Pentagon Panel Urges Trump Team to Expand Nuclear Options
John Donnelly | Roll Call
A blue-ribbon Pentagon panel has urged the Trump administration to make the U.S. arsenal more capable of “limited” atomic war. The Defense Science Board, in an unpublished December report obtained by CQ Roll Call, urges the president to consider altering existing and planned U.S. armaments to achieve a greater number of lower-yield weapons that could provide a “tailored nuclear option for limited use.”
U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Iran Over Missile Test
David E. Sanger | New York Times
New sanctions that the Trump administration imposed on Friday to punish Tehran’s latest ballistic missile test marked the beginning of what officials called the end of an era in which the United States was “too tolerant of Iran’s bad behavior.” In what was described as the first in a series of efforts to confront Iran around the globe, the ban on banking transfers was levied against 25 Iranians and companies that officials said assisted in Tehran’s ballistic missile program and support of terrorist groups.
For Germany, Trump Poses a Problem With No Clear Solution
Max Fisher | New York Times
As allies across Europe and Asia adjust to changes brought by President Trump, Germany is in a uniquely difficult position. Its economy and national security are particularly reliant on American support, which now seems in doubt, and on European unity, which is under attack and increasingly up to Germany to maintain. Now, policy elites and the public in Germany are struggling with whether and how their nation should develop more traditional forms of power. A growing number of officials in Germany are asking whether they need a Plan B for a post-American Europe. But they are finding that any such plan would require costs and sacrifices almost as great as the consequences of inaction.
S. Korea Mulls Option To Refer China To WTO For THAAD Retaliation: Official
Yonhap News
South Korea is currently reviewing if China's recent trade actions, taken after Seoul's plans to deploy U.S. missile defense systems on its soil, can be referred to the World Trade Organization (WTO), a high-ranking official said Tuesday. "As we may happen to need to take legal action in the future, a working-level examination is under way on (the illegality of) all measures taken by the Chinese central and regional governments as well as the private sector following the Seoul deployment decision," the official told reporters.
Japanese Defense Minister: Military 'Will Not Be Sent' To The South China Sea Alongside U.S.
Ankit Panda | Diplomat
Speaking on Sunday, at the conclusion of U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis’ two-day visit to Japan, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said during a television interview that Japan’s Self-Defense Force (SDF) would not deploy to the South China Sea with the United States Navy. “I told Secretary Mattis that Japan supports the U.S. military’s freedom of navigation operation in the sea,” Inada said on Sunday, according to Japan’s Jiji news agency, citing comments by Inada during the interview. “But the SDF will not be sent to the area,” Inada clarified.
Europe Should Act Fast to Preserve the Iran Nuclear Deal
Ellie Geranmayeh | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
US President Donald Trump has stirred all kinds of controversy with European allies during his first fortnight in office. Now, his administration’s evolving policy on Iran is becoming another source of concern across the Atlantic. Europe has a crucial but short window to clearly outline its position on the Iran nuclear deal in ways that could influence policymakers in Washington. In doing so, Europe should focus on preserving the agreement under existing terms as enshrined by the United Nations, and charting a course that minimizes confrontation—whether intentional or accidental—between Iran and the United States in an already turbulent Middle East.