Facing US Lawmaker Concerns, Australian Prime Minister Defends AUKUS Sub Efforts
Colin Clark | Breaking Defense
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this weekend attempted to quell concerns that the AUKUS defense pact could be facing headwinds in Washington, telling reporters that the United States, United Kingdom and Australia all remain committed to the plan — even if he provided few details.Albanese faced questions about the AUKUS agreement following Breaking Defense’s exclusive report of a letter, sent to US President Joe Biden from Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, citing concerns that the United States could not build enough nuclear attack submarines to meet its own needs, let alone provide any to Australia.
Japan and U.S. to Cooperate on Next-generation Nuclear Reactors
The Japan Times
Japan and the United States agreed Monday to strengthen bilateral cooperation on developing next-generation nuclear reactors, during ministerial talks on energy. According to a joint statement, Japan and the United States will step up cooperation in developing and constructing next-generation advanced reactors, including small modular reactors, "within each country and third countries."
Russian Hackers Targeted U.S. Nuclear Scientists
James Pearson and Christopher Bing | Reuters
A Russian hacking team known as Cold River targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. Between August and September, as President Vladimir Putin indicated Russia would be willing to use nuclear weapons to defend its territory, Cold River targeted the Brookhaven (BNL), Argonne (ANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL), according to internet records that showed the hackers creating fake login pages for each institution and emailing nuclear scientists in a bid to make them reveal their passwords.'
Iran on Agenda When U.S. National Security Adviser Visits Israel
Reuters
Iran's nuclear program and threats posed by Tehran will be discussed when U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan travels to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government. "I'll be going to Israel and that will be a substantial topic of conversation when I go," he said…Sullivan said efforts to revive an Iran nuclear deal opposed by Israel had been set aside for now while Washington pressures Iran to stop sending drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine and seeks to stop a crackdown on Iranian demonstrators.Israel has opposed Biden's attempts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, concerned that it will not stop Tehran's development of a nuclear weapon."We'll have the opportunity to engage deeply with the new Israeli government on the threat posed by Iran. And I think we share the same fundamental objectives. And we will work through any differences we have on tactics, the same way that we have over the course of the past two years," Sullivan said.
North Korea’s Evolving Nuclear Threat: Too Great to Deter?
Christian Davies, Kana Inagaki, and Demetri Sevastopulo | Financial Times
Pyongyang’s advances in weapons development, and its adoption of a more aggressive nuclear doctrine, have prompted Seoul and Tokyo to seek greater reassurance from its US allies, who responded with increased patrols of nuclear-capable military assets on and around the Korean peninsula.…But the development that most worries policymakers in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington is North Korea’s new generation of lower yield tactical and battlefield nuclear weapons…These lower-yield weapons “can be used more precisely to target specific enemy assets such as ports, airfields, ships, or concentrations of troops,” says Ankit Panda, a nuclear weapons expert at the Carnegie Endowment think-tank in Washington. Not only is their threshold for use much lower than for ICBMs, he adds, the decision to use them is more likely to be delegated to field commanders, “increasing the risk of an accident, miscommunication or miscalculation resulting in nuclear use”.