Iran Agrees to Take Steps to Reduce Enriched Uranium Stockpile
Laurence Norman | Wall Street Journal
Iran agreed to take steps that would push its stockpile of enriched uranium far below the 300-kilogram cap fixed in its 2015 nuclear agreement, potentially eliminating one flashpoint over an accord that President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly criticized during his election campaign, Western diplomats said. The pledge by Tehran to take the step came after discussions in Vienna on Tuesday with the six powers that negotiated the nuclear accord. The meeting is expected to be the last the Obama administration will take part in before Mr. Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Stopping a N. Korean Missile No Sure Thing, U.S. Tester Says
Anthony Capaccio | Bloomberg
The U.S.’s $36 billion system of ground-based interceptors can’t yet be counted on to shoot down a nuclear-armed missile aimed at the West Coast by the likes of North Korea or Iran, the Pentagon’s weapons testing office says. The network of radar and communications combined with missiles based in California and Alaska has demonstrated only a “limited capability to defend the U.S. homeland from small numbers of simple” intercontinental ballistic missiles, the testing office said in its latest annual report.
U.S. Says Might Not Shoot Down North Korean ICBM, Eying Intel
Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali | Reuters
The U.S. military might monitor a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test and gather intelligence rather than destroy it, as long as the launch did not pose a threat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday. North Korea declared on Sunday it could test-launch an ICBM at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, saying a hostile U.S. policy was to blame for its arms development.
Mattis Enthusiastic on ICBMs, Tepid on Nuclear Cruise Missile
Aaron Mehta | Defense News
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Defense believes the US needs to maintain its Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program, but showed a willingness to consider whether developing a new nuclear cruise missile is the right path forward. Retired Gen. Jim Mattis made his comments as part of his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he was asked whether he would continue to support the nuclear triad modernization strategy pursued by the Obama administration.
The U.S. Nuclear Triad Needs an Upgrade
Wall Street Journal
The United States has long relied primarily on a triad of nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) at sea, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and long-range bombers to deter attacks on the U.S. and our allies. The combined capabilities of the triad provide the president with the mixture of systems and weapons necessary to hold an adversary’s most valuable targets at risk, with the credibility of an assured response if needed—the essence of deterrence. The triad’s flexibility and responsiveness among its elements allow political leaders to signal intent and enhance deterrence stability in crises or
Missile-Warning SBIRS GEO-3 Looking Good for Jan. 19 Launch
Space News
The U.S. Air Force’s next missile-warning satellite is set to launch from Florida Jan. 19, mission leaders said during a Tuesday teleconference with reporters. The military’s third Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO-3, is checking out, and while there are still a few operational and launch readiness reviews to perform, there do not appear to be any issues that might delay the launch, officials said. “This is the first national security space mission out of eight planned for this calendar year, and it helps honor the 70th anniversary of the Air Force,” said Col. Kent Nickle, the launch mission director.