiple times to replace the Huey. After abandoning the CVLSP effort in 2012, the service devised another plan that would refurbish excess army A-model Back Hawks at the Corpus Christi Army Depot in Texas. Those legacy helicopters would be zero-timed and upgraded to the L-model configuration, but that plan was abandoned in favour of new airframes.

The air force expects to award a contract for a UH-1N replacement aircraft in mid-2017 and weapons integration and testing would run through 2020, according to service budget documents.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-abandons-sole-source-uh-60m-black-hawk-plan-425277/

Return to Top








Deutsche Welle (DW) – Bonn, Germany

US Defense Shield Goes Live in Europe, Russia Condemns the Move

Russia has reacted strongly to the deployment of a US missile system to Romania, calling it a "threat" to its security. The defense system became operational Thursday amid increased tensions between Russia and the West.

12 May 2016

Although, Washington insists that its European missile shield is not meant to counter Russia, Moscow seems to be unconvinced by the assurance.

"From the very beginning of this whole story, we have said that according to our experts' opinion, we are convinced that the deployment of the missile defense system is truly a threat to Russia's security," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

A US missile defense interception station in southern Romania became operational on Thursday. It will become part of a larger NATO missile shield to defend the alliance's member states against possible ballistic attacks.

"Today the United States and Romania make history in delivering this system to the NATO alliance," said Mark Ferguson, the US commander in Europe and Africa, at an inauguration ceremony alongside NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg at Deveselu, south of the Romanian capital Bucharest.

Earlier this month, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said his country was bolstering its own mechanisms to counter the "build-up of NATO forces in close proximity to Russia's borders."

'Not designed to undermine Russia'

Speaking in Bucharest, Assistant Secretary of State Frank Rose told a news conference before the system was made operational that turning on the defense shield did not represent a security threat to Moscow, despite the Kremlin's concerns.

"Both the US and NATO have made it clear the system is not designed for or capable of undermining Russia's strategic deterrence capability," Rose told reporters.

"Russia has repeatedly raised concerns that the US and NATO defense are directed against Russia and represents a threat to its strategic nuclear deterrent. Nothing could be further from the truth."

In spite of repeated assurances, the Kremlin maintains that the real purpose of the defense shield is to provide the US with enough military might to neutralize Russia's nuclear arsenal in order to make a first strike, in the event a war breaks out.

Work on the Deveselu station, in the south of Romania, began in October 2013 and is estimated to have cost some $800 million (700 million euros).

The station is equipped with a battery of SM-2 missile interceptors and will be officially integrated into the NATO missile defense shield at the organization's summit in Warsaw in July.

(AP, AFP, Reuters)

http://www.dw.com/en/us-defense-shield-goes-live-in-europe-russia-condemns-the-move/a-19251999

Return to Top









Xinhua News – Beijing, China

China Reiterates Opposition to U.S. Missile System in S. Korea

Source: Xinhua

May 13, 2016

WASHINGTON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China has reiterated its staunch opposition to Washington's planned deployment of an advanced missile defense system in South Korea.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong on Thursday conveyed the message to his counterpart, Rose Gottemoeller, in an arms control dialogue in Washington.

The United States began to plan the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system in South Korea after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched in early February a rocket, which was seen as a long-range ballistic missile launch.

The U.S. missile shield can intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight.

China has repeatedly and unequivocally expressed its opposition to the plan, saying that such a move will exacerbate regional tensions and seriously harm the strategic security interests of China and other countries in the region.

In the dialogue, the two sides exchanged in-depth views on regional and global security issues of common concern, including global nuclear governance, outer space safety, missile defense, and non-proliferation.

The next round of dialogue will be held in the second half of this year.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-05/13/c_135357346.htm

Return to Top

TASS Russian News Agency – Moscow, Russia

Putin: NATO’s Missile Shield Complex Activation in Romania Complicates Global Situation

According to the president, deployment of US missile defense system in Europe is not protection but nuclear potential buildup, and Russia has to think of steps to take

May 13, 2016

SOCHI, May 13. /TASS/. The deployment of a radar system in Romania complicates the international situation around Russia, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with military commanders on Friday.

"The latest developments suggest that the situation is not changing for the better. Unfortunately, it is being aggravated, considering the deployment of a radar station in Romania as an element of the US missile defense shield system," Putin said.

Russia has numerously voiced its concerns over the deployment of NATO’s missile shield and offered cooperation with US partners, which was actually rejected, Putin said.

"We have spoken a lot about our concerns, proposed cooperation and joint work with American partners. All this was rejected, as a matter of fact," Putin said at a meeting on the development of



http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-05/13/c_135357346.htm




Russia’s defense industry. He expressed regret that Washington offered no concrete work on this issue.

An official ceremony was held at Deveselu in Romania on Thursday to make operational the ground-based missile shield complex Aegis. The site on an area of 175 hectares comprises a radar station, the missile shield batteries’ operational control center and mobile batteries MK-41 with SM-3 (Standard-3) interceptor missiles.

Russia to take steps to reduce national security threats

Putin stressed that Russia has to think of reducing national security threats posed by deployment of the NATO missile defense system in Europe.

‘Now that the elements of the [NATO] missile defense system have been deployed [in Europe], we will have to think of how to reduce the threats arising for Russia’s national security," the head of state noted.

"We are not going to be dragged into this race but we will follow our own path and will work extremely carefully in order not to exceed our plans to finance the retooling of our army and fleet, which we drafted a few years ago. However, we are going to adjust these plans to reduce threats to Russia’s national security," he added.

Absence of Iranian nuclear threat

The Russian president has also pointed out that the creation of the NATO missile defense system continues despite the absence of Iran’s nuclear threat.

"Let’s remember that just a few years ago all our opponents were saying in one voice that our partners in the West, in Europe and in the United States needed the missile defense system to avert the missile and nuclear threats from Iran. Where are these nuclear threats from Iran now? They are absent. But the creation of the missile defense system continues," the president said.

"If by using their capabilities in world media they are still able to mislead someone into believing that it does not threaten Russia or that it is only a system of defense, no one present at this table, at this session will be misled by them. Nothing like this, this is not a defensive system, this is a part of US strategic nuclear potential taken to the periphery," Putin said adding that by periphery he means Eastern Europe.

Putin said that the United States itself signed an agreement with Iran as one of its initiators. "Indeed, they did everything right; we supported this position of the US administration," Putin said.

US creating conditions for breaching INF Treaty

According to Putin, the United States is creating conditions for breaching the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (the INF), which causes concern.

"This [the deployment of the missile shield system in Europe] is an additional threat for us," Putin said.

"After the US unilateral withdrawal from the anti-ballistic missile treaty, which was clearly the first step towards the attempts to disrupt the strategic balance of forces in the world, this will be the second blow against the system of international security, i.e. the creation of conditions for breaching the INF Treaty," the Russian president said.

"This causes our additional concerns," Putin said.

http://tass.ru/en/politics/875525

Return to Top



http://tass.ru/en/politics/875525






East Siberian, Urals Missile Divisions to Get Sarmat ICBMs

The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is being developed to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda ICBM, also known as the RS-20V missile

May 06, 2016

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS /. The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) will replace the Voyevoda ICBM in divisions in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in East Siberia and in the Orenburg Region in the South Urals, Russian Strategic Missile Force Commander Sergey Karakayev said on Friday.

In particular, Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles will arrive for the missile division based in Uzhur in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in East Siberia and the Dombarovsky position area in the Orenburg Region in the South Urals, Karakayev added.

"The development of the Sarmat silo-based missile system with a heavy missile is nearing completion. It will replace the Voyevoda missile system in the Uzhur missile division and the Dombarovsky position area," the commander said.

According to him, Russia’s Strategic Missile Force continues receiving Yars missile systems with ground-mobile and silo-based missiles.

The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is being developed to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda ICBM, also known as the RS-20V missile.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said earlier that the new missile’s warhead would have a weight of ten tons.

A defense source told TASS earlier that the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is expected to be made operational in late 2018.

http://tass.ru/en/defense/874290

Return to Top

Sputnik International – Russian Information Agency

Ex-US Official: Next Administration to Review Washington’s Nuclear Posture

Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy Brad Roberts claims that the next US administration will carry out a review of the overall US nuclear posture, including of forces in Europe.

7 May 2016

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The next US administration will carry out a review of the overall US nuclear posture, including of forces in Europe, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy Brad Roberts told Sputnik.

"The US posture in Europe will certainly be part of the overall review that the next administration does," Roberts said.







Each new US president since 1993 has undertaken a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) — a comprehensive Department of Defense-led assessment of the security environment and the role of nuclear forces within that context. The review then establishes US nuclear policy, strategy and force posture for the next five to ten years.

Roberts, who led President Barack Obama’s 2010 NPR, stated that the current nuclear-sharing arrangement within NATO, featuring a forward-deployed US nuclear deterrent, is "sound" for short- and longer-term security.

"I hope the next administration doesn't change it," Roberts added.

In a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Thursday, Roberts explained that the next administration will also review US ballistic missile defense. This could include a debate he said the United States "would like to avoid," namely asking the question, "is missile defense in Europe about Russia [and] should it be?"

In addition to the NPR, the Department of Defense is legally obligated to carry out a Ballistic Missile Defense review to evaluate the threat environment and establish a defense posture relative to current and future ballistic missile challenges.

Neither of the two presumptive US presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have put forward a clear position on how they will address the US nuclear posture if they win the White House in 2016.

"It [NATO] is prepared to withdraw remaining US nuclear weapons on the basis of reciprocal steps by Russia, taking account of the huge disparity in numbers between NATO and Russian nuclear forces in Europe," Roberts said on Friday.

Brad Roberts also noted that the United States and Russia have until the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) to mend ties and extend work on nuclear arms control.

"Until we find some point of political agreement about Russia’s desire for… a particular order and the west’s desire for a Europe that is whole and free. Until we come to that point, it is difficult to think that we are going to build new arms control agreements," Roberts said on Friday.

