China Replaces Missile Commander Days After Removing Foreign Minister
Alastair Gale and Chun Han Wong | The Wall Street Journal
China ousted the commander of its missile force, a move that analysts said was intended to ensure loyalty to leader Xi Jinping in the arm of the military that controls nuclear-tipped missiles pointed at the U.S. and would play a pivotal role in any attempt to seize Taiwan through force. The removal of Li Yuchao, a veteran of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, marked an abrupt end to an unusually short stint in a key military post and comes days after China replaced its foreign minister in another decision shrouded in mystery.
Medvedev Says Russia Could use Nuclear Weapon if Ukraine’s Fightback Succeeds in Latest Threat
Josh Pennington, Alex Stambaugh and Brad Lendon | CNN
Russia may be forced to use a nuclear weapon if Ukraine’s counteroffensive succeeds, senior Russian official Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday – the latest in a series of nuclear threats made during Moscow’s invasion by the key ally of President Vladimir Putin. “Just imagine that the offensive… in tandem with NATO, succeeded and ended up with part of our land being taken away. Then we would have to use nuclear weapons by virtue of the stipulations of the Russian Presidential Decree,” said Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, in a Telegram post. “There simply wouldn’t be any other solution,” the former Russian president added. “Our enemies should pray to our fighters that they do not allow the world to go up in nuclear flames.”
The First US Nuclear Reactor Built from Scratch in Decades Enters Commercial Operation in Georgia
JEFF AMY | Associated Press
The first American nuclear reactor to be built from scratch in decades is sending electricity reliably to the grid, but the cost of the Georgia power plant could discourage utilities from pursuing nuclear power as a path to a carbon-free future. Georgia Power Co. announced Monday that Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle, southeast of Augusta, has completed testing and is now in commercial operation, seven years late and $17 billion over budget.
Australia Says it is 'Confident' on US Nuclear Submarines as Ministers Meet
Kirsty Needham | Reuters
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was confident a deal for the U.S. to sell nuclear powered submarines to Australia was on track, ahead of talks between defence and foreign ministers of the two countries on Friday. Twenty-five U.S. Republican lawmakers told President Joe Biden on Thursday the plan to sell three attack submarines to Australia under the so-called AUKUS partnership would "unacceptably weaken" the U.S. fleet without a clear plan to replace them.
How Does IDF Reservist Protest Impact Potential Strike on Iran? - Analysis
YONAH JEREMY BOB | Jerusalem Post
The IDF has repeated in recent weeks at all levels, from IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, to IDF Air Force Chief Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar, to others, that it is still ready for war if necessary. This is part of a message to Israel’s enemies that they should not make the mistake of testing the IDF’s resolve at this time just because there is a movement of reservists protesting government policy by declining their reserve duty.
How the Mushroom Cloud Boomed and Bloomed Across American Pop Culture
Nicolas Rapold | The New York Times
The enduring shorthand of the mushroom cloud has taken on different meanings over the decades, reflecting fantasies and fears as it boomed and bloomed across American culture, including, most recently, onscreen in “Oppenheimer” and “Asteroid City.” A multiplicity of meanings is appropriate for a weapon that was partly conceived as a symbolic demonstration in the first place, meant to cow Japan into surrender in World War II.