Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest1 Nuclear, Missile&

Space Digest

Indian Pugwash Society

No.1, Development Enclave,Rao Tula Ram Marg, Near USI , Delhi-110010

Email: indianpugwashsociety@gmail.com

Tel. No (91-11) 2671-7983 Fax No. (91-11)2615-4192

Volume 12, Number 1 A Fortnightly Newsletter from the Indian Pugwash Society January 15, 2020

ConvenorAmb. Sujan R. Chinoy

Executive CouncilCdr. (Dr.) Probal K. Ghosh

Air Marshal S. G. Inamdar(Retd.)

Dr. Roshan Khanijo

Amb. R. Rajagopalan

Dr. Rajesh Rajagopalan

Shri Dinesh KumarYadvendra

ContentsA. India

IAF Phase of Indo - Russian Tri- Services Exercise Indra 2019 in Pune,Gwalior, Babina and Goa

Year End Review: Department of Atomic Energy Year End Review: Department of Space A look at data breaches, cyberattacks India saw in 2019 Blow to NASA ISS mission: what happened? RPV and core catcher shipped to Kudankulam 4 'Pokhran tests, Kargil War made India stronger': Amit Shah hails Vajpayee

on birth anniversary Chandrayaan 2 to all-women spacewalk: Top 5 exciting space moments

of 2019 ISRO planning to launch satellite Aditya to study sun: PM Modi

B. China US-China tech war's new battleground: undersea internet cables Report shows China publishes the most AI research papers, but they lack

impact Japan's defence chief hits out at Beijing on South China Sea, military build-

up BeiDou Navigation Satellite System completes deployment China's supergun worries Pentagon watchers Chinese rocket sends Ethiopia's 1st satellite into space China's lunar rover Jade Rabbit-2 breaks record of working time on Moon China's 10,000 ton-class destroyer equipped with long-range land-attack

missiles Stalled talks with U.S. not good for North Korea, South Korea tells China Third Long March 5 mission to begin soon Commercial space industry is soaring Commercial suborbital carrier rocket launched in China China to complete Beidou-3 satellite system in 2020 China exports Beidou system products to over 120 countries, regions

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Roaring rocket lifts satellite into space China moves ahead with major science, technology sectors under 2030 goals

C. Pakistan Pakistan Writes to UN, Says India Placed Missiles in Kashmir USA-India nexus essentially anti-Pakistan Cyber threats to Digital Pakistan

D. USA U.S. Congress pressures Trump to renew Russia arms control pact US regulator approves first SMR site licence NRC seeks public comment on SMR regulation In rare move, U.S. and Iranian envoys talk after U.N. meeting on nuclear deal U.S. renews waiver on COSCO's Dalian tanker unit hit by Iran sanctions U.S. envoy meets second senior China diplomat as North Korea tensions rise USA, Japan need new nuclear, says US Commerce Secretary US?builds a force for space wars of the future Russia's Lavrov says Trump told Putin U.S. will continue looking for arms treaty

solutions: Ifax New aircraft to support US radiological emergency response U.S. ready to deal with any North Korean 'Christmas gift': Trump U.S. promises action on any North Korea missile test: White House

E. Europe EU Overcomes Nuclear Divide to Reach Key Green-Finance Deal New EU rules agreed on 'green' investments Bulgaria's nuclear dreams move a step closer to reality Wind and Solar Farms Are Putting European Nuclear Out of Work Japan Working With Europe to Uphold Nuclear Agreement China, EU Powers Agree to Help Save Iran Nuclear Deal French push for Washington influence and their own 'very special relationship' draws

UK suspicion Iran blasts France for 'interference' over jailed academic Russia warns EU over crumbling Iran nuclear deal

F. Russia Russian Strategic Missile Forces to be fully equipped with modern systems by 2024 Russian Strategic Missile Forces to test-launch 6 ICBMs in 2020 Smolensk unit 3 gets licence extension Russia to track Earth-Threatening asteroids from robot-inhabited nuclear-powered

polar Moon base Russia connects floating plant to grid World's First Floating Nuclear Plant Goes Online in Russia - Rosatom Russian heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser to leave repair dock in 2020