He added that the US and Russia have until New START Treaty expires in 2021 — or 2026, if it is extended — to reach a new agreement, "so we have some time to work this out."

http://sputniknews.com/military/20160507/1039223588/usa-administration-review-nuclear-europe.html

Return to Top


Russia Developing New ICBMs Capable of Overcoming US Missile Shield — Commander

According to the official, threats from the US missile defense system in Europe do not critically reduce combat capabilities of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces

May 10, 2016

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/. Russia is developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with special attention paid to their ability to penetrate the US missile shield, Russia’s Strategic Missile Force (SMF) Commander Sergey Karakayev said on Tuesday.









Russia is currently carrying out active work on improving its means of overcoming the missile shield, he said.

"This is conditioned by the fact that the United States is not stopping after what it has achieved and continues improving its missile defense system, including the deployment of its elements in Europe. That is why, special attention in the development of new missile complexes is paid to the issue of overcoming the missile shield," Karakayev said.

Capabilities of Russian ballistic missiles increase "by reducing ICBM’s acceleration section, introducing new types of warheads with the flight path that is difficult to predict and new means of overcoming the missile defense system," Karakayev went on. Russian missiles are also capable of delivering warheads via energy optimal trajectory and of striking from multiple directions, "which forces the opposing side to ensure perimeter missile defense," he concluded.

"This is achieved both through the ICBM’s shorter acceleration phase and new types of warheads with a hard-to-predict flight trajectory and new means of overcoming the missile shield," the commander said.

According to the official, threats from the US missile defense system in Europe do not critically reduce combat capabilities of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces because Russian missiles are constantly upgraded.

"Threats from the European segment of missile defense system for SMF are limited and do not critically reduce combat capabilities of SMF," Karakayev said.

Strategic Missile Forces to have equal number of mobile, stationary ICBM launchers by 2021

Kartakayev said that Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces will have an equal number of stationary and mobile ground ICBM launchers by 2021.

"Considering the ratios of stationary and mobile groupings of the Strategic Missile Forces, it can be noted that at the turn of 2021, the quantitative indicators of these groupings will come to equal each other. However, the capabilities of the stationary grouping will continue to be higher due to the availability of heavy missiles," the commander said.

Yars missile systems to make half of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces

The official has also noted that the Yars missile systems will make up half of the total effective combat strength of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces by 2021.

"By late 2021, the Yars missile system will make up about half of the SMF effective combat strength," he said.

According to him, practically all the mobile land-based missile divisions will be rearmed with this system, and the Tatishchevo (partly) and Kozelsk missile divisions will get the silo-based version of the Yars system.

"The Yars missile system will form the basis of the forces’ mobile grouping. The SMF rearming with this system will offset the forces’ effective combat strength cuts at the turn of 2021 due to the forced decommissioning of the Topol mobile ground missile system the operating life of which will expire by the time, he said.

According to him, a large number of combat equipment versions of the new missile systems Yars in conjunction with modern antimissile defense suppression systems installed on them will considerably improve capabilities of the advanced mobile grouping.






Previously, Strategic Missile Force commander’s aide, Colonel General Viktor Yesin said that it is planned to fully equip all missile divisions of the Strategic Missile Forces with the Yars and Yars-M mobile ground missile systems with the RS-26 missile in 2021.

The RS-24 Yars is Russia’s new intercontinental ballistic missile. It is an improved version of the previous Topol-M. It is known in the West as SS-29. It uses the same 16x16 wheeled chassis as the Topol-M. Externally it looks similar. However it carries an improved, heavier missile. The Yars was developed both as a road-mobile and silo-based system, that would use the same missile. It was first tested in 2007 and was adopted by the Russian Strategic Missile Forces in 2010.

No new major test sites

Karakayev has also pointed out that there are no plans for creating any more major test sites for ICBMs, but the emergence of mobile test facilities is a possibility.

"Of late, there was a boom in the development of systems monitoring the tests of our missiles and special weapons, which allow for tracking the entire flight path of the delivery vehicles and warheads. This does not suit us for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, there are no immediate plans for creating more major test sites," he said.

Karakayev said progress in digital information technologies, measurement means and the testing base allowed for the creation of re-deployable test complexes.

"Moreover, the legal and regulatory base will allow the Strategic Missile Force to alienate for certain periods of time and use new required areas where dummy warheads might fall. Moreover, economically this is more feasible," he said.

Russia’s strategic missile force to have 70% of advanced weapons by 2018

According to Karakayev, the share of the strategic missile force’s advanced hardware will reach 70% by 2018.

"The successful implementation of rearmament measures will build up the share of advanced missile complexes from 56% this year to 70% by January 1, 2018 and to 100% by 2022," he said.

Karakayev said that the pace of the strategic missile force’s rearmament was established with due regard for the emergence of new types of missiles defenses, the withdrawal of previous generation inter-continental ballistic missiles from operation, compliance with international contracts and the capabilities of Russia’s arms manufacturing industry.

"In any case, the priority task of all rearmament plans is to guarantee the strategic missile force’s capability to cope with diversified nuclear deterrence tasks," Karakayev said.

Sarmat, Voyevoda heavy ICBM to four times excel light-class missiles

Tactical effectiveness of the grouping of the Voyevoda and Sarmat heavy stationary intercontinental ballistic missiles is four times higher than that of the light-class Topol-M and Yars stationary missiles, Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) Colonel General Sergei Karakayev told journalists on Tuesday.

"The performance of the stationary grouping of the heavy ICBM (of the Voyevoda or Sarmat class) will four times surpass that of the stationary grouping of the light-class ICBM (Topol-M, Yars) by all the RVSN grouping tactical effectiveness parameters," he said.

The RS-28 Sarmat is the state-of-the-art heavy liquid-propelled ICBM currently being developed for the Russian army.







It is designed to replace the old Soviet R-36M missiles Voyevoda, codenamed Satan by NATO, as the heavy silo-based component of Russia's nuclear deterrence. The RS-28 has been in development since 2009 and is scheduled to start replacing the old ICBMs in 2018.


Return to Top


Problems with New Russian Ballistic Missile Cause Postponement of Tests — Source

According to the source, the tests were previously postponed because the silo was not ready, and now the missile is not ready

May 11, 2016

MOSCOW, May 11. /TASS/. Tests of the prototype of Russia's new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile have been postponed till the second half of 2016 - the launcher at the Plesetsk space center has been prepared, however, there are problems with the missile, a source in the Russian defense industry complex told TASS on Wednesday.

"The missile’s pop-up tests have been postponed until the second half of the year", the source said.

According to him, "The tests were previously postponed because the silo was not ready, and now the missile is not ready." The source said that the silo’s refurbishment for Sarmat was completed in April.

TASS has no official confirmation to this information.

Another source in the defense industry told TASS previously that the pop-up tests of Sarmat would take place in the second quarter of this year. They were planned for March, but then it turned out that launching silo was not ready.

The new-generation liquid propellant ICBM Sarmat is to replace the world’s largest strategic missile R-36M2 Voyevoda, also known as the RS-20V missile which is close to the life cycle expiration date. Earlier, strategic missile force commander Sergei Karakayev said the strategic missile Sarmat was being developed by a group of defense industry enterprises under the Makeyev State Missile Center. According to Karakayev, Sarmat will replace Voyevoda in the missile divisions near Orenburg and Krasnoyarsk.


Return to Top








Sputnik International – Russian Information Agency

Russia Could Drop START Treaty Due to New Air Defense Systems in Europe

Moscow could withdraw from the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in response to new air defense systems being deployed in Eastern Europe, a senior Russian official said.

12 May 2016

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia could exit the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in response to the deployment of new air defense systems in Eastern Europe, the head of Russia's Arms Committee in the upper house of parliament said Thursday.

“This is obviously an extreme measure and I hope this won’t go that far, but it’s no coincidence that the Russian Parliament in ratifying the new START included a clause that the deployment of air defense systems could be one of the reasons Russia leaves the agreement,” Viktor Ozerov said.

On Thursday, the US Aegis Ashore air defense system is to be officially deployed in Romania, and on Friday the construction of a similar complex is to begin in Poland.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20160512/1039489776/russia-start-air-defense.html

Return to Top


Russia Starts Creating Elements of Rail-Mobile Ballistic Missile System — Source

The timeframe for the construction of the system will be clarified in 2018

May 12, 2016

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. Russia has started the creation of separate elements of the Barguzin rail-mobile ballistic missile system, a source in the Russian defense industry complex said on Thursday.

"The design documentation has been elaborated, separate elements of the system are being created, but there is no specific timeframe for its completion and making operational," the source said.

According to him, the timeframe will be clarified in 2018.

In 2014, Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Sergei Karakayev said that by the decision of the president, Russia started the reconstruction of the rail-based ICBM system Barguzin and its front end engineering design has been completed. Russia withdrew railway-based inter-continental ballistic missiles from operation in 2005. Their successor Barguzin, according to Strategic Missile Force expectations, will surpass by far the parameters of its predecessor and remain in active service at least till 2040. The New START Treaty does not prohibit the creation of such weapons.

According to previous reports, one train of Russia's future rail-mobile missile system Barguzin will carry up to six intercontinental ballistic missiles developed on the basis of the Yars ICBM and will be equivalent to a regiment. A Russian defense industry source told TASS that one regiment of the recreated new-generation Barguzin system will be able to carry six Yars or Yars-M intercontinental ballistic missiles. One Barguzin division will comprise five regiments. It was initially planned to put the system into operation in 2019-2020.



http://sputniknews.com/military/20160512/1039489776/russia-start-air-defense.html





In December 2015, a Russian defense source told TASS that due to financial difficulties the Barguzin development works have been postponed for more than a year and will be completed no earlier than 2020.


Return to Top

The Washington Post – Washington, D.C.

Chinese Ballistic Missiles Dubbed ‘Guam Killer’ Pose Increasing threat to U.S. Island, Report says

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff

May 11, 2016

While China has long had the ability to strike Guam with long-range nuclear missiles, the Chinese military is expending an increasing amount of resources to hit the key U.S. island with more conventional weapons in the event of a conflict, according to a government report released Tuesday.

The report, first reported on by the Washington Free Beacon and published by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, focuses on the threat posed by the recent introduction of new Chinese ballistic and cruise missiles and China’s ongoing efforts to refine technology that would allow their weapons to accurately hit U.S. assets on Guam and other surrounding islands.

