Calculus on Missile Defense and Hypersonic Glide
Tong Zhao
Russia and China have similar threat perceptions when it comes to the potential impact of U.S. missile defense on their respective nuclear deterrents. While some foreign analysts doubt that the two countries’ concerns are genuine, an in-depth examination of the Chinese understanding of U.S. missile defense reveals that a number of factors—including some serious misperceptions—make China deeply wary of these systems. If the similarities between the Chinese and Russian political systems and their decision-making dynamics are taken into account, as well as their deep mistrust of the United States, it is likely that Russian concerns about U.S. missile defense will be similar to those of China, and these must be adequately addressed.
U.S. Launches Qualification Tests for Upgraded Nuke Bomb
Susan Montoya Bryan | Associated Press
Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are claiming success with the first in a new series of test flights involving an upgraded version of a nuclear bomb that has been part of the U.S. arsenal for decades. Work on the B61-12 has been ongoing for years, and government officials say the latest tests using mock versions of the bomb will be vital to the refurbishing effort.
N. Korea Didn’t Test a Nuclear Weapon, But it Did Try to Launch Another Missile
Anna Fifield | Washington Post
With the kind of fanfare that only a totalitarian state can muster, North Korea on Saturday flaunted missiles that can theoretically reach the United States and defiantly stated that it was prepared to counter any U.S. attack with “a nuclear war of our own.”
North Korea Could Still Hold Another Nuclear Test: Reports
Chang May Choon | Straits Times
Despite North Korea's failed missile launch yesterday - its second failed attempt this year - its nuclear threat remains undiminished and a sixth nuclear test could be next on the cards, said reports. Japan's Defence Ministry has warned that "tension will continue for some time" given that the United States has sent a naval strike team to the Korean peninsula, and the North is set to celebrate the founding of its army on April 25.
Syria Attack Exposes Failed Deal to Rid Regime of Chemical Weapons
Nour Malas | Wall Street Journal
The suspected sarin gas attack in Syria revealed one of the worst-kept secrets in international diplomacy: A 2013 deal brokered by Russia and the U.S. failed to cripple the Assad regime’s ability to make or use chemical weapons.
The North Korean Nuclear Threat Is Getting Worse By the Day
William Tobey | Foreign Policy
Any estimate of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities is subject to considerable uncertainty because of the regime’s extreme secrecy and isolation. It nonetheless appears that under a worst-case scenario, and if left unchecked, North Korea’s arsenal could approach 100 nuclear weapons by 2024; even if those fears are not realized, the arsenal would be substantially larger than it is today. This would change the nature of the North’s nuclear-weapons threat along five dimensions.