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest3

Russian latest nuclear-powered submarine gets new control system Russia ready to include Avangard, Sarmat systems in New START after its extension

- Lavrov Last of four Kola units gets extended operation licence Putin: Russia developing land-based version of Tsirkon hypersonic missile Putin: advanced weaponry reaches 82% in Russia's nuclear triad 'Deadliest ever': Russia launches new 4th-gen nuclear-powered submarine Rosatom plans accident-tolerant fuel loading Russia to build five nuclear icebreakers by 2026 Russia Deploys Hypersonic Weapon, Potentially Renewing Arms Race Russia, China to hold more U.N. talks on lifting North Korea sanctions: diplomats Russia's Bilibino 2, Novovoronezh 4 get licence extensions More nuclear energy for Turkey as Russia starts work on 2nd power unit for Akkuyu

plant

West Asia

G. Iran Iran to U.S. Treasury: Sanctions are the war itself Araghchi says Iran's dealings with INSTEX entering its final stage EU chief diplomat: Iran has not violated JCPOA Paris serious in salvaging Iran nuclear deal: envoy No deal can survive if there is no balance between gives and takes, Araqchi says of

JCPOA Iran to continue reducing JCPOA commitments to create a balance: Shamkhani Iran is testing new uranium enrichment centrifuges, President Hassan Rouhani says Iran and US both undermining nuclear deal says UN political affairs chief Iran president says country testing new advanced centrifuges U.S. sanctions are 'collective punishment', Iranian diplomat says In rare move, U.S. and Iranian envoys talk after U.N. meeting on nuclear deal UN says US withdrawal from nuclear deal is 'source of regret' Iran may not take fifth JCPOA step if INSTEX goes into effect: senior MP 'China, Europe support implementation of nuclear deal' Iran installs Arak heavy water reactor's secondary circuit Iran unveils development at Arak reactor in face of U.S. pressure Nuclear deal is in trouble: British diplomat Tel Aviv repeats allegations against Iran's peaceful nuclear and defense missile programs Zarif says it is unlikely Europe to quit nuclear deal Iran in worst days of sanctions: Rouhani

H. Israel Israel determined to target Iranian positions in Syria

I. Turkey Turkey is going nuclear by 2030: Part 2 Turkey, Israel gas cooperation lucrative for capitalizing on East Med resources Turkey accuses US Congress of 'hostile' behaviour

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Turkey solidified regional presence with East Med move Highlights of Turkish energy market in 2019 Akkuyu NPP signs coolant equipment agreement with Russian, German firms Second unit in Akkuyu nuke plant to begin construction in early 2020

East Asia

J. Japan Contractors want 70 billion yen more for safety at nuclear plant Calls grow to preserve factory that survived atomic bombing Severed section of JR Joban Line in Fukushima to reopen in March Japan briefs Iran on plan to send forces to Middle East Government proposes release of Fukushima water to sea or air Japan's NHK delivers erroneous North Korean 'Christmas gift'

K. North Korea Biegun may hold secret meeting with NK in Beijing: ex-unification minister U.N. condemns North Korea rights abuses, Pyongyang rejects resolution N. Korea establishes info website on science, technology US watching North Korea for 'Christmas gift' missile launch North Korea warns U.S. could 'pay dearly' for human rights criticism NK leader presides over expanded Central Military Commission meeting of Workers'

Party North Korea threat looms as China, Japan, South Korea leaders meet North Korea's Kim holds military meeting as tension rises under looming deadline U.S., North Korea talks 'more important than anything', South Korea tells China North Korea leaning toward China and Russia as it defies U.S. New construction seen at missile-related site in North Korea NK may consider timing of nuclear talks amid uncertainty in US politics: source NK propaganda outlet denounces US surveillance operations Kim Jong Un urges 'positive and offensive' security measures ahead of nuclear talks

deadline Kim Jong-un stresses 'aggressive measures' for security Kim calls for 'diplomatic, military countermeasures' ahead of end-of-year deadline