Of particular concern, according to the report, is the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile. With a supposed range of 2,500 miles, the missile has been dubbed the “Guam Killer” or “Guam Express,” because of its ability to hit the U.S. island after being launched from mainland China.

“Combined with improved air- and sea-launched cruise missiles and modernizing support systems, the DF-26 would allow China to bring a greater diversity and quality of assets to bear against Guam in a contingency than ever before,” the report says.

The DF-26 is China’s first conventional ballistic missile capable of reaching Guam, and its modular design allows it to hold various types of warheads, including nuclear payloads. After its debut in a military parade in September, the missile “has likely been deployed as an operational weapon,” though in small numbers, according to the report.

Guam currently hosts upwards of 5,000 U.S. personnel, multiple military facilities, and four nuclear-powered submarines. Additionally, there is a contingent of rotating multi-role jet fighters and bombers, as well as the presence of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile battery that can detect and intercept ballistic missiles such as the DF-26.







While the report assesses an attack on Guam as low, the continued introduction and deployment of new weapons that can threaten U.S. interests in the region is part of a broader Chinese strategy designed to resist U.S. responses to its territorial claims.

Nowhere is this resistance more apparent than in the South China Sea, where China has continually funneled military resources, including surface to air and anti-ship missiles, onto a slew of man-made islands in an effort to secure its self-proclaimed territorial waters. Numerous islands in the area have been claimed by multiple countries, including China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The United States, in support of its regional allies, has contested Chinese claims by playing a game of brinkmanship in the form of what the Pentagon calls “Freedom of Navigation Operations.” On Tuesday, the USS William P. Lawrence, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 miles of a Chinese claimed island, prompting an immediate Chinese response in the form of three warships and a detachment of fighter aircraft that responded to the area. It was the third such operation since October.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the U.S. destroyer entered the area without China’s permission and “threatened China’s sovereignty.”

U.S. officials said the operation was well within the bounds of international law and demonstrated that the United States will not be deterred by China’s claims.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/05/11/chinese-ballistic-missiles-dubbed-guam-killer-pose-increasing-threat-to-u-s-island-report-says/

Return to Top

The Diplomat – Tokyo, Japan

Chinese Nuclear Strategist Believes China’s MIRVs Are Decoys

China may be playing a nuclear shell game.

By Ben Lowsen

May 07, 2016

During a discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Professor Li Bin, a nuclear strategist at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, said he didn’t believe that China had deployed MIRVs (multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicles), but that “on one missile there is one real warhead and many decoys” and that these decoys are in fact “missile defense countermeasures.”

Li further speculated that “China wants to understand the technology,” suggesting that the People’s Republic is testing MIRV systems without actually having one ready for immediate use. He is personally against China deploying actual MIRVs because it would place Beijing “in a more dangerous situation” of “use or lose.” The decoys, however, would “not change strategic stability.”

Contrary to Li’s assertions, the U.S. Defense Department believes that China has in fact deployed MIRVs. In its latest annual report to Congress on China’s military capabilities, the Department claimed for the first time that China possessed MIRV-equipped nuclear weapons, specifically identifying China’s Dong Feng (DF)-5 ICBM missile. The newly developed DF-41 ICBM may be MIRV-equipped as well.





http://thediplomat.com/authors/ben-lowsen/





Hans M. Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists writes that MIRV missiles “deliver two or more warheads against different targets,” potentially hitting “targets separated by over 1,500 kilometers.”

Because the most prominent feature of a nuclear arsenal is its total number of missiles, MIRVs serve as a way for nuclear powers to obscure the number of locations they might threaten with nuclear strikes. This makes even a small number of missiles into an immediate existential threat to other countries.

Li seems to be suggesting China’s MIRV decoys would misdirect an opponent’s missile defense systems, increasing the likelihood of the real warhead hitting its target. This would be in response to China’s perceived threat of U.S. missile defense systems.

It may, however, be impossible for China’s opponents to distinguish between decoy MIRVs designed to fool missile defenses and the genuine article, making China’s development of decoy MIRVs appear aggressive. Simply insisting that the systems are decoys would do little to mitigate this, which is why I believe the perception that China has MIRVs, whether real or decoy, will have a significant impact on the strategic balance. In other words, the other major powers and their allies, including the United States, Russia, and India among others, will take steps to counter the perceived change of balance.

According to the 2014 U.S. report, “China’s new generation of mobile missiles, with payloads consisting of Multiple Independently Targeted Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) and penetration aids, are intended to ensure the viability of China’s strategic deterrent in the face of continued advances in U.S. and, to a lesser extent, Russian strategic ISR, precision strike, and missile defense capabilities.”

In this sense, the United States and China agree that China’s potential MIRVs are in response to U.S. missile defense. The question of whether they make a devastating loss more likely or in fact threaten even greater destruction is one that both countries and the entire world will take very seriously.

Li, a professor of Sino-U.S. relations specializing in nuclear issues, is currently in the United States as a senior associate with the Carnegie Endowment. The talk took place on Thursday, May 5 in Washington, D.C.

http://thediplomat.com/2016/05/chinese-nuclear-strategist-chinas-mirvs-are-decoys/

Return to Top

The Korea Times – Seoul, South Korea

Kim Jong-un Declares NK a Nuclear State

Denuclearization remark seen as tactic for talks with US

By Jun Ji-hye

May 8, 2016

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that his country will not use nuclear weapons first unless the regime’s sovereignty is violated, declaring the isolated nation a nuclear weapons state, according to the North’s state media Sunday.



http://thediplomat.com/2016/05/chinese-nuclear-strategist-chinas-mirvs-are-decoys/




His remarks at the ongoing seventh Workers’ Party Congress came at a time when South Korea is bracing for a possible fifth nuclear test by the regime, following a fourth test in January.

Kim also said his regime will strive to achieve global denuclearization.

“As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nuclear weapons,” Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “It will faithfully fulfill its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearization.”

Regarding inter-Korean relations, the young leader, believed to be 33 years old, said that an urgent task for now was to fundamentally improve relations between the two Koreas to open a new chapter for unification.

He made the remarks during the rare party congress. The event kicked off Friday, 36 years after the previous event took place in 1980 under the rule of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong-un.

This is the first time that Kim has spoken of denuclearization since he inherited the leadership of the nation following the sudden death of his father Kim Jong-il in late 2011.

Kim also suggested holding the South-North military talks, saying that such talks are necessary to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim then unveiled a five-year plan to boost economic growth, stressing the need to increase its electricity supply. However, the economic plan lacked details, according to experts.

Nothing more than propaganda

The South Korean government downplayed Kim’s remarks, saying that he clearly indicated his intention not to denuclearize. The government said his statement meant that he will not abandon the nuclear program unless the whole world does so.

“There was no positive message regarding the North’s nuclear program,” a government official told reporters on the condition of anonymity. “The North just maintained its existing demand that the world accept the North as a nuclear power state.”

The government also rejected the North’s offer for inter-Korean military dialogue, branding it as sheer propaganda with no authenticity.

“The North’s proposal is merely a propaganda drive with no sincerity as it speaks of inter-Korean dialogue while continuing to develop a nuclear arsenal,” the unification ministry said in a statement, pointing out that the North has not halted its provocations against the South.

Experts say that Kim’s mention of denuclearization should be construed as an attempt to pave the way for negotiations toward disarmament and a peace treaty with the United States, rather than sincerely declaring the abandonment of its nuclear ambitions.

“Kim said ‘global denuclearization,’ not ‘denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,’” Lee In-bae, a director of the Korean Peninsula Future Forum, told reporters. “I believe Kim intended to lay the groundwork for an arms control agreement with the U.S. It is hard to interpret the remarks as saying that the regime will give up its nuclear weapons. It will be necessary to wait and see the North’s next moves.”

Experts also said that Kim apparently made a diplomatic gesture, by mentioning denuclearization and unification between the two Koreas, as a means to seek an exit strategy from harsher sanctions imposed by the international community.







“Kim has apparently tried to open the sluice gate for the regime to engage in dialogue before international sanctions become even tougher,” Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, told reporters.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) imposed the harshest sanctions yet on the Kim regime in early March for the isolationist’s state’s fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch in February. Unilateral sanctions from major countries including the U.S. followed afterward.

The party congress has been taking place amid growing speculation that the repressive state may carry out an additional nuclear test. But Kim’s mention of denuclearization apparently reduced the possibility of an additional test, according to experts.

Touching on external relations, the North’s leader said Pyongyang is open to improving ties with what the North calls hostile forces.

“The the Workers’ Party and the DPRK government will improve and normalize relations with those countries that respect the sovereignty of the DPRK and are friendly towards it, though they have been hostile toward it in the past,” Kim was quoted as saying.

The DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/05/116_204237.html

Return to Top

The Chosun Ilbo – Seoul, South Korea

N.Korea 'Could Mount Nuke on Mid-Range Missile'

May 9, 2016

North Korea is now capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a short- to mid-range missile capable of hitting targets in South Korea and Japan, the New York Times claimed Saturday.

The paper cited South Korean and U.S. intelligence sources as claiming the information was based on "intelligence gleaned from high-level defectors, analysis of propaganda images and data collected from North Korean missile and nuclear tests, which have accelerated over the past six months."

But experts believe it will take many more years before North Korea develops an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the continental U.S.

North Korea has Scud missiles with a range of 300 to 700 km and Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km.

Jeffrey Lewis of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies said on the website 38 North in March that North Korea appears to have succeeded in developing a nuclear warhead measuring 60 cm in diameter and weighing between 200 to 300 kg.

The daily said the North's progress in nuclear arms development poses new obstacles to the North Korea policy of the Obama administration.

Obama's policy of "strategic patience" -- not overreacting to the North’s missile and nuclear tests, while using sanctions to press it to negotiate -- had practically failed, it claimed.



http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/05/116_204237.html




A military official here disagreed. "North Korea has made significant progress in miniaturizing a nuclear warhead, but we can't find any evidence that it is capable of mounting them on a missile," he said.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2016/05/09/2016050900988.html

Return to Top

Yonhap News Agency – Seoul, South Korea

N.K. Commander Responsible for Failed Missile Tests Removed from Party Military Committee

May 10, 2016

SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- The North Korean military commander responsible for the country's recent botched missile launches was removed from the ruling party's central military commission, the results of the party congress showed Tuesday.

