IAEA Reports Shift in Shutdown Status of Besieged Zaporizhzhia Reactors
Charles Digges | Bellona
Operators carrying out maintenance at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant have switched the shutdown mode of two reactors, the Moscow-installed administration of the plant, located on the war’s front-line, said last week.
North Korea Appears to Test Rocket Engine as it Preps for Next Satellite Launch
Colin Zwirko | NK PRO
North Korea appears to have conducted a rocket engine test at its main spaceport in July, possibly to troubleshoot the launch vehicle that failed to put a military satellite in orbit in late May and prepare for the next attempt, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery. Planet Labs imagery suggests the test took place at the vertical engine test stand inside the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground complex between July 7 and 16. It comes as construction and upgrades have continued in recent weeks around the entire Sohae complex.
Xi’s Surprise Shake-Up Exposes Problems at Top of China’s Nuclear Force
Chris Buckley | The New York Times
The shake-up in the rocket force indicated that the force’s expansion has been accompanied by serious problems in its top ranks. Suspicions of corruption or disloyalty to Mr. Xi may slow or complicate China’s upgrade of its conventional and nuclear missiles, several experts said.
Germany Will Not Provide Ukraine with Taurus Missiles: no Urgent Need
Ukrainska Pravda
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has once again spoken out against the supply of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, citing their "special range" and the fact that there is no particular need for it…During his visit to the brigade of the mountain troops in Bavaria, Pistorius emphasised the "special range" of these missiles and mentioned that the US is not providing long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Report On The Reasons That Continued Implementation Of The New START Treaty is in The National Security Interest Of The United States
BUREAU OF ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE
The Russian Federation’s noncompliance with the New START Treaty underscores the vital importance of retaining and modernizing a safe, secure, and effective U.S. nuclear deterrent and achieving a resilient and adaptive nuclear security enterprise. The United States continues to believe that mutual full compliance with the New START Treaty makes the United States, its allies and partners, the Russian Federation, and the entire world safer. The United States is prepared to work constructively with the Russian Federation on a pathway back to full implementation of the New START Treaty and on a post-2026 nuclear arms control framework.
‘Oppenheimer’ Only Makes it Harder to Control Nuclear Weapons
WARD HAYES WILSON | Los Angeles Times
The movie “Oppenheimer” hypes a serious issue of national survival, and in the process makes matters much, much worse. By mythologizing J. Robert Oppenheimer (and in the process ascribing god-like powers to nuclear weapons), the movie sets back efforts to control these dangerous devices. True, people who watch the movie will emerge frightened about nuclear war. But decades of terrifying pictures of ash, rubble and burned bodies haven’t, apparently, stifled governments’ desire for these weapons. All nine nuclear-armed states are currently increasing their arsenals or upgrading them. Fear, in other words, hasn’t worked.