Biden’s Armageddon Moment: When Nuclear Detonation Seemed Possible in Ukraine
David E. Sanger | The New York Times
The intercepts revealed that for the first time since the war in Ukraine had broken out, there were frequent conversations within the Russian military about reaching into the nuclear arsenal. Some were just “various forms of chatter,” one official said. But others involved the units that would be responsible for moving or deploying the weapons. The most alarming of the intercepts revealed that one of the most senior Russian military commanders was explicitly discussing the logistics of detonating a weapon on the battlefield.
Diplomats Fear Growing Power of Iranian Factions That Want Nuclear Weapons
Patrick Wintour | The Guardian
There are growing fears among diplomats in the US and Europe that Iran’s largely unmonitored nuclear programme and the destabilisation caused by the Gaza conflict are strengthening the hand of Iranian factions that back the development of nuclear weapons. The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has reiterated in recent days that his country is pursuing a civilian nuclear programme for now. However, at a quarterly meeting last week of the governing board of the nuclear inspectorate, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the US and its European partners issued dire warnings about the threat posed by Iran’s lack of cooperation on its nuclear programme.
India Adds Firepower to a Missile Program Focused on China
Rajesh Roy | Wall Street Journal
India has successfully conducted the maiden flight test of an indigenously developed ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday, a development that enhances the country’s nuclear deterrence against rivals China and Pakistan. The intercontinental ballistic missile called Agni-5, which in Sanskrit means “fire,” is equipped with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, or MIRV technology, that allows it to launch multiple attacks in one go across different locations, according to two senior serving government officials.
Forget ‘Oppenheimer’ — Nuclear Power is Having its Moment in Washington
JAMES BIKALES and CATHERINE MOREHOUSE | POLITICO
Hollywood’s “Oppenheimer” dominated at the Oscars — renewing calls for reducing the threat of nuclear weapons worldwide — but a different kind of nuclear energy is gaining momentum in Washington.Freshly passed legislation and new rules from the Biden administration are putting teeth behind a renewed bipartisan push for nuclear power, which has suffered major setbacks in recent decades despite advocates’ repeated predictions over the years that the industry was on the brink of a renaissance.
Top U.S. General Sees Changing Nuclear Threat From North Korea
Timothy W. Martin | Wall Street Journal
The top U.S. military official in South Korea said his thinking has changed on deterring North Korea’s nuclear weapons. In the past, efforts were dedicated to halting Pyongyang’s development of nuclear capabilities. Now the focus is on preventing Kim Jong Un from using the weapons. “We have to assure him that positive will be met with positive actions, and negative will be met with negative,” said Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, the four-star general who leads the roughly 28,500 American military personnel stationed in South Korea, in a rare interview.
Details Of Russia’s Nuclear Modernization Are Inconsistent With Warnings Of Vast Nuclear Expansion
Eliana Johns and Mackenzie Knight | Federation of American Scientists
While many are rightly concerned about Russia’s development and fielding of new nuclear-capable systems, a few key points about Russia’s nuclear modernization provide critical context into Moscow’s threat perceptions and strategic priorities and suggest that fears of a substantial Russian nuclear increase or change in the strategic environment might be overblown.