The name of Gen. Kim Rak-gyom, the chief commander of the North Korean military's strategic forces in charge of missile operations, was omitted when the North released the list of the reshuffled Central Military Commission at the closure of the congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

Along with Kim, other officials were let go, which caused a downsizing of the commission to a 12-member body.

South Korean military officials said the move may have been punishment for the back-to-back failures of the Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

"We are paying close attention to the exclusion of strategic forces commander Kim Rak-gyom from the Central Military Commission," one official here said. "We need to study further personnel decisions, but the likelihood is that Kim may have been held accountable for (the failed launches)."

On the anniversary of founder Kim Il-sung's birthday on April 15, North Korea conducted its first-ever test-launch of the Musudan, which the country has deployed since 2007. This missile carried on a mobile launch platform has a reported range of 3,000-4,000 kilometers.

After the first missile blew up only a few seconds after its launch, North Korea fired two more Musudans in a single day on April 28. Both these missile launches have been confirmed to have failed.

Another test-firing of the North's submarine-launched ballistic missile on April 23 added to the failures, with the missile shot off from a submarine in the East Sea exploding into three pieces after soaring only 30 km.

The failures dealt a crushing blow to leader Kim's much-trumpeted push to develop nuclear-armed missiles to launch attacks as far as the United States mainland.

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2016/05/10/0401000000AEN20160510013400315.html

Return to Top











Party Charter Declares N.Korea a Nuclear State

May 10, 2016

North Korea on Monday revised the charter of the Workers Party to enshrine leader Kim Jong-un's disastrous doctrine of pursuing nuclear and economic development in tandem.

With the revision the North openly declares its refusal to comply with international demands to scrap its nuclear weapons program.

Kim said the new doctrine is a strategic road map that must be pursued "permanently" and vowed to strengthen the country's nuclear force. Yet he declared the North a "responsible nuclear weapons state" and vowed it "will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nuclear weapons."

The Workers Party's charter stands above the constitution. In 2012, the first year after he rose to power, Kim revised the constitution and inserted a clause declaring it a "nuclear-armed state."

A government official here said, "Now any attempt at denuclearization would constitute subversion, so Seoul needs to make fundamental changes in its approach to dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons program."


Return to Top

The Korea Herald – Seoul, South Korea

N. Korea Shows No Indications of Impending Nuclear Test: 38 North

May 11, 2016

Vehicles are no longer visible at the command center of North Korea's nuclear test site, a U.S. website monitoring the communist nation said Tuesday, brushing aside what was previously considered a possible sign of nuclear test preparations.

Four vehicles were seen at the center in last week's satellite imagery of the North's Punggye-ri test site, sparking speculation it could be a sign that the North is preparing to conduct what would be its fifth nuclear test, just a few months after the fourth test in January.

But the latest imagery taken on Sunday shows the vehicles are gone, said Joel Wit, editor of the website 38 North, during a monthly briefing. Other parts of the test site shows low levels of activity, he said.

Concerns had persisted that the North could carry out another nuclear test around the Workers' Party Congress to showcase leader Kim Jong-un's achievements. In the run-up to the meeting, Pyongyang had made a series of claims of breakthroughs in its nuclear and missile programs.

"Despite predictions by the South Korean government that a nuclear test appeared imminent to coincide with the DPRK's 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, that gathering is now ended and there are no apparent signs that a detonation will occur in the near future," 38 North said in a formal report.







Still, low levels of activity at the site suggests that "it remains capable of supporting additional tests once a decision to move forward is made in Pyongyang," the report said.

David Albright, a nuclear expert running the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), said that even though indications suggest that the North's preparing for a test, it's hard to know when they will "push the button."

"They want to hide the indications of the test. So, they've made it difficult for us to determine from outside if a test is going to happen today, tomorrow, next month," he said during a discussion held at the congress. (Yonhap)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20160511000265

Return to Top


N.Korea's Ex-Army Chief 'Not Dead'

May 11, 2016

North Korean Army chief Gen. Ri Yong-gil, who was believed to have been abruptly executed in February, is apparently still alive as his name appeared on a list of high-profile officials.

Ri was listed among members of the Workers Party's Central Military Commission in a statement issued by North Korean state media during a report on the party congress that ended Monday.

Intelligence officials here ended up with more egg on their face after a series of blunders including that another senior army officer had been sacked.

There are now calls for South Korean intelligence officials not to rush into trumpeting their finding until they have better corroboration.

The government first learned about Ri's rumored execution on Feb. 10, a day after the Kaesong Industrial Complex was closed down. At the time, the government said Ri was executed on Feb. 2 or 3 after a meeting of party and military officials.

News of his execution was a surprise since he was responsible for the box mine attacks in the demilitarized zone last year and thought to be among leader Kim Jong-un's most trusted officers.

At the time, intelligence officials here claimed Ri had been charged with forming a political faction, abuse of power, and corruption. But now it seems unlikely he was charged with anything of the sort, and it is unclear where the information came from.

Other blunders by the National Intelligence Service include telling the National Assembly that Kim Jong-un would attend Russia's Victory Day ceremony in May last year, a day before the North declined the invitation. In November, the NIS told the National Assembly that Pak Jong-chon, former head of the North Korean Army's artillery command, had been sacked, only for Pak to appear in full regalia in the official media shortly afterward.

The NIS has also flip-flopped on an almost weekly basis in its estimates of the North's nuclear capabilities, and the press here relies increasingly on U.S. experts like the 38 North website at Johns Hopkins University.

It could be dangerous if the blunders continue. One intelligence expert said, "Erroneous information could have a decisive impact on our security policies and escalate diplomatic problems."



http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20160511000265





In February, intelligence officials told lawmakers that Russia appears to have supplied long-range missile parts to North Korea. The Russian government denied the allegations as "irresponsible and unprofessional."

The government here is worried about its own credibility. "The more blunders intelligence officials make about North Korea, the more we'll be accused of leaking false information for propaganda purposes," a government official said.


Return to Top

The Japan Times – Tokyo, Japan

Japan Has Interceptors Stand Down as North Korea Missile Threat Abates

May 12, 2016

Japan has canceled the order issued in March to the Self-Defense Forces to intercept incoming North Korean missiles, government sources said Wednesday.

In response, the SDF began pulling out interceptors, including the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air guided interceptors deployed on the premises of the Defense Ministry headquarters in central Tokyo, they said.

The government canceled the order, issued March 16 by Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, apparently because it now sees no immediate danger of incoming missiles, after consulting with the United States and South Korea, according to the sources.

Japan has been on alert due to concern that North Korea may do something provocative in reaction to U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises that ended in late April, or during the North Korean ruling party congress that ended Monday.

Nakatani issued the order after North Korea continued firing ballistic missiles since February, and extended the order in late April ahead of the North Korean ruling party’s first congress in 36 years.

The ministry has never confirmed issuing or extending the order.

In addition to the battery deployed to the grounds of the Defense Ministry headquarters, PAC-3s were also deployed to an SDF base straddling Tokyo and Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, and at Narashino, Chiba Prefecture.

The Maritime Self-Defense Force also deployed Aegis destroyers equipped with the Standard Missile-3 interceptor system to seas around Japan.

In defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning the country from conducting nuclear tests and using ballistic missile technologies, Pyongyang conducted a fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch using ballistic missile technology in February.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/12/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-interceptors-stand-north-korea-missile-threat-abates/#.VzO1grTFtmA

Return to Top









The Korea Times – Seoul, South Korea

N. Korea Won't Test Nukes if Peace Treaty Talks Open: Experts

May 12, 2016

North Korea will refrain from testing nuclear weapons if China and the United States engage Pyongyang in talks to improve ties and ultimately sign a peace treaty, experts said Thursday.

Speculation has been rife over when North Korea will carry out another nuclear test following the fourth one in January that prompted stronger international sanctions against the regime.

Many observers expected the fifth test to come ahead of this month's congress of the ruling Workers' Party, which was used as a venue to rally support behind North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and consolidate his grip on power.

There was no such experiment, but Kim made clear he would continue to pursue nuclear and economic development in tandem.

"It's certain North Korea will continue to strengthen its nuclear program, but it's also certain the North will come forward if the international community proposes talks on the conditions necessary for its survival and development," Paik Hak-soon, senior fellow at the private think tank Sejong Institute, said during a forum on the party congress. "In that situation, the North won't test (nuclear weapons), although it may if the talks go awry."

Paik stressed the need for dialogue, saying it opens more opportunities to resolve the nuclear impasse than an absence of talks.

For North Korea, the top item on the talks' agenda would be the discussion of a peace treaty with Washington to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, Paik said. The conflict ended in an armistice, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. The U.S. still has a large troop presence in the South to deter North Korean aggression.

"If the U.S. shows an eager attitude toward a peace treaty, that will be the surest way to draw North Korea back into talks on its denuclearization," the expert said.

North Korea and China have recently pressed the U.S. to open talks on a peace treaty, but Washington has insisted the focus of any dialogue with Pyongyang should be its denuclearization.

Cheong Seong-chang, another senior fellow at the Sejong Institute, said an improvement in ties with China could also stop the North from conducting a nuclear test.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter (to Kim over his new title as chairman of the Workers' Party), seemingly creating a mood for dialogue between the North and China, whose ties have been strained," he said. "If that develops, the North won't test (its nuclear weapons)."

However, if such talks don't materialize, Pyongyang may launch a provocation toward the end of the year before the U.S. presidential election in a bid to increase its leverage in negotiations with the outside world, Cheong added. (Yonhap)

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2016/05/485_204568.html

Return to Top



http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2016/05/485_204568.html






N.Korea Deploys Missiles Along Chinese Border

May 13, 2016

North Korea is in the process of deploying mobile ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 12,000 km at three or four frontline bases along its border with China, it emerged Thursday.

U.S. intelligence officials have said a couple of times since last year that the North has taken steps toward the deployment of the KN-08 ballistic missiles without test flights.

The North previously deployed the Musudan mid-range missiles warfare-ready without test flights. They have a range of 3,000 to 4,000 km. But three test launches of the Musudan last month all failed, raising skepticism over the potency of the KN-08 missiles being deployed now.

