With the House Subcommittee on Strategic Forces set to mark up the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on April 26, to be followed on May 9 by the full House Armed Services Committee, stay tuned to this space for a preview of what to expect on nuclear weapons and missile defense policy as well as analysis of the bill as it moves it’s way through the House.
Good News for Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Programs?
Regular readers know that we weren’t big fans of the Obama administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget request for core nuclear material security programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration. And given that Republicans on the House Energy…
Independence for Scotland and Disarmament for the United Kingdom: The Law of Unintended Consequences
A mixture of geography and nationalism has set the stage in the United Kingdom for a referendum in 2014 that will ask voters a straightforward question with complex consequences: Should Scotland be an independent nation?
S.Korean Intelligence: N. Korea Preparing Nuclear Test
As expected, North Korea is apparently preparing for its third nuclear test, according to South Korean intelligence officials. This is in line with typical North Korean behavior — in the past, it has tested missiles first followed by a nuclear test witnessed in 2006 and 2009.
Fukushima and the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit
I wrote an op-ed for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on March 18th on the implications of the Fukushima nuclear disaster for the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. It can be found here.
There are two op-eds worth reading written by the Center’s Board members:
Frank von Hippel at Princeton University wrote in the New York Times on March 23rd on the need to learn from the Fukushima disaster and reduce dangers around the world. He writes, “We therefore must make existing reactors safer, develop a new generation of safer designs and prevent nuclear power from facilitating nuclear proliferation. As tragic as the Fukushima disaster has been, it has provided a rare opportunity to advance those goals.”
Matthew Bunn at Harvard University wrote in the Washington Post on March 23rd on ways to reduce a Fukushima-like disaster elsewhere. He writes, “Ultimately, regular independent, international reviews should be the norm in nuclear operations worldwide. All countries must demonstrate that they are doing everything practicable to prevent the next Fukushima — or something far worse.”
