The Ukraine War’s Lingering Nuclear Power Danger
James Acton | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
What Europe and the United States need is a concrete plan to end their reliance on Rosatom. To this end, they should team up to foster a market-based alternative. They should identify by how much non-Russian conversion, enrichment, and fuel fabrication capabilities should be expanded so Russian capabilities are no longer needed. And they should ensure funding for that expansion by encouraging domestic reactor operators to agree to long-term contracts with non-Russian vendors and, where necessary, with public money.
Putin Vows to Strengthen Russia's Nuclear Forces After Suspending Role in Key Treaty
Patrick Smith | NBC News
President Vladimir Putin has said he plans to strengthen Russia's nuclear forces, as his invasion of Ukraine reaches the one-year mark with concerns growing about the broader global fallout. In an address to mark Thursday's Defender of the Fatherland Day, a patriotic holiday that celebrates the role of the country's armed forces, Putin said he would "focus on strengthening the nuclear triad," meaning nuclear weapons that can be fired from land, air and sea. Putin also said that for the first time, Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles — a weapon able to carry multiple nuclear warheads — would be deployed this year.
Russia Says it Will Play by Nuclear Treaty Rules Despite Suspending Deal With U.S.
Mark Trevelyan and Jake Cordell | Reuters
Russia will stick to agreed limits on nuclear missiles and keep informing the United States about changes in its deployments, a senior defence official said on Wednesday, despite the suspension of its last remaining arms control treaty with Washington…a top defence ministry official, Major-General Yevgeny Ilyin, told the lower house, or Duma, that Russia would continue to observe agreed restrictions on nuclear delivery systems - meaning missiles and strategic bomber planes. RIA news agency quoted Ilyin as saying Moscow would also continue to provide Washington with notifications on nuclear deployments in order "to prevent false alarms, which is important for maintaining strategic stability".
US, ROK Hold Tabletop Drills on Responding to North Korean Nuclear Attacks
Jeongmin Kim | NK News
The U.S. and South Korea held a tabletop exercise at the Pentagon on Wednesday that was scheduled to practice responses to a North Korean nuclear attack, days after the DPRK test-fired long-range missile and “tactical nuclear” rockets. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that the Deterrent Strategy Committee Tabletop Exercise (DSC TTX) was carried out as planned but said further details will be shared later. She added that North Korea’s missile launches “destabilize” the region. The drill was designed around responses to hypothetical DPRK nuclear use scenarios, a Seoul military official explained earlier this week. The tabletop drill comes a day after the U.S., ROK and Japan staged trilateral missile defense and information-sharing exercises off the east coast of South Korea, simulating coordinated detection and interception of inbound North Korean ballistic missiles.
South Korea, US, Japan Stage Missile Defense Exercise After N.Korea Launches
Ji Da-gyum | The Korea Herald
South Korea, the United States and Japan staged a ballistic missile defense exercise on Wednesday in international waters to enhance military interoperability and readiness against escalating threats from North Korea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The five-hour trilateral drills came days after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles and one intercontinental ballistic missile, respectively, on Monday and Feb. 18. The navies of the three countries “focused on mastering the procedures of detecting, tracking and intercepting incoming ballistic missile targets and shared information on the projectiles,” the JCS said…The destroyers of South Korea and Japan practiced detecting and tracking a virtual incoming ballistic missile and sharing information through the US destroyer as a hub. The USS Barry simulated bringing down the target, military officials said during a closed-door briefing.
Albanese Says Australian Nuclear Subs Benefit US, UK
ROD McGUIRK | Associated Press
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says a deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines will be the nation’s biggest leap in defense capability in its history, adding the United States and Britain also plan to benefit from the partnership. A decision will be announced in March on how a fleet of Australian submarines powered with U.S. nuclear technology will be delivered under the AUKUS tripartite pact. Options include a next-generation U.S. Virginia-class sub, a British Astute-class or a new hybrid design. Critics argue that neither the United States nor Britain has the capacity to start delivering the subs by 2040, while Australia lacks the shipbuilding capability to take a lead role.