North Korea has merely conducted several engine combustion tests for the KN-08 at its test site in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province.

South Korean and U.S. officials have reassessed the capability of the KN-08 following the failed tests of the Musudan missile.

Both the KN-08 and the Musudan can be fired from mobile launchers, which makes them difficult to detect and track.

A government source here said signs of KN-08 deployment at the bases have been spotted over the past year or two. The North is apparently deploying both versions of the KN-08 that have been unveiled since 2012.

South Korean and U.S. intelligence believe the KN-08s come in two versions, one measuring 18 m and having a range of 12,000 km and one measuring 17 m with a range of 9,000 km. But the second version can carry heavier payloads and is thought to be more accurate.

The South Korean military believes North Korea has put together a KN-08 brigade with a total of six mobile launch vehicles. All are modified special-purpose trucks smuggled in from China.

There is also intelligence information suggesting that North Korea may have developed its own launch vehicles.

A government official here said, "North Korea appears to be deploying KN-08 missiles that have yet to be tested in order to give the impression that it is capable of launching a nuclear strike against the U.S."


Return to Top

Yonhap News Agency – Seoul, South Korea

Recent N. Korean Congress Replaces over Half of Party's Central Committee

May 13, 2016

SEOUL, May 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has replaced more than half of the ruling party's central committee at the recent party congress, a dramatic change which mirrors the country's ongoing effort to cement leader Kim Jong-un's power, South Korean government data showed Friday.







A total of 129, or 54.9 percent, of the Central Committee's 235 members and member candidates were replaced, with the remaining 106 retaining their membership, according to the Unification Ministry's analysis of the congress' results.

The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) which controls the reclusive country ended its four-day congress on Monday. The congress is the highest WPK gathering and this year's event was the first to be held in 36 years.

The Central Committee is the umbrella guidance body with smaller subcommittees like a politburo and a secretariat under its wings.

According to the list released by the North on Tuesday, Kim's younger sister made it onto the committee along with Jo Yong-won, a deputy head known to be among an emerging generation of leaders.

The change "seems to be part of North Korea's efforts to pave the way for the buildup of Kim Jong-un's loyalist group" and to promote harmony among different generations, the ministry report said.

During the congress, the membership of the party's Central Military Commission had been cut to 12 members from 17 in a bid to "simplify the military's chain of command," according to the document.

Premier of the Cabinet Pak Pong-ju's election to the military body as a member from a non-military background reflects "an intensified role of the party as well as the dwindling of the military's role," it also claimed.


Return to Top

Trend News Agency – Baku, Azerbaijan

Ex-CIA Analyst: Armenia May Have Stockpiles of Highly Radioactive Materials (exclusive)

By Anakhanum Idayatova, Trend

May 12, 2016

Even talking about nuclear things is dangerously destabilizing, the former analyst at the CIA and the US Department of State, publicist Paul Goble exclusively told Trend May 12.

He was commenting on the statement earlier made by Armenia on possession of a nuclear weapon.

"I do not believe that Armenia has or could soon produce nuclear weapons," said Goble. "I suspect what it does have is some stockpiles of highly radioactive materials that could be employed to render this or that area uninhabitable."

"The Soviet Union had so many places where such things were kept that it is unlikely there isn't some in Armenia," he said.

Earlier, Armenia's former prime minister, MP Hrant Bagratyan said during a press conference that Armenia has a nuclear weapon.

Asked by journalists to clarify his remarks, Bagratyan said Armenia has an opportunity to create a nuclear weapon.

http://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/politics/2532499.html

Return to Top





http://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/politics/2532499.html





WBAL TV – Baltimore, MD

Saudi Prince: Getting Nuclear Weapons Possible

Speaks about Iran, difference in Palestine

May 08, 2016

WASHINGTON (CNN) —In a reflection of the change and churn in the Middle East, former high-level officials from Saudi Arabia and Israel -- nations that have no formal diplomatic ties -- spoke publicly about their shared sense of Iran as a threat, their differences on Palestinians and the role the United States plays in their chaotic region.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief, and retired Israeli Army Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror, a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke in Washington Thursday night at a discussion arranged by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Their joint appearance doesn't mean the two countries will be normalizing relations anytime soon, Turki warned.

"We are both exes," he said, referring to their status as former officials and not current representatives of their governments. Despite that -- and the fact that the Saudi kingdom has never formally acknowledged Israel's existence -- the two nations have been quietly cooperating for years, exchanging intelligence on shared threats and in particular on Iran.

The most obvious bond the two countries share is their strong security relationship with and dependence on the United States -- and the fact that both have had rocky patches with the Obama administration over the past few years.

Both opposed the deal on Iran's nuclear program, while Saudi officials spoke about their anger that President Barack Obama didn't follow through on a commitment to punish Syria if it crossed the "red line" of chemical weapons use.

Turki said the "strategic relationship with the U.S. will remain, from the Saudi point of view," but suggested it needed rethinking.

"There needs to be a re-evaluation and recalibration of the relationship," he said.

Amidror said that while the "Palestinian issue" was a major difference between Israel and the United States, there is "no substitute for the United States of America in the Middle East."

Those "who think other countries can do what the United States used to do is a big mistake," he said. And he indicated that he understood the Obama administration's attempts to recalibrate its ties to the Middle East.

Both men made it clear that their countries will take steps if they see any erosion of the Iran deal they so forcefully opposed.

Turki said "all options" would be on the table if Iran moves toward a bomb, "including the acquisitions of nuclear weapons, to face whatever eventuality might come from Iran."

Officials from the kingdom, which is party to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, have raised that possibility in the past. However, they have more strongly stressed the need for the Middle East to be a "weapons of mass destruction free zone," as Turki did at the event.






Amidror said he expected that Iran will move to build a bomb "toward the end of the agreement," which limits research, development and enrichment over 10 to 15 years, if it doesn't violate it first

"In principle, the Iranians can go nuclear and from the Israeli point of view, this is a threat to existence," Amidror said. "We will not let this happen."

The two men, sitting side by side on a stage, generally impassive while the other spoke, sparred gently over the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Arab cooperation with Israel would improve, Turki said, if it could resolve its decadeslong disagreement with the Palestinians.

"Cooperation between Arab countries and Israel in meeting threats, from wherever they come, whether Iran, is better fortified if there is peace between the Arab nations and Israel," he said

The Saudi prince returned to the issue repeatedly, criticizing Israel's presence in the West Bank and tying it to a wider Mideast peace.

"There has to be a lifting of the occupation," Turki said. "The Palestinians have to have their own country."

But Amidror said it was the Palestinians who were sabotaging the process. He argued it was a mistake for the Arab world to give the Palestinians the "key" to unlocking the relationship with Israel, since that effectively blocked progress.

Arab states, Amidror told Turki, should "cooperate with Israel instead of dictating" to it. He urged regional leaders to "think outside the box" and suggested the Arab world form an "umbrella of cooperation" on Palestinian issue to help move negotiations along.

http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/saudi-prince-getting-nuclear-weapons-possible/39420576

Return to Top

Tasnim News Agency – Tehran, Iran

Commander Says Iran Tests 2000km-Range Ballistic Missile

May 09, 2016

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has test-fired a high precision ballistic missile with a range of 2000 kilometers and pinpoint accuracy of 8 meters, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi announced.

“Two weeks ago, we test-fired a missile with a range of 2000 kilometers and a margin of error of eight meters,” Abdollahi said in a scientific conference in Tehran on Monday, adding that the margin means that the missile enjoys zero error.

"We can guide this ballistic missile...," he added.

The commander refused to provide further details of the missile or its name.

He further emphasized that the headquarters of the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has allocated 10 percent of defense budget to research projects aimed at strengthening defense power.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.



http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/saudi-prince-getting-nuclear-weapons-possible/39420576





In late March, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underscored the need for boosting Iran’s defense capabilities, warning that enemies are making use of every tool available to undermine the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Khamenei said at the time that if the Islamic establishment seeks technology and negotiations but lacks defense might, it will have to buckle in the face of any weak country posing threats.

In March, the IRGC test-fired two types of Qadr ballistic missiles during the large-scale drills, codenamed “Might of Velayat”.

The two ballistic missiles, Qadr-H and Qadr-F, were launched from the heights of East Alborz Mountains, north of Iran, and hit targets on the Makran coasts, southeast of the country.

http://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2016/05/09/1070472/commander-says-iran-tests-2000km-range-ballistic-missile

Return to Top

Tehran Times – Tehran, Iran

Defense Chief Denies Iran Tested Missile with 2000-km Range

9 May 2016

TEHRAN – Iran test-fired a precision-guided ballistic missile two weeks ago, the armed forces deputy chief of staff announced on Monday, Fars news agency reported.

“Two weeks ago, we tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers and an error margin of eight meters,” Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi was quoted as saying.

This is while Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan denied on the same day test-firing a missile with such a range.

Abdollahi made the statement at seminar held at Baghiatollah Hospital, an affiliate of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Iran test-fires missiles of different ranges and capabilities year round during regular military drills to keep its armed forces on their toes and has developed home-grown missile families.

It is not yet clear of which family the missile has been.

While Tehran insists that the capability is merely defensive, some Western countries including the U.S. have said it is in breach of the UN 2231 resolution that prohibits Iran from firing any missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Iranian officials have deemed the concerns unwarranted as none of the missiles test-fired by Iran were designed to carry nuclear warheads.

Commenting on an earlier missile test-firing by Iran, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had said the U.S. and its partners were “prepared to work on a new arrangement to find a peaceful solution to these issues.”








However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif replied that the country’s missile program was not up for negotiation with the U.S.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/301267/Defense-chief-denies-Iran-tested-missile-with-2000-km-range

Return to Top

Press TV – Tehran, Iran

Iran to Drown US Warships if Threatened: IRGC

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

A commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned that his forces would drown American warships should they pose the slightest territorial threat to the country.

“Wherever the Americans look in the Persian Gulf, they will see us,” Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, commander of the IRGC Navy, said in remarks on state television on Monday night.

“They know that if they commit the slightest mistake, we will drown their vessels in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Sea of Oman,” he added.

The commander further highlighted the Navy’s defense might, saying Iran's enemies are only aware of a small fraction of the country's military capabilities.

