Some Nuclear Ground Rules for Kim Jong Un
James Acton
The time for denial is over. North Korea has — or will very shortly have — the capability to launch a nuclear weapon against the United States. In the coming decades, historians can assign blame. For now, it is the task of policymakers to ensure that historians will still be around in the future to dissect this failure. While denuclearization should remain the international community’s formal goal, it is no longer a practical policy. A freeze on missile and nuclear testing, which I advocated only seven months ago, has lost value as North Korea’s capabilities have rapidly advanced. Analysts can happily theorize about a disarming preventative strike, but the risks—to both the United States and its allies—are so serious that no sane politician would authorize one. Instead, Washington should try to establish some basic rules of the road with a newly nuclear Pyongyang.
Deterring Pyongyang: U.S. Open to More Powerful South Korean Missiles
Franz-Stefan Gady | Diplomat
The U.S. Department of Defense is currently reviewing a request by the Republic of South Korea to allow it to develop more powerful ballistic missiles amidst rising tensions over North Korea’s growing military capabilities. “There is currently a limit on the warhead size and missiles that South Korea can have and yes, it is a topic under active consideration here,” Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters on August 7, Reuters reports.
Japan to Seek Assurance of U.S. Defense Pledge, Including Nuclear Deterrence
Reuters
Japan's defense chief and foreign minister will meet their U.S. counterparts on Thursday to reaffirm Washington's commitment to defending Japan, including the use of its nuclear deterrent, as threats from North Korea intensify. Japan's Minister of Defence, Itsunori Onodera, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taro Kono, travel to the U.S. capital this week for "two-plus-two" meetings with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the Japanese government announced on Tuesday.
North Korea Likely Can Make Missile Engines Without Imports: U.S.
Jonathan Landay | Reuters
North Korea likely has the ability to produce its own missile engines and intelligence suggests it does not need to rely on imports, U.S. intelligence officials said on Tuesday. The assessment disputes a new study by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies that said that the engines for a nuclear missile North Korea is developing to hit the United States likely were made in factories in Ukraine or Russia and probably obtained via black market
Can Next-Generation Nuclear Power Meet World Energy Needs?
Alexandro Pando | Forbes
As the construction and adoption rates of nuclear facilities slow down globally, now more than ever it seems nations are gradually phasing out nuclear energy as a choice replacement option for fossil fuel-derived energy sources. The exit of industry leaders like Siemens, Toshiba’s recent $6.3 billion loss and the lack of interest in nuclear power reactors resonate this assertion. Alternative options for global power generation are being heavily investigated and include nuclear fusion, geothermal, and carbon capture and sequestration, but these alternatives are still in the developmental stage. Nuclear power is a viable option, and next-generation reactors (expected to be deployed between 2020-2030) represent advancements in sustainability, economics, safety, reliability and proliferation resistance.
Call for Government to Revitalise U.S. Nuclear Industry
World Nuclear News
The US government should hold "a structured conversation" with the country's nuclear industry on ways to restore and develop the sector, according to an essay from Mark Hibbs, senior fellow of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's nuclear policy program. "The pending bankruptcy of Westinghouse, announced five months ago, could have far-reaching strategic impact on US exports and on the economic viability, safety, and security of nuclear power installations in the United States and beyond," Hibbs says.