L. South Korea Biegun arrives in Seoul amid deadlock in NK-US nuclear talks Biegun proposes meeting with North Korean counterparts FOC assessment for OPCON transfer is most important task next year: defense minister Prospects dim for US-N. Korea nuclear talks: ministry Biegun wraps up trip to S. Korea with his call for NK dialogue unanswered Seoul likely to send troops to Strait of Hormuz Moon to hold summit with Xi next week amid stalled NK nuke talks S. Korean firm shortlisted for Bulgarian nuclear plant project Biegun suggests US remains open to talks with N. Korea

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest5

N. Korea may launch 'maximum gray-zone' provocations for US concessions in 2020:expert

Unification minister proposes 'tentative deal' for NK nuclear impasse

M. Misc IAEA approves four projects for Uzbekistan Is a New Nuclear Age Upon Us?

N. Op-EdIndia Meet India's Fighter Jet Armed With Supersonic Nuclear Missiles India's National Cybersecurity Policy Must Acknowledge Modern RealitiesPakistan Pakistan Cannot Get Enough Of America's F-16 Fighting FalconUSA Talk With Iran Now. Time Is Fleeting. Viewpoint: Only the atom, not fossil gas, can deliver robust climate action Congress's Christmas gift to Trump: A new nuclear weapon With China, the US must avoid a repeat of its disastrous war in AfghanistanRussia Roscosmos plans 20 launches of Soyuz rocket in 2020 Russian scientists ready to design reusable space launch system in 8 years Russia replaces orbital missile early warning system with new satellites Look Out America: Russia's Hypersonic Avangard Nuclear Missile Is Going Live U.S. Submarines Are Getting New W76-2 Tactical Nuclear Warheads (And It Might

Be a Giant Mistake) Russia to launch new Angara carrier rocket in 2020 Russian Navy to get carrier for nuclear super-torpedo Poseidon next year -

manufacturer How The U.S. Navy Remains The Masters Of Modular Nuclear Reactors Russia's Meteor-M satellite hit by micrometeorite Satellites delivered to orbit by Briz-KM upper stage - Russian Defense Ministry America Is Driving The Return Of Russia's Nuclear "Dead Hand"West AsiaIran From Nuclear to NewClear Iran Newly Breaches Nuclear DealIsrael Does Israel Have Nuclear Missile Submarines? Can Israel combat Iran at the UN? Middle East Disaster: Nuclear War Between Russia and Israel Is PossibleTurkey Turkey Threatens to Close Key U.S. Air Base That Houses Nuclear Bombs CHP rules out sanctions, threats on Turkey-US ties

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East AsiaNorth Korea Chief of KPA General Staff urges US to watch its mouth Diplomacy is best way Wrong signal to North Korea NHK's false alarmSouth Korea Christmas gift - for whom? Unhappy holidays Fragile peace 'Pivot' to China Shutdown of nuclear reactor

O. Think Tanks Kudankulam: One Incident, Many Facets Good news for climate change: India gets out of coal and into renewable energy As the US, China, and Russia build new nuclear weapons systems, how will AI be

built in? AI-controlled nuclear weapons, smallpox labs, and nuclear disinformation: The best

of 2019 in disruptive tech coverage The six best nuclear risk stories of 2019 IAEA Highlights and Achievements in 2019 - a Year in Review US-India space cooperation: Moving away from the burden of the past

P. Interviews/Reports Iran's Nuclear Program: Status Gorbachev: Don't give up hope for world without nuclear weapons

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest7

A. India

IAF Phase of Indo - Russian Tri-Services Exercise Indra 2019 inPune, Gwalior, Babina and GoaPIB Delhi, December 16, 2019

Exercise INDRA - 2019 is the second editionof Joint Tri Services Exercise between Indianand Russian Armed Forces which is beingconducted from 10-20 December2019 simultaneously at Pune and Gwaliorfor Air Force elements. 

IAF is undertaking service specific and jointmissions during the exercise. RussianFederation Air Force (RFAF) element isparticipating in the exercise along with IAFcounterparts. 

The broad theme for the exercise is toorganise a Joint Task Force for undertakingplanning and execution of air operations foreliminating terrorists at the request of thethird country under UN mandate. However,combined missions between IAF and RFAFwould also be undertaken for enrichingexperience and maximising training valuein terms of interoperability. 

https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195922

Year End Review: Department ofAtomic EnergyPIB Delhi, December 24, 2019

The major policies and programmes by theDepartment of Atomic Energy (DAE) duringthe year 2019 are given below:

 i. Nuclear Power Programme: 

Kaiga Atomic Power Station (KGS-1) hasset the world record of 962 days ofcontinuous operation.

