Senators Ramp Up Pressure on Trump Over North Korea, Warning That His Policy of Engagement Is ‘On the Brink of Failure’
David Nakamura | Washington Post
Senators from both parties are seeking to force President Trump’s hand on North Korea, with leading Democrats warning Wednesday that his diplomatic outreach is “on the brink of failure” and a bipartisan group pressing for stronger economic sanctions on Kim Jong Un’s regime. The moves illustrate growing alarm on Capitol Hill that the administration’s stalled nuclear talks with Pyongyang could lead to an increase in hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, with Kim promising an unwelcome “Christmas gift” by year’s end. At a news conference Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators said the time had come to enact stricter “secondary sanctions” approved by Congress that would punish international banks and other entities that do business with North Korea. In a separate action, eight Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), sent Trump a three-page letter Wednesday citing “grave and growing concern” at the prospects that the administration’s North Korea policy is headed toward failure. The group supported continued diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang and cautioned against a return to Trump’s “fire and fury” rhetoric toward Pyongyang in 2017.
China Says North Korea Sanctions Relief Is Best Plan With US Envoy Set to Arrive
Huizhong Wu | Reuters
China touted its proposal offering sanctions relief to North Korea as the best option to diffuse tensions, calling on Thursday for a compromise in the standoff between Washington and Pyongyang over the latter’s nuclear and missiles programmes. The proposal, made jointly with Russia on Monday, calls on the U.N. Security Council to lift some sanctions on exports and foreign workers to “break the deadlock” in the stalled talks between Pyongyang and Washington. The comments come as the U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun is set to arrive in the Chinese capital on Thursday for talks. The U.S. holds veto power in the 15-member council and remains opposed to any sanctions relief, however, making the China-Russia resolution unlikely to go through.
No Indications of Satellite Launch Preparations at the Sohae Satellite Launch Facility
38 North
There has been recent speculation that North Korea’s threatened “Christmas gift” might be a satellite launch from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. Our review of commercial satellite imagery taken over the past two months show no indications of such preparations. Monitoring satellite launches at Sohae with commercial imagery has become more challenging since 2012 when the North Koreans attempted to fire two rockets into space. The signatures for pre-launch activity at the time were well documented. Going forward, while there may not be any obvious signs of satellite launch preparations until just days before it takes place, there are certain activities that would be cause for concern.
Russia Exits Nuclear Conversion Project But Stands By Iran
Julia Sveshnikova | Al Monitor
Russian company TVEL, a subsidiary of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, has suspended a research project with Iran that was designed to convert the latter's Fordow uranium enrichment site to produce medical isotopes. But the decision doesn't mean Moscow is reducing its support for Iran in the face of American pressure. “The [project] has been suspended but not stopped. We need to analyze the situation and look at the American statements that, as of Dec. 15, they’d be applying their illegal sanctions to the key JCPOA deal,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov explained to TASS, alluding to yet another motivation Russia might have for its Fordow decision. Yet Russia still stands by Iran on other bilateral cooperation, manifesting a more or less consolidated opposition to the United States. Tehran is seeking as much as $5 billion from Russia for infrastructure projects, including construction of power plants and railways.
World's First Floating Nuclear Plant Goes Online in Russia - Rosatom
Moscow Times
The world’s first floating nuclear power plant has begun supplying electric power to a remote corner of Russia amid criticisms from environmental activists, the state nuclear company Rosatom announced Thursday. The Akademik Lomonosov arrived in Russia’s northernmost town of Pevek in September, three weeks after setting off on a 5,000-kilometer journey through Arctic waters. Greenpeace has voiced safety concerns with Russia’s seaborne nuclear plant, calling it the “Chernobyl on ice” and “nuclear Titanic.” The Akademik Lomonosov nuclear plant’s next step is to enter commercial operation in 2020, said Andrei Popov, the head of Rosatom’s energy division Rosenergoatom.
Lockheed Awards $81.5M Million Contract Hypersonic Missile Motor
Chris Martin | Defense News
Lockheed Martin has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne to provide a solid-fuel rocket motor for a hypersonic missile meant for the U.S. Air Force, according to a Tuesday news release. The $81.5 million contract award is to support Lockheed’s efforts in creating an air-launched, standoff missile that can reach Mach 5. The company was hired by the Air Force in April 2018 to design and prototype the hypersonic missile under the service’s Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon program. Then in August 2018, the Air Force awarded another hypersonic missile development contract to Lockheed for the service’s Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon. Aerojet previously provided the scramjet engine for Boeing’s X-51A Waverider, created to demonstrate hypersonic flight.