No Longer a Secret: How Israel Destroyed Syria's Nuclear Reactor
Amos Harel and Aluf Benn | Haaretz
It was one of the Israeli army's most successful operations, but was censored for over a decade. Now, a Haaretz investigation goes behind the scenes of the 2007 strike on 'The Cube,' shortly before it became an active nuclear reactor: From the intelligence failures and American foot-dragging, to the arguments at the top levels and the threats of a total war with Syria.
South Korea's Leader Floats 3-Way Talks With Trump and Kim Jong-un
Choe Sang-Hun | New York Times
President Moon Jae-in of South Korea said on Wednesday that he and President Trump could sit down for a three-way summit meeting with Kim Jong-un if their individual meetings with the North Korean leader on denuclearizing his country proceed well in the coming weeks. Mr. Moon and Mr. Kim are planning an inter-Korean summit in late April at Peace House, a South Korean conference hall inside Panmunjom, the so-called truce village that straddles the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, separating the two Koreas.
U.S., South Korea May Cut Exercises Short for Trump-Kim Summit: Reports
Richard Sisk | Military
The annual Foal Eagle military exercises in South Korea could be cut short to avoid coinciding with the tentative summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the end of May. In a cryptic joint statement Monday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said the massive joint exercises, which usually begin March 1 and run for two months, would begin April 1.
Nuclear Warhead Manager Seeks FY19 Funding for New Nuke Designs
Aaron Mehta | Defense News
The agency in charge of managing America’s nuclear warheads is in discussions with the Office of Management and Budget about getting funding to start work on two new nuclear capabilities sought by the Trump administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration, a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy, is a key player as the government seeks to create both a low-yield warhead for its submarine-launched ballistic missile and a new sea-launched, nuclear-capable cruise missile.
To Deter Russia, U.S. Needs New Low-Yield Nukes, Says STRATCOM Head
Valerie Insinna | Defense News
During a congressional hearing, the head of U.S. Strategic Command defended the Trump administration’s view that the United States will need new low-yield nuclear weapons to help deter Russia. The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review recommends building two new “low-yield” nuclear weapons for the U.S. Navy: a low-yield warhead for existing submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBM, and a nuclear-capable cruise missile that could be used by subs.
U.S. Says Russia Deployment Of 'Banned' Cruise Missile Increasing
Mike Eckel | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
The commander of U.S. nuclear forces says that Russia has increased its deployment of cruise missiles that Washington asserts are in violation of a key Cold War arms-control treaty, a signal that Moscow continues to be undeterred by U.S. warnings. The comments on March 20 by General John Hyten come with U.S. officials moving more aggressively to confront Moscow and the suspect ground-launched cruise missile, which Washington first publicly identified four years ago as being in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.