Tarapur Atomic Power Station Units(TAPS 1 &2), connected to the grid inApril and May 1969, have completed 50years of safe operation. TAPS- 1&2 arecurrently the oldest operating powerreactors in the world, producing reliablepower at about two rupees per unit.

At present there are 22 reactors withinstalled capacity of 6780 MWeoperating above 80% plant load factorin the country.

Six Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors(PHWRs) of 700 MWe capacity eachare at different stages of constructionwhich would add 4200 MWe.

Four VVER reactors (KKNPP-3 to 6),each with 1000 MWe capacity areunder construction.

Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), hascompleted supply of 37 element fuelbundles to Kakarapar Atomic PowerPlant (KAPP3), first 700MWe PHWR,towards initial core requirement byestablishing fabrication facility for 37element fuel bundle manufacture.

https://pib.gov.in/newsite//erelease.aspx

Year End Review: Department ofSpacePIB Delhi, December 30, 2019

Following are the initiatives of Departmentof Space during the year 2019:

Missions and Project Related Activities

ISRO has successfully accomplished13missionsincluding06 launch vehiclemissions and07 satellite missionsduring the year 2019.

50 foreign satellites from 07countrieswere launched on commercial basisduring this period.

PSLV-C44 successfully launchedMicrosat-R and Kalamsat-V2 onJanuary 24, 2019 from Sriharikota.

On February 06, 2019GSAT 31communication satellite wassuccessfully launched from Kourou,French Guiana onboard Arianespacerocket.

EMISAT was successfully launchedonboard PSLV-C45 on April 01, 2019from Sriharikota. The launch viewing

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gallery was inaugurated and opened tothe public for viewing launches live fromSriharikota.

On May 22, 2019 RISAT-2B radarimaging earth observation satellite wassuccessfully launched onboard PSLV-C46 from Sriharikota.

The successful launch of GSLV-MK IIIM1, India’s most powerful launchvehicle, was accomplished in July22,2019. This launch vehicle is capableof launching 04 ton of satellites intoGeosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).The mission carried Chandrayaan-2Orbiterspacecraft to its intendedorbit.The instruments are continuouslyproviding very useful science data.

On November 27,2019 Cartosat-3, athird-generation agile advanced satellitehaving high resolution imagingcapabilitywas successfully launched byPSLV-C47 from Sriharikota.

On December 11,2019, PSLV-C48successfully launched RISAT-2BR1radarimaging earth observation satellite fromSriharikota.

India’s first inter-planetary mission“Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)”completed five years in Martian orbit inSeptember 2019.

Astrosat, the first Indian multi-wavelength space observatory,completed four years in orbit in Sept2019. The data has been made open topublic. Astrosat has more than 900registered users from 24 countries.

Global Standards body 3rd GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP), whichdevelops protocols for mobile telephony,has approved India’s regional navigationsystem NAVIC.

Qualcomm Technologies Inc. incollaboration with the Indian SpaceResearch Organization (ISRO), hasdeveloped & tested chipset platformacross their portfolio which can supportthe Indian Regional Navigation satellitesystem, NavIC.

The first-ever NavIC demonstrationusing the Snapdragon MobilePlatforms was showcased byQualcomm during the India MobileCongress at New Delhi on October 14-16, 2019

A new center namely Human SpaceFlight Centre (HSFC) is created withinISRO/DOS with the responsibility toact as the lead center for Human SpaceFlight Program, Gaganyaan.TheGaganyaan project has the objective ofdemonstrating human space flightcapability to Low Earth Orbit (LEO)with 3 crew members for 5-7 days inorbit and to safely recover them afterthe mission.

Overall configuration of GSLV-MK III,crew escape system, crew module andservice module for Gaganyaan havebeen finalized. An MoU is executedwith Indian Air force for crew selectionand training. Institute of AerospaceMedicine is identified for crewselection and screening criteria. Thisprocess is in progress.

