17 States Meet in Tokyo to Prevent Nuclear Proliferation in Wake of North Korean Test
Japan Times
Senior officials from Japan, the United States, Canada and 14 other Asia-Pacific nations discussed on Wednesday in Tokyo measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the wake of North Korea’s recent nuclear test, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.
In the meeting, officials in charge of nonproliferation policy from the 17 countries focused on ways to stop the entry of nuclear-related materials and technologies into North Korea through concerted international efforts, it said.
North Korea Nuclear Test Did Not Increase Technical Capability: U.S.
Andrea Shalal, David Brunnstrom and Jonathan Landay | Reuters
North Korea's Jan. 6 nuclear test did not expand its technical capability, but the U.S. government is keeping a close eye on Pyongyang's efforts to develop a thermonuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States, the head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Tuesday. "I would assess that their technical capability has not increased," Vice Admiral James Syring told an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "That said, everything that they're doing continues to be alarming and provoking. ... We continue to watch it closely."
Russia to Float Out Two New Submarines for Black Sea Fleet in Spring 2016
Sputnik News
Russia is currently carrying out a large-scale rearmament program, announced in 2010, to achieve a 70-percent modernization of its military hardware by 2020. The Veliky Novgorod and the Kolpino, being built at the St. Petersburg Shipyard, will become the fifth and sixth in the project. They feature advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets.
Military: Pakistan Test-Launches Homegrown Cruise Missile
Defense News
Pakistan conducted a successful flight test Tuesday of a locally developed cruise missile named “Ra’ad” with a range of 350 kilometers (around 218 miles), the military said. “The state of the art Ra’ad ALCM (air-launched cruise missile) is equipped with highly advanced guidance and navigation system that ensures engagement of targets with pin point accuracy,” the military said in a statement.
Just How Secure Are India and Pakistan's Nuclear Materials?
Ankit Panda | Diplomat
Just how well are India and Pakistan, South Asia’s two nuclear-armed rivals, taking care of their nuclear materials? The Nuclear Threat Initiative’s (NTI) 2016 Nuclear Security Index ranks 24 countries that possess “one kilogram or more of weapons-usable nuclear materials” across a range of indicators of nuclear security–both India and Pakistan fall into this category.
China Nuclear to Bring Nuclear Power to Saudi Arabia
Lyu Chang and Hu Meidong in Fuzhou | China Daily
China Nuclear Engineering Group Corp signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia on Tuesdayto develop its homegrown fourth-generation nuclear technology in the oil-rich Middle East country. Gu Jun, president and general manager of CNEC, said the agreement was a major steptoward the export of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, an indigenous nuclear technologyjointly developed by CNEC and Tsinghua University.