Trump Administration Determined to Exit Treaty Reducing Risk of War
Julian Borger | Guardian
The Trump administration is determined to withdraw from a 28-year-old treaty intended to reduce the risk of an accidental war between the west and Russia by allowing reconnaissance flights over each other’s territory. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has put off a full national security council (NSC) meeting on the Open Skies Treaty (OST), the secretary of defence, Mark Esper, and secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, have agreed to proceed with a US exit, according to two sources familiar with administration planning. A statement of intent is expected soon, with a formal notification of withdrawal issued a few months later, possibly at the end of the fiscal year in September. The US would cease to be a party to the treaty six months after that, so if a new president were elected in November, the decision could be reversed before taking effect.
Macron Calls on Iran to Respect Nuclear Obligations in Call With Rohani
RFE/RL
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Iran to respect its nuclear obligations as the world focuses its attention on the coronavirus pandemic. In a phone call on April 6, Macron told Iranian President Hassan Rohani that the international community must come together to fight the spread of the virus. Macron hopes Iran will "turn to the respect of its nuclear obligations, refrain from taking new measures contrary to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and contribute to the easing of regional tensions," a government statement said. Rohani's office said during the call the Iranian president called for an internationally coordinated fight against the new coronavirus and asked for support.
Ex Royal Navy Commanders Question Trident Need as Coronavirus Costs Rise
Max Channon | Plymouth Herald
Three former Royal Navy Commanders are among those calling into question the deployment and replacement of Britain’s nuclear ‘Continuous At Sea Deterrent’ in a letter sent to MPs. Commander Robert Forsyth RN (Ret’d), a former nuclear submariner and a signatory to the letter, commented: “It is completely unacceptable that the UK continues to spend billions of pounds on deploying and modernising the Trident Nuclear Weapon System when faced with the threats to health, climate change and world economies that Coronavirus poses.” Tom Unterrainer, Director of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation which circulated the letter, commented: “This pandemic and the inability of the British government to either prepare for or effectively respond to such an immediate threat to life demonstrates the twisted priorities at the heart of nuclear weapons spending.
Interview/Brad Roberts: Conventional Strike Capability by Japan Good for Deterrence
Taketsugu Sato | Asahi Shimbun
Q: Some U.S. and Japanese defense experts contend that Japan needs to consider possessing a conventional strike capability. What is your reaction to that? A: Historically, the United States has been very reluctant to see its allies acquire significant strike capability. For example, the Tomahawk cruise missile is exported to only one country, Britain. I believe this is changing. And I think it's in American interests to have allies who are capable of defeating A2/AD or helping us to defeat A2/AD (anti-access/area denial strategy of China designed to prevent access by U.S. forces and other adversaries to its particular region or to contest their freedom of operations in the area).
Advocates Raise Questions About Proposal to Allow Some Nuclear Waste to Be Disposed in Landfills
Rachel Frazin | The Hill
Scientists and advocates are raising concerns about a proposed relaxation on regulations for disposing of nuclear waste, saying that the government should halt the proposal as the scientific community focuses on the coronavirus. A March 6 Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposal would allow for the disposal of some nuclear waste in municipal landfills, rather than a licensed facility. Advocates say the proposal could put public health at risk, pushing the NRC to give the public more time to weigh in. Currently, the nuclear waste in question is typically disposed of at licensed waste disposal facilities, which have adequate training and equipment to protect public health.
Russia's View on Nuclear Arms Control: An Interview With Ambassador Anatoly Antonov
Arms Control Today
Arms Control Today conducted a written interview in early March with Anatoly Antonov, Russian ambassador to the United States on issues including the current status of U.S.-Russian strategic security talks, the future of New START, talks on intermediate-range missile systems, engaging China in arms control, and President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a summit of the leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Antonov was appointed ambassador to the United States in August 2017. For more than three decades, he has served in the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its successor, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he has specialized in the control of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.