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL),Bengaluru, a wholly ownedGovernment of India Company underDepartment of Space, wasincorporated on 6th March 2019. Thebusiness activities of NSIL is mainlydriven towards enabling Indianindustries to productionise spacesystems and to exploit the commercialopportunities emanating from theIndian space programme.

Commissioning of the Second VehicleAssembly Building at Sriharikota toimprove the frequency of launch.

The notable development of the yearwas technology transfer of Li-ion toIndian industries.10 industries wereselected for the transfer of the Li-ioncell technology from ISRO.

https://pib.gov.in/newsite//erelease.aspx

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest9

A look at data breaches,cyberattacks India saw in 2019Deccan Herald, December 16, 2019

A CIO survey found that 69 per cent ofIndian organisations are at risk of databreaches. Data breaches cost Indianorganisations an average of around Rs 12.8crore, from July 2018 to April 2019, as peran IBM report. India ranked 15th in termsof ‘total cost of breach’, as mentioned in the2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report.

www.deccanherald.com/national/a-look-at-data-breaches-cyberattacks-india-saw-in-2019-785987.html

Blow to NASA ISS mission: whathappened?Indian Express, December 21, 2019

A space capsule built to ferry astronauts tothe International Space Station (ISS) hasfailed its first test flight, and will now returnto Earth without completing its mission. Thecapsule, named Starliner, has been built byBoeing, and was successfully launched byNASA from Cape Canaveral, Florida, onFriday morning (evening in India).

What went wrong?

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas Vrocket lifted off successfully, and Boeing’sCST-100 Starliner separated as expected.Updates on the flight tracker on the NASAwebsite said it was “flying on its own,embarking on its inaugural flight to theInternational Space Station”. The rocket wassupposed to fall in the Pacific Ocean nearAustralia, while Starliner, “after a series oforbital adjustments”, was to be “on coursefor rendezvous and docking with the spacestation at 5 am on Saturday, December 21”.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/blow-to-nasa-iss-mission-what-happened-6177521/

RPV and core catcher shipped toKudankulam 4World Nuclear News, December 23, 2019

The reactor pressure vessel and the corecatcher for Kudankulam unit 4 under

construction in India have been loaded onto a cargo ship in the port of SaintPetersburg, Russia. The shipment ofequipment - 9000 cubic metres in total - isthe thirteenth for unit 4, Rosatom said, ona route spanning 15,000 kilometres.

Units 3 and 4 are AES-92 design VVER-1000 units under construction as thesecond phase of the Kudankulam plant inTamil Nadu. Kudankulam 1 and 2, bothVVER-1000 units, have been in operationsince 2014 and 2017, respectively. A thirdphase using the AES-92 design is alsoplanned.

“Despite the objective difficulties arisingfrom the increased load at the port due tothe approaching end of the year, we’vefulfilled our obligations to the customerand shipped the necessary equipment,”Rosatom’s first deputy director for projectsin India, Alexander Kvasha, said. Rosatomsubsidiary and general contractor for theKudankulam project, AtomStroyExport,announced earlier this month that the corecatcher for unit 3 had been installed. Acore catcher - also referred to as a core meltlocalisation device, or core trap - isdesigned to catch the molten core of areactor in the unlikely event of ameltdown, preventing it from escaping thecontainment building.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/RPV-and-core-catcher-shipped-to-Kudankulam-4

‘Pokhran tests, Kargil War madeIndia stronger’: Amit Shah hailsVajpayee on birth anniversaryThe New Indian Express, December 25,2019

Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesdaypaid tributes to former Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee on his 95th birthanniversary and said the Pokhran nucleartests and Kargil War in the late 1990screated a strong image of India in theworld. “Former Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee Ji left an indelible mark in Indianpolitics with his nationalistic thinking,impeccable image and dedicated his lifeto the nation. In the life of Atal Ji, based

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on ideology and principles, there was nomere fascination of power. Under hisleadership, the country saw goodgovernance,” Shah tweeted in Hindi.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/dec/25/pokhran-tests-kargil-war-made-india-stronger-amit-shah-hails-vajpayee-on-birth-anniversary-2080816.html

Chandrayaan 2 to all-womenspacewalk: Top 5 exciting spacemoments of 2019India Today, December 28, 2019

From India’s Chandrayaan 2 mission to thefirst all-women spacewalk and commercialcrew milestones by US-based companies,2019 offered several exciting moments forspace enthusiasts. India’s ambitious andkeenly watched lunar mission,Chandrayaan 2, was expected to make itssoft landing on the surface of the Moon onSeptember 7. While the whole nation waitedwith bated breath, Chandrayaan 2’s lander‘Vikram’ lost communication with theground stations. But the Orbiter componentof Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft made it to theMoon without any glitch.

