Why the Pentagon Must Think Harder About Inadvertent Escalation
Ankit Panda and James Acton | Defense News
In a paradox worthy of the nuclear age, the conventional capabilities that have enabled the United States to reduce its reliance on nuclear weapons have also increased the risk of misperception that could spark a nuclear war. The United States now bases its war plans around using its exquisite conventional forces to sever the connections between an adversary’s leadership and its military forces. But in an escalating conflict on the Korean Peninsula, such operations could look to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un like an attempt at regime change — even if the United States did not seek to depose him — and thus induce him to gamble on nuclear use to try to terrify the United States into backing off.
Iran’s Nuclear Scientist: How Will the Killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Affect Tehran’s Nuclear Program?
Sune Engel Rasmussen and Laurence Norman | Wall Street Journal
A top Iranian nuclear scientist was killed in an attack in a town near Tehran on Nov. 27, the latest blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh risks fueling hostilities in the Middle East when Iran needs to restore diplomacy with the U.S. to gain sanctions relief and salvage its economy, but is also looking for ways to deter its enemies. His death was also a strike against Iran’s nuclear capabilities, which Tehran agreed to contain in the 2015 nuclear deal, but which the U.S. and its allies still face challenges in restraining.
Trump Administration Launches Rewards Program Targeting North Korea and China
Carol Morello | Washington Post
The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a $5 million reward for tips on sanctions-busting activities that allow North Korea to continue developing nuclear weapons and accused China of facilitating the illicit trade. The leads are being solicited through a new State Department website, dprkrewards.com. The targeted activities it lists include money laundering, the export of luxury goods to North Korea, cyberoperations and other actions that support the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. “I assure you, many of the tips we receive through this program will directly implicate that trade,” Alex Wong, the State Department’s deputy envoy for North Korea, said in a virtual speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Iran Ready to Show Goodwill if U.S., Europe Abide by Nuclear Deal: Zarif
Crispian Balmer | Reuters
Iran will fully comply with a 2015 deal aimed at preventing it from developing nuclear weapons if both the United States and Europe honour their original commitments, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday. U.S. President Donald Trump quit the pact in 2018, saying it did not do enough to curb Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs or its militant influence in the Middle East. However, president-elect Joe Biden has said he will rejoin it if Tehran first resumes strict compliance. He has also said he would work with allies “to strengthen and extend it”. Addressing a Rome conference via video-link, Zarif said the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) could not be renegotiated but it could be resurrected.
The Space Force’s Next Missile Warning Satellite is Ready for a 2021 Launch
Nathan Strout | C4ISRNet
The next satellite for the U.S. Space Force’s missile warning constellation is finished and ready for its 2021 launch date, according to primary manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The company announced Dec. 2 that work on the fifth geosynchronous Space Based Infrared System satellite (SBIRS GEO-5) was officially completed back in October. “Completing the production of a complex missile-warning satellite during the challenging COVID environment is a huge accomplishment and is a testament to Lockheed Martin’s professionalism and dedication to the security of our Nation,” said Capt. Alec Cook, Space and Missile Systems Center’s SBIRS GEO-5/6 Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations lead, in a statement.
Perry Says U.S. Should Focus on Moderating N. Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal
Yi Wonju | Yonhap News Agency
U.S. negotiations with North Korea should focus on moderating its nuclear arsenal and transforming the regime into a normal country less prone to provocations, former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said Wednesday. Perry made the remark at a virtual conference hosted by the state-run Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) and Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), saying it would be "mission impossible" to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons. “My first advice regarding the future negotiation is, if you think you're going to get them to give up their nuclear weapons, you may be putting yourself in ‘mission impossible,’” Perry said. “We may get them to restrain it, to lower it, to not brandish it and many other things, but I do not believe we will be successful in getting them to give up their nuclear arsenal.