A Nuclear Arsenal Upgrade
New York Times
The U.S. is planning a trillion-dollar modernization of its nuclear forces over the next few decades, but not everyone agrees on what “modernization” of the arsenal should look like. Last month, it was revealed that Hillary Clinton disagrees with President Obama’s plans to build smaller, more targeted nuclear-tipped weapons. What should an appropriate modernization of the nuclear arsenal include or exclude? How can the U.S. safely stick to its goals of deterring nuclear
North Korea Giving Up Nuclear Weapons Is ‘Lost Cause,’ Top U.S. Official Says
Jesse Johnson | Japan Times
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula—long the stated U.S. goal—is now a nonstarter for Pyongyang. “I think the notion of getting the North Koreans to denuclearize is probably a lost cause,” Clapper said at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in New York. “They are not going to do that. That is their ticket to survival.” In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said that while he had not seen Clapper’s remarks, U.S. policy toward the North remained unchanged. “We want to continue to see a verifiable denuclearization of the peninsula,” Kirby said.
South Korea to Resume Talks with Japan on Sharing Intelligence
Reuters
South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said his government decided to resume talks with Japan for the conclusion of General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), a pact that would share sensitive intelligence information on North Korea's missile and nuclear activities. Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama also noted that Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed on Thursday to work together to put more pressure on North Korea to get it to abandon its nuclear and missile programs.
Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia Agree to Nuclear Cooperation
World Nuclear News
Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to cooperate in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The agreement was signed in Riyadh yesterday during a visit by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The agreement was signed by Kazakh energy minister Kanat Bozumbayev and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) president Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani. The signing was witnessed by Nazarbayev and Saudi's Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Woman's Work: Building Nuclear Security Culture in South Africa
Noelle Pourrat | Carnegie Corporation of New York
Jeaneth Kabini is from a small village in South Africa called Thabana, meaning “small mountain.” The first in her family to study science, she works at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) in the administrative capital of Pretoria, about 120 km (75 miles) from Thabana. Kabini spent much of the last year even further from home, traveling to the United States as a Robin Copeland Memorial Fellow. This yearlong nonproliferation fellowship, created by CRDF Global and supported by Carnegie Corporation, gives young women from emerging countries the resources, networks, and expertise to become leaders in the field.
Nuclear Power, Defense Workers Leaking Data Through Unsecure Pagers
Joe Uchill | Hill
Nuclear power plants, chemical plants, defense contractors and other highly sensitive industries and workers are leaking information through their pagers, a new report shows. Pagers have been out of vogue with the public since the rise of the cellphone but are still used to send automated messages from industrial systems or building automation systems. They are a way to make sure employees can get critical updates—including alarms—even when they are away from consoles.