The IRGC has underground facilities housing surface-to-sea missiles and vessels, Fadavi noted.

The vessels would thus be headed to the sea from those facilities instead of jetties, which would lower their susceptibility to attacks, he said.

IRGC speedboats, he added, can travel as fast as up to 80 nautical miles per hour, more than double the speed of the fastest American ones.

“Today, there are around 60 foreign military vessels in the Persian Gulf, most of which belong to the US, France and Britain. The vessels are monitored by the IRGC every hour,” said the official.

“The IRGC also enjoys intelligence superiority over their aerial capabilities. They themselves know that well.”

Fadavi also criticized a recent resolution in US Congress against Iran’s activity in the Persian Gulf, saying neither the US administration nor other international players are in the position to meddle in this issue.

Iran has in recent years conducted major military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and state-of-the-art equipment.

Earlier this month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei rebuffed the US government’s demands that Iran not hold military drills in the Persian Gulf.

“The Persian Gulf coast and much of the coasts of the Sea of Oman belong to this powerful nation; therefore we have to be present in this region, [stage] maneuvers and show off our power,” the Leader said.

In late January, the IRGC arrested 10 US Navy sailors after their boats reached three miles into the waters surrounding the Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.









The IRGC placed the forces into Iranian custody, but released them after Americans apologized for the incident.

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/10/464851/Iran-US-Navy-Islamic-Revolution-Guards-Corps-IRGC-Fadavi

Return to Top

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) – Tehran, Iran

10 May 2016

S-300 Missiles Handed to Country's Air Defense System

Tehran, May 10, IRNA – Minister of Defense Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan announced that S-300 missiles have been handed to the country's air defense system.

Dehqan made the announcement Tuesday when visiting aerial achievements of Khatam-ol-Anbia Air Defense Base.

About Iranian long-range air defense system 'Bavar-373' which is in its final phases of production, Dehqan said it will be capable of fighting ballistic and cruise missiles, drones and warplanes.

Bavar-373, which is an indigenous air defense system, will come in the production line in less than a year, the minister said.

Bavar-373, a long-range system, can simultaneously combat multiple targets, said the minister stressing that 'what we have today is adequate, but other systems in the fields of detection, interception, and combat will be made in the future.'

http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82068677/

Return to Top


Iran to Launch Homegrown “Mesbah” Satellite into Orbit

May 10, 2016

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Head of the Iranian Space Organization Mohsen Bahrami announced on Tuesday that the country will launch the indigenous “Mesbah” satellite into orbit in the near future, adding that a new version of the satellite is also under construction.

Addressing a specialized meeting of high-ranking officials of Iran’s Space Organization in Karaj, west of Tehran, Bahrami said the Mesbah2 (Lantern) and “Nahid” satellites are under construction.

He added that the domestically-made Mesbah satellite is ready to be launched into the orbit.

Referring to Iran's achievements in the fields of satellite and satellite carrier, Bahrami announced that “Amir Kabir”, “Zafar (victory)” and “Doosti (friendship)” are three other satellites which are also under construction and will be soon sent to the space.

Iran successfully launched into orbit its first indigenous data-processing satellite, Omid (Hope), back on February 2, 2009.





http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82068677/




As part of a comprehensive plan to develop its space program, Iran also successfully launched its second satellite, dubbed Rassad (Observation), into the earth’s orbit in June 2011. Rassad’s mission was to take images of the earth and transmit them along with telemetry information to ground stations.

The country’s third domestically-built Navid-e Elm-o Sanat (Harbinger of Science and Industry) satellite was sent into orbit in February 2012.

In January 2013, Iran sent a monkey into space aboard an indigenous bio-capsule code-named Pishgam (Pioneer).

And later in December 2013, the country’s scientists successfully sent a monkey, called ‘Fargam’ or Auspicious, into space aboard Pajoheshan (Research) indigenous rocket and returned the live simian back to earth safely.

http://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2016/05/10/1071824/iran-to-launch-homegrown-mesbah-satellite-into-orbit

Return to Top


IAEA Reports Confirm Iran Implementing Commitments under JCPOA: Deputy FM

May 11, 2016

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian deputy foreign minister said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Tehran is fully implementing its commitments under the July 2015 nuclear deal with world powers (also known as JCPOA).

Speaking at a meeting with visiting German Deputy Foreign Minister Markus Ederer in Tehran on Tuesday evening, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for American and European Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi highlighted the Islamic Republic’s adherence to the nuclear agreement, and called on the other parties to seriously fulfill their commitments, including those related to banking and financial issues.

“The implementation of Iran’s commitments has been confirmed by the IAEA,” said the diplomat, who was also a member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team with the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

During the meeting, the two sides also exchanged views on other issues, including ways to promote Tehran-Berlin relations in diverse spheres and the latest developments in the Middle East and the world.

While the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 159-page nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 came into force in January, some Iranian officials complain about the West’s failure to fully implement the accord.

Earlier in March, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said Americans have yet to fulfill what they were supposed to do as per the nuclear deal.









Iran still has problems in its banking transactions or in restoring its frozen assets, because Western countries and those involved in such processes are afraid of Americans, Imam Khamenei said, criticizing the US for its moves to prevent Iran from taking advantage of the sanctions removal.

http://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2016/05/11/1072345/iaea-reports-confirm-iran-implementing-commitments-under-jcpoa-deputy-fm

Return to Top

FARS News Agency – Tehran, Iran

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

IRGC Navy Commander: Iran Sees US as Only Threat

TEHRAN (FNA) - Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi underlined that Iran considers no country in the world as a threat but the United States.

"We don’t see any enemy but the Americans, and its instance is the (hostile) official remarks of the US officials and the trend of their actions" in the past years, Fadavi said, addressing the foreign military attachés in Tehran on Wednesday.

He said the US is the only country which is ready to trample on other country's interests to meet its own interests, but meantime stressed that the Americans are no more powerful like the past.

"The world nations can confidently resist against the US bullying and what is against their interests," Fadavi added.

Earlier this month, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said 6 highly likely military attacks on Iran have been deterred in the last two decades due to the country's deterrence, including its missile, power.

"After the end of the sacred defense (the Iraqi-imposed war against Iran 1980-1988), we have come under the threat of military aggression 6 times," General Baqeri said, addressing a ceremony in Tehran.

He reminded the American officials' admission of their plots to attack Iran in the past, and said all their war plans failed due to the opposition of "the political class (in the US), on one hand, and our missile, naval and defensive deterrence, on the other hand".

General Baqeri warned that while the threat of military attack against Iran has faded out today, the enemies are seeking an opportunity to implement their ominous plots as soon as they find the country in a weak defensive position.

His comments came after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined last month that enemies never dare to launch a military attack against Iran, otherwise, they will face the Iranian Armed Forces' crushing response.

"Sometimes, they threaten us with war and bombing, but these statements are nonsense overstatement since they aren’t prepared and don’t dare to do so and if, possibly, they embark on such an act, they will receive a slap in the face and a crushing response," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing members of Iranian Students' Islamic Association in Tehran.








He, meantime, warned of enemies' soft war against Iran, and said, "Now a comprehensive and creeping soft war is underway on the youth between the Islamic Republic of Iran on one hand and the US, the Zionists and their followers on the other hand."

Ayatollah Khamenei described Iran's progress, independence and its powerful presence in West Asia and the world, the Palestinian issue, the issue of resistance and the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle as the main issues on which Iran and the arrogant powers, headed by the US and Zionism, are in conflict.

He also underlined the necessity for continued progress in different scientific and technological fields, and said, "If we make concessions to the arrogant powers, they will certainly raise their opposition to biotechnology, nanotechnology and other sensitive scientific fields because they are opposed to any scientific, economic and civilization progress of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Ayatollah Khamenei has for a long time underscored the enemies' incapability and lack of courage to attack Iran.

In relevant remarks in 2014, he stressed the Iranian nation and Armed Forces’ preparedness to defend the country, and said the enemies will never dare to take military action against Iran.

In a meeting with senior Iranian officials, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Israel's military threats against Iran are constantly repeated but the United States prevents Tel Aviv from launching a strike.

“The reason for the US’ prevention (of an Israeli attack against Iran) is that (it) does not see the attack affordable and we also strongly emphasize that a military attack on the Islamic Republic is not affordable for any one,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei said that arrogant powers have no more options against Iran except for military threats and sanctions.

“Enemy’s hand is empty in both fields of sanctions and threats,” the Leader said.

Iran’s Leader stressed that the enemies have so far failed to confront the Islamic Republic of Iran.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950222000959

Return to Top

The New Indian Express – Chennai, India

EXPRESS EXCLUSIVE: ICBM Agni-V Test Put on 'Hold' for Modi's US Visit

By Hemant Kumar Rout, Express News Service

08th May 2016

BHUBANESWAR: The much awaited experimental test of the canisterised version of India's most potent and long range nuclear capable missile Agni-V has reportedly been put on hold for the scheduled visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US on June 6.

According to reliable sources in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the purported last developmental trial of the indigenously built surface-to-surface Inter-Continental range Ballistic Missile (ICBM) would be conducted after the PM returns from the foreign visit.

Besides the joint session of the US Congress, the PM is slated to address the 41st Annual Leadership Summit in Washington DC to be attended by business tycoons and government leaders who are likely to debate over the deepening US-India commercial and strategic ties on June 7.



http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950222000959





Although the missile is ready to display its fire power, defence sources said, the test has been delayed for over past six months for strategic reasons. Earlier planned in December last year and then early January, the test was reportedly postponed due to the visit of US President Barack Obama and busy schedule of Modi who was slated to witness the launch along with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

A source on the condition of anonymity said while the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have already given the green signal for the test, the DRDO is yet to get any communication from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

“While the DRDO is waiting for the PM’s confirmation to witness the launch, the PMO is yet to give confirmation on the visit of the PM to the test facility. The test now completely depends on the schedule of the PMO,” the source claimed.

Although India secretly conducted two tests of submarine launched ballistic missile K-4 in March from under water platform in depressed range of less than 1,000 km, as the Agni-V, is in a ready state of induction, it would be fired from a hermetically sealed canister to its full range of around 5,000, km which is a threat for the powerful nations.

