The Indo-Pacific’s New Missile Age Demands Washington’s Attention
Ankit Panda | Breaking Defense
The Indo-Pacific region has entered a new missile age as more and more countries in the region develop more and more long-range strike capabilities: each nation individually seeking deterrence while as a whole steering the region into ever-more dangerous waters. The United States and its regional allies must take steps to mitigate the risks of unwanted escalation while thinking through new approaches to restraint in the region.
UN Agency Report Says Iran has Further Increased its Uranium Stockpile
STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN | Associated Press
Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to nearly weapons-grade levels, according to a report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency also said that Iran has pushed back against the agency’s objections to Tehran’s ban on some of its inspectors designated to monitor the country’s nuclear program.
North Korea Launches Rocket With Its First Spy Satellite
Choe Sang-Hun | The New York Times
North Korea launched a rocket on Tuesday in what South Korea said was an attempt to put its first military reconnaissance satellite in orbit, this time with technological help from Russia. The rocket flew to the south over the sea between the Korean Peninsula and China, the South Korean military said in a brief statement. The United States, South Korea and Japan have all placed their militaries on alert to guard against such a launch, concerned that debris from the North’s rocket might fall on the Asian allies’ territories. They also want to collect intelligence on the rocket to determine the implications its satellite program may have on regional stability.
Russia Loads Missile with Nuclear-Capable Glide Vehicle into Launch Silo
Al Jazeera
Russia’s rocket forces have loaded an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with the nuclear-capable Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle into a launch silo in southern Russia, according to a Defence Ministry TV channel broadcast.…The Zvezda television channel owned by the Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday showed a ballistic missile being transported to a launch silo, slowly raised into a vertical position and then lowered into a shaft in the Orenburg region near Kazakhstan.
US to Announce Global Nuclear Fusion Strategy at COP28
Valerie Volcovici and Timothy Gardner | Reuters
The U.S. will lay out the first international strategy to commercialize nuclear fusion power at the upcoming UN climate summit in Dubai, U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry will say on Monday, two sources familiar with the announcement said.
Fusion could have an important advantage over today's nuclear fission plants that split atoms, as it does not produce long-lasting radioactive waste. If deployed successfully, it could also provide a cheap source of carbon-free electricity.
A Misleading Metaphor: The Nuclear “Arms Race”
MATTHEW COSTLOW, ROBERT PETERS, AND KYLE BALZER | War on the Rocks
This “arms race” metaphor, however, does far more harm than good in explaining a poorly understood dynamic. It is a simplistic disfigurement of a complicated reality. If policymakers are led to believe that the United States is creating an endless action-reaction loop between itself and China and Russia, not only will members of Congress be unable to see the threat environment as it actually is, but they also may be afraid to make any necessary adjustments to U.S. forces to reinforce deterrence.