Asking the Right Questions About Conventional Prompt Global Strike

The development of non-nuclear weapons that can strike distant targets in a short period of time has been a U.S. goal for more than a decade. Advocates argue that such Conventional Prompt Global Strike (CPGS) weapons could be used to counter antisatellite weapons or sophisticated defensive capabilities; deny a new proliferator the ability to employ its nuclear arsenal; and kill high-value terrorists. Critics worry that CPGS weapons could create serious strategic risks, most notably of escalation—including to the nuclear level—in a conflict.

 

Israel and the United States tested a new air-defense system on Tuesday morning, launching a missile from deep in the Mediterranean Sea that caused consternation in Syria and Russia given the heightened tension in the region as the Obama administration weighs a military strike in Syria.

 

The Abe administration announced Sept. 3 that the central government will spend at least 47 billion yen ($473 million) to deal with radiation-contaminated water flowing out of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and into the sea.

 

Radiation near a tank holding highly contaminated water at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has spiked 18-fold, the plant's operator said on Sunday, highlighting the struggle to bring the crisis under control after more than two years.

 

Pakistan on Tuesday described its nuclear policy as one of “restraint and responsibility” and declared that it has a well-established regime of controls to “ensure the safety and security” of its nuclear facilities. 

 

A senior Chinese military official renewed his country's "clear-cut" goal of ending North Korea's nuclear program through dialogue during a meeting with South Korean defense officials last week, China's defense ministry said Tuesday.