The delay has however irked the defence and strategic experts. They believed the decision at the highest levels of government was owing to Washington’s supposed allergy to rising powers displaying their distant strike capabilities.

An eminent national security expert and professor at New Delhi based Centre for Policy Research (CPR) Bharat Karnad said the last year's test was postponed not to upset Washington as Obama was to tour Delhi.

"Now it has been put on hold because Prime Minister does not want his upcoming visit to the US, the fourth in last two years since he took office, to be marred by the launch of a missile that President Obama may deem provocative. He seems more eager to please Washington than to strengthen India's strategic muscle vis a vis China," he observed.

With a strike range of over 5,000, Agni-V is the country’s first ICBM which is capable of hitting targets in all Asian countries and parts of Africa and Europe. The 17-meter long, 2-meter wide, three-stage, solid-fuelled missile can carry a payload of 1.5 tonne and weighs around 50 tonnes.

As a canister-launch system gives the forces the requisite operational flexibility to promptly transport the ballistic missile and launch it from a place of their choice, the DRDO is also working on the canister version of other Agni series of missiles including Agni-I, Agni-III and Agni-IV.

A successful launch of the missile from the Abdul Kalam Island test facility off the Odisha coast would push a step forward towards its induction in the armed forces signaling the defence organization to go for its production. Local DRDO authorities refused to comment.

GAME CHANGER

Strike Range – 5000 km, can target all of Asia and parts of Africa and Europe

Length – 17 meter

Diameter – 2 meter

Launch weight – 50 tonne

Payload – 1.5 tonne






Engine – Three stage solid fuel

Speed - Mach 24 (terminal phase)

Agni-V makes India a member of the elite club of six nations including the US, UK, China, France and Russia which have intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/EXPRESS-EXCLUSIVE-ICBM-Agni-V-Test-Put-on-Hold-For-Modis-US-Visit/2016/05/08/article3422468.ece

Return to Top

Global Times – Beijing, China

OPINION/Editorial

Is Pyongyang’s No-First-Use Pledge New Stance?

Source: Global Times

May 8, 2016

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said during the seventh Workers' Party congress that his country is a "responsible nuclear state that, as we made clear before, will not use nuclear weapons first unless aggressive hostile forces use nuclear weapons to invade on our sovereignty," noting that Pyongyang will "sincerely fulfill its duties for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and work to realize the denuclearization of the world," the Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday. Kim also expressed his hope that North Korea's relationships with Washington and Seoul would be relaxed.

This is considered the very first time that Pyongyang has stated that it would not strike first. Previously, North Korea has more than once claimed it would launch pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the US and South Korea, or wipe the US off the face of the planet. Does the new statement this time herald a change in Pyongyang's attitude?

To begin with, Kim's declaration was made from the perspective that North Korea is now a nuclear state. But the UN Security Council is asking Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program. The international community has not yet acknowledged North Korea as a nuclear nation, so therefore the latter's attitude has not changed, and neither has its biggest contradiction with the outside world been resolved.

Pyongyang's relaxed manner might buffer the current touch-and-go tensions. The attitudes from the US and South Korea will become critical next. How they treat Pyongyang's new statement and whether they will be willing to create a temporary cushion based on it will influence the way each party plays in the game over the North Korean nuclear issue.

International society is firmly against Pyongyang's nuclear program. This attitude is very stable and Washington and Seoul have never eased their hard-line stance. The external world believes that North Korea is playing a different card to test its effectiveness, and its ultimate goal is to legitimize its nuclear development.

Major countries will not change their stance to recognize North Korea as a nuclear state. As long as Pyongyang resists giving up its nuclear weapons, normalizing relations with the outside world will be highly unlikely.

Nuclear weapons today are not intended for actual use, but rather are a means of strategic deterrence. Nevertheless, the truth is that both the US and South Korea have been constantly









upgrading their military preparation for strikes against Pyongyang given the latter's nuclear development. So far, there is no sign of them being intimidated.

On the other hand, neither has Washington and Seoul frightened Pyongyang. The crazy logic of contemporary international politics has become a game of who will blink first.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/982004.shtml

Return to Top

Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative – Washington, DiC.

OPINION/Article

Submerged Deterrence: China’s Struggle to Field an SSBN Fleet

By Bonnie Glaser and Matthew Funaiole

May 9, 2016

The gradual, but steady development of China’s ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program has been closely monitored by international observers. China is the last of the Permanent Five members of the United Nations Security Council to establish an operational SSBN force. A recent report by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) says that China’s Jin-class SSBN represents the country’s “first credible at-sea second-strike nuclear capability.” That goal remains a long way off, however. Although the Jin-class is a potential step forward for China’s nuclear deterrent, its nascent SSBN program continues to face considerable challenges.

A secure second-strike capability requires that some portion of a country’s nuclear forces survive an enemy’s first strike. By virtue of being able to hide in the vastness of the ocean, SSBNs have the potential to be an essential component of China’s nuclear second-strike capability. A reliable long-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), capable of striking a target at intercontinental range with a nuclear payload, is critical to this strategy. The JL-2 SLBM carried by the Jin-class can deliver between one to three nuclear warheads to an estimated range of 7,400 km. The relatively short range of the JL-2 requires China’s SSBNs to travel undetected through several crucial chokepoints into the Pacific Ocean in order to strike the continental United States.

This shortcoming requires China to rely on the stealth of the Jin-class to sail the submarine into firing position. However, available information suggests that the Jin-class is detectable by foreign Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) assets. According to a 2013 report in The National Interest, the Jin-class may have fundamental flaws that create a detectable sonar signature. Evidence of this vulnerability can be found in a 2009 ONI report, which compared the low-frequency noise of China’s SSBN force to Russian/Soviet submarines, and revealed that the Jin-class was the noisier than Russian Delta III-class SSBNs that were first commissioned in the mid-1970s.

China also faces the technological and bureaucratic hurdles of establishing effective command and control (C2) with its SSBNs. Reliable C2 communication with decision makers on the mainland and firing protocols for when an SSBN loses contact with its national command authority are critical to ensuring that an SSBN only fires when it is absolutely necessary. Contacting an SSBN when it is submerged requires advanced communications technology. Salt water only permits radio waves to penetrate a short distance into the ocean, requiring communication stations to use Very Low Frequency (VLF) or Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) radio waves to signal a submarine. An



http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/982004.shtml

http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/chinas-ballistic-missile-submarines-how-dangerous-9414




alternative option for relaying information to submarines comes from aircraft like the U.S.-E-6B TACAMO that trails a several-miles-long antenna to signal submarines at shallow depths. Little is publicly known about China’s communications infrastructure; however the Chinese navy maintains VLF facilities at Changde and Datong.

China may seek to improve its infrastructure on reclaimed land features in the SCS to help secure safe passage for its SSBNs to the Pacific Ocean. Establishing control of the waters within the nine-dashed-line could potentially lessen the drawbacks of the current submarine base on Hainan Island, as submarines operating out of the base are exposed to ASW forces of the United States and other countries. The placement of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island with a range of 125 miles, which could be deployed on other land features, may empower China to counter foreign ASW aircraft during a crisis. China’s own ASW forces may also play a key role. Establishing airbases for its emerging aviation-ASW program might eventually enable China to counter enemy attack submarines charged with tracking China’s SSBN fleet.

These efforts could potentially enhance China’s second strike capability while a new, quieter SSBN and longer range SLBM are under development. There is limited available information on the development of new submarine and missile technology, making it unclear when China will be capable of fully addressing the aforementioned problems. In any case, securing safe passage into the SCS is only a partial solution. China’s SSBNs must still traverse the long journey from their home base on Hainan Island, through strategic chokepoints, to locations far away from the safety of China’s protected coastal waters – a task that might prove extremely difficult for China’s current fleet of Jin-class SSBNs.

Bonnie S. Glaser is a senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, where she works on issues related to Chinese foreign and security policy. She is concomitantly a non-resident fellow with the Lowy Institute in Sydney, a senior associate with CSIS Pacific Forum and a consultant for the U.S. government on East Asia.

Matthew P. Funaiole is a fellow with the China Power Project at CSIS. His research focuses on power relationships and alliance structures in the Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining CSIS, Dr. Funaiole taught international relations and foreign policy at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland, where he also completed his doctoral research.

http://amti.csis.org/submerged-deterrence-chinas-struggle-field-ssbn-fleet/

Return to Top

The National Interest – Washington, D.C.

OPINION/The Buzz

Russia Is Building the Largest ICBM Ever (and America Should Be Worried)

By Dave Majumdar

May 9, 2016

Russia will deploy its new RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles to units in Siberia and the southern Urals when the enormous new weapon becomes operational in 2018. The massive liquid-fueled missiles will replace the existing Cold War-era R-36M2 Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) ICBM—which is the largest such weapon ever built.

“The development of the Sarmat silo-based missile system with a heavy missile is nearing completion,” Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, commander of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces told the



http://amti.csis.org/submerged-deterrence-chinas-struggle-field-ssbn-fleet/





Moscow-based TASS News agency. “It will replace the Voyevoda missile system in the Uzhur missile division and the Dombarovsky position area.”

The first prototype missiles have already been built. The first test launches are scheduled for later this year. Should the tests prove successful, the Sarmat will enter into full production so that it enters operational service in 2018.

There is not much concrete data available about the new Sarmat missile—but what information is available suggests that it will be an extremely formidable weapon like the appropriately-named Satan ICBM it will replace. However, the Russians are not developing the Sarmat entirely from scratch. The new missile will used a modernized variant of the Voyevoda’s liquid-fueled rocket motors. As such, it will be equipped with four RD-274 engines to power its first stage.

The Sarmat will weigh at least 100-tons and carry a 10-ton payload. That means the missile could carry as many as 15 independently targeted thermo-nuclear warheads. It has a range of at least 6,000 miles. Once it is operational, it will be the largest ICBM ever built.

Like other modern Russian ICBMs such as the Yars, Topol-M and the Bulava, the Sarmat is being designed specifically to overcome ballistic missile defenses using a combination of decoys, a host of countermeasures and sheer speed. It might also be equipped with maneuvering warheads—which would make it much more difficult to intercept.

Meanwhile, the United States Air Force has started preliminary work on the development of a new Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) to replace the existing Minuteman III. The service is working on upgrading the missile, but U.S. Air Force officials have testified before Congress that the elderly Minuteman III is not likely to be able to provide assured deterrence as enemy missile defenses continue to improve rapidly.

Ultimately, the United States needs a new missile to maintain its deterrence against Russia and China. However, whatever new missile emerges out of the GBSD is not likely to be as large—or have the same throw weight—as the Russian weapon.

Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest.

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russia-building-the-largest-icbm-ever-america-should-be-16122

Return to Top

The National Interest – Washington, D.C.

OPINION/The Buzz

NORTHCOM: How America Should Deal with Russia’s Nuclear “Deescalation” Doctrine

By Robbin Laird

May 11, 2016

We have been building on Paul Bracken’s work on the second nuclear age to focus on the impact of the rethink regarding nuclear weapons going on globally.

http://www.sldinfo.com/rethinking-nuclear-deterrence-shaping-a-way-ahead/





http://www.sldinfo.com/rethinking-nuclear-deterrence-shaping-a-way-ahead/




SLD: And to the point of different perspectives, that really goes to the heart of the matter. We are not going to bargain with ourselves. And in the world we are in and it will get worse from this point of view, there is no clear ladder of escalation. The rules are not clear, and learning will be by crisis not strategic design.

Bracken: The absence of any clear escalation ladder is at the heart of the challenge.

If you knew how many weeks I wasted on trying to construct the follow-on escalation ladders for the 21st Century but could not convince myself that they were worthwhile.

In the first nuclear age it was learning by crisis, and we got fortunate because the crises that started were not particularly severe. If the Cuban Missile Crisis had come in the late ’40s, God only knows what would’ve happen.

Nonetheless, I think we need to prepare for a crisis exploitation which crystallizes the issues we’re talking about, much as 9/11 did. Many people prior to 9/11 were talking about, terrorism, counterterrorism, but nobody paid any attention to them.

The early Bush administration in 2000 was dismissive because they had other fish to fry and then 9/11 happens and the existence of prior thinking on counterterrorism was rapidly exploited.

The kind of crisis in which learning might occur could revolve around something like the Pacific islands in dispute in the South China Sea.

If there’s a major Chinese move against one of these islands, the Japanese and US forces will be forced to respond.

But what if the Chinese start moving some nuclear weapons around? What do we do then?

That’s really a distinct possibility. But I cannot find anybody in the U.S. government who really thinks about the realism of such a situation like that.

Well we did find someone thinking about that, and he is the current head of NORTHCOM and NORAD.

Admiral Gortney provided a thoughtful look at how the second nuclear age is affecting the threat calculus against North America.

Question: The Russians are not the Soviets, but they are generating new capabilities, which clearly provide a need to rethink homeland defense.

How would you characterize the Russian dynamic?

Answer: With the emergence of the new Russia, they are developing a qualitatively better military than the quantitative military that they had in the Soviet Union.

They have a doctrine to support that wholly government doctrine. And you’re seeing that doctrine in military capability being employed in the Ukraine and in Syria.

For example, the Russians are evolving their long-range aviation and at sea capabilities. They are fielding and employing precision-guided cruise missiles from the air, from ships and from submarines.

Their new cruise missiles can be launched from Bears and Blackjacks and they went from development to testing by use in Syria. It achieved initial operating capability based on a shot from a deployed force.

The Kh-101 and 102 were in development, not testing, so they used combat shots as “tests,” which means that their capability for technological “surprise” is significant as well, as their force evolves.







The air and sea-launched cruise missiles can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, and what this means is that a “tactical” weapon can have strategic effect with regard to North America.

Today, they can launch from their air bases over Russia and reach into North American territory.

The challenge is that, when launched, we are catching arrows, but we are not going after the archers.

The archers do not have to leave Russia in order to range our homeland.

And with the augmentation of the firepower of their submarine force, the question of the state of our anti-submarine warfare capabilities is clearly raised by in the North Atlantic and the Northern Pacific waters.

What this means for NORAD as well is that limiting it to air defense limits our ability to deal with the multi-domain threat.

It is an air and maritime threat and you need to go on that tack and defense through multiple domains, not simply the classic air battle.

The Admiral wisely underscored the point that it was crucial to understand what was in the mind of North Korea and Russia when contemplating nuclear use.

Question: The nuclear dimension is a key part of all of this, although there is a reluctance to talk about the Second Nuclear Age and the shaping of deterrent strategies to deal with the new dynamics.

With regard to Russia, they have changed their doctrine and approach.

How do you view their approach and the challenge to us which flows from that change?

Answer: Both the Chinese and Russians have said in their open military literature, that if conflict comes, they want to escalate conflict in order to de-escalate it.

Now think about that from our side. And so now as crisis escalates, how will Russia or China want to escalate to deescalate?

The Admiral added:

One has to think through our deterrence strategy as well.

What deters the current leader of North Korea?

What deters non-state actors for getting and using a nuclear weapon?

What will deter Russia from using tactical nuclear weapons in the sequence of how they view dealing with conventional war?

It is not my view that matters; it is their view; how to I get inside the head of the 21st century actors, and not simply stay in yesterday’s set of answers?

If one begins to think through what we have seen from the Russians under President Putin we clearly see significant changes in defense policy, capabilities and approaches.

The Syrian operation saw a deployable air and maritime strike force move to the chess board of global conflict and achieve key objectives which the political leadership had set for them. Then many of those forces were withdrawn.






The Russians ended up with an enhanced presence structure through the intervention and political credit in the region for bolstering the regime in power.

They also used the cruise missiles for the first time that the Admiral referred to as well.

Putin made the nuclear connection himself.

For the Russians, President Putin announced in December 2015, that Kalibr cruise missiles had been fired by the submerged Rostov-on-Don submarine from the Mediterranean for the first time.

He said TU-22 bombers also took part in the latest raids and that “significant damage” had been done to a munitions depot, a factory manufacturing mortar rounds and oil facilities. Two major targets in Raqqa, the defacto capital of Isis, had been hit, said Mr Shoigu.

President Putin said the new cruise missiles could also be equipped with nuclear warheads – but that he hoped they would never need them.

He said: “With regard to strikes from a submarine. We certainly need to analyse everything that is happening on the battlefield, how the weapons work. Both the [Kalibr] missiles and the Kh-101 rockets are generally showing very good results.

We now see that these are new, modern and highly effective high-precision weapons that can be equipped either with conventional or special nuclear warheads.”

The intervention in Ukraine demonstrated as well a skillful seizure of Crimea, and use of information warfare, special forces, and internal subversion in Ukraine. There was very little interest demonstrated in a full up classic invasion of Ukraine by a large Soviet army group.

In fact, if one looks carefully at the Russian military and how it has been modernized, the shaping of an intervention force using modern means, and technologies has been a clear priority over the force structure used in the past built around large army groups.

Not only is this more effective to serve the global policy of Putin, but if one inserts tactical nuclear weapons within a conventional calculus, there really is no need for a large Soviet army group.

Strategic deterrence holds for the US will not allow the Russians to shape an arsenal that would have decisive consequences in nuclear exchanges, or put more bluntly, the US should focus on nuclear modernization which keeps this kind of nuclear deterrence in place.

Yet there is no real consideration in US defense strategy for having nuclear weapons thought of OUTSIDE of a ladder of NUCLEAR escalation strategy.

But what if small yield and precise nuclear weapons are used with limited effect to stop any potential war in the West for such use with Europe in increasing disarray might make sense to achieve political results of fundamentally collapsing the Western Alliance, the threat still considered by Putin a key one to Russia and its ambitions?

As Dr. James Conca wrote:

In the end, however, our nuclear force crews, and the American public, see the threat of full-scale nuclear war as “simply nonexistent.”

Not so in Russia. They’re ready. And what would we do if they used these tactical nukes against one of its neighbors?

This same question never seems to go away.

Dr. Robbin F. Laird is co-founder and senior analyst at Second Line of Defense. He has worked in the U.S. government and several think tanks, including the Center for Naval Analysis and the Institute for







Defense Analysis. He is a Columbia University alumni, where he taught and worked for several years at the Research Institute of International Change, a think tank founded by Dr. Brzezinski. His most recent book (with Ed Timperlake and Richard Weitz) is entitled Rebuilding American Military Power in the Pacific: A 21st Century Strategy. This piece originally appeared in Second Line of Defense.

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/northcom-how-america-should-deal-russias-nuclear-16154?page=show

Return to Top

ABOUT THE USAF CUWS

The USAF Counterproliferation Center was established in 1998 at the direction of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Located at Maxwell AFB, this Center capitalizes on the resident expertise of Air University, while extending its reach far beyond - and influences a wide audience of leaders and policy makers. A memorandum of agreement between the Air Staff Director for Nuclear and Counterproliferation (then AF/XON), now AF/A5XP) and Air War College Commandant established the initial manpower and responsibilities of the Center. This included integrating counterproliferation awareness into the curriculum and ongoing research at the Air University; establishing an information repository to promote research on counterproliferation and nonproliferation issues; and directing research on the various topics associated with counterproliferation and nonproliferation .

The Secretary of Defense's Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Management released a report in 2008 that recommended "Air Force personnel connected to the nuclear mission be required to take a professional military education (PME) course on national, defense, and Air Force concepts for deterrence and defense." As a result, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, in coordination with the AF/A10 and Air Force Global Strike Command, established a series of courses at Kirtland AFB to

provide continuing education through the careers of those Air Force personnel working in or supporting the nuclear enterprise. This mission was transferred to the Counterproliferation Center in 2012, broadening its mandate to providing education and research to not just countering WMD but also nuclear deterrence.

In February 2014, the Center’s name was changed to the Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies to reflect its broad coverage of unconventional weapons issues, both offensive and defensive, across the six joint operating concepts (deterrence operations, cooperative security, major combat operations, irregular warfare, stability operations, and homeland security). The term “unconventional weapons,” currently defined as nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, also includes the improvised use of chemical, biological, and radiological hazards.

The CUWS's military insignia displays the symbols of nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards. The arrows above the hazards represent the four aspects of counterproliferation - counterforce, active defense, passive defense, and consequence management.





Documents

Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies (CUWS) …