In a huge milestone for China, which isattempting to position itself as a leadingspace power, the country’s Chang’e-4 lunarprobe on January 3 became the firstspacecraft to make a soft landing on the farside of the Moon. The probe, comprising alander and a rover, touched down at thepre-selected landing area at 177.6 degreeseast longitude and 45.5 degrees southlatitude on the far side of the Moon. Theprogramme Chang’e (named in honour ofa goddess who, according to Chinese legend,lives on the Moon) intends to send a mannedmission to the Moon in the long term andalthough no deadline has been set, someexperts indicated it may be around 2036.

https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/chandrayaan-2-to-all-women-spacewalk-top-5-exciting-space-moments-of-2019-1632192-2019-12-28

ISRO planning to launch satelliteAditya to study sun: PM ModiIndia Today, December 29, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last‘Mann ki Baat’ programme of this year onSunday said that the Indian SpaceResearch Organisation (ISRO) is planningto launch a satellite called Aditya to studythe sun. “India is quite advanced in thefield of astronomy, and we have takenpath-breaking initiatives in this field. ISROhas an astronomical satellite calledASTROSAT. Moreover, they are planningto launch a satellite called Aditya, to studythe sun,” said Modi.

The Prime Minister further said that Indiahas many powerful telescopes around thecountry including a giant meter-wavetelescope near Pune and other powerfultelescopes located in Kodaikkaanal,Udagamandala, Guru Shikhar and HanleLadakh.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/isro-planning-launch-satellite-aditya-study-sun-pm-modi-1632362-2019-12-29

B. China

US-China tech war’s newbattleground: undersea internetcablesMeaghan Tobin, South China MorningPost, December 14, 2019

In the contest between the US and Chinafor dominance over the world’s technologyinfrastructure, the latest battle is takingplace under the Pacific Ocean. While theUS has been upping the pressure on itsallies not to include equipment made byChinese telecom giants like Huawei andZTE in their 5G systems, Chinesecompanies have gained a foothold in someof the world’s most essentialcommunications infrastructure – underseainternet cables.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3042058/us-china-tech-wars-new-battleground-undersea-internet-cables

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest11

Report shows China publishes themost AI research papers, but theylack impactSouth China Morning Post, December 16,2019

China published more AI journal andconference papers in 2018 than Europe,having passed the US in 2006. Chinanarrowly edged out Europe, accounting for28% of publications compared with Europe’s27%, according to Stanford University’snewly published Artificial Intelligence IndexReport 2019. However, China’s research hasabout half the impact as US publications bynumber of citations. The report offers otherinteresting tidbits about AI in China. In 2018,China had the highest volume of AI journalpapers, with papers from governmentinstitutions accounting for three times morethan those from companies. Europe’ssituation is similar, but corporate-affiliatedAI papers make up a higher proportion inthe US. In all three regions, however,research papers overwhelmingly originatedin academia.

https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3042264/report-shows-china-publishes-most-ai-research-papers-they-lack-impact

Japan’s defence chief hits out atBeijing on South China Sea, militarybuild-upJulian Ryall, South China Morning Post,December 16, 2019

Japan’s Defence Minister Taro Kono hascriticised China for its actions in thecontested South China Sea and waters closeto Japan, days before visiting Beijing to meethis Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe.“China is engaging in unilateral andcoercive attempts to alter the status quobased on its own assertions that areincompatible with the existing internationalorder,” Kono on Sunday at the DohaForum, an international conference in Qatar.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3042306/japans-defence-chief-hits-out-beijing-south-china-sea-military

BeiDou Navigation SatelliteSystem completes deploymentDeng Xiaoci, Global Times, December 17,2019

China successfully sent the 52nd and 53rdsatellites of its domestically