Escalation Through Entanglement: How the Vulnerability of Command-and-Control Systems Raises The Risks of an Inadvertent Nuclear War
James Acton | International Security
Nonnuclear weapons are increasingly able to threaten dual-use command, control, communication, and intelligence assets that are spaced based or distant from probable theaters of conflict. This form of “entanglement” between nuclear and nonnuclear capabilities creates the potential for Chinese or Russian nonnuclear strikes against the United States or U.S. strikes against either China or Russia to spark inadvertent nuclear escalation.
Leaked Document: Putin Lobbied Trump on Arms Control
Bryan Bender | POLITICO
Vladimir Putin presented President Donald Trump with a series of requests during their private meeting in Helsinki last month, including new talks on controlling nuclear arms and prohibiting weapons in space, according to a Russian document obtained by POLITICO.
Pompeo Told North Korea to Cut Its Nuclear Arsenal by 60 to 70 Percent
Alex Ward | Vox
The Trump administration has presented North Korea with a formal timeline for starting the process of denuclearization — and Pyongyang has rejected it several times. It shows that even after months of talks, Washington and Pyongyang have made little progress toward ending the North Korean nuclear threat.
More Progress on Dismantling Facilities at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station
38 North
Commercial satellite imagery from August 3 indicates additional dismantlement activities are ongoing at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station since last observed. At the vertical engine test stand, used for testing and development of engines for ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles, the North Koreans have continued to tear down the steel base structure and appear to be removing fuel and oxidizer tanks from dismantled bunkers.
U.S. Can't Be Trusted, Iran's Rouhani Tells North Korea
Lucas Jackson | Reuters
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told North Korea's foreign minister that the United States cannot be trusted, Tehran's state media said, as the United States seeks a deal to rein in the North's nuclear and missile programs.
MDA Director Provides Rough Sketch of Possible Space-Based Missile Defense Sensor Layer
Jen Judson | Defense News
Missile defense leaders within the Pentagon as well as Congress are pushing for more missile defense capability in space and the Missile Defense Agency Director Gen. Samuel Greaves laid out a rough idea of what a space-based missile defense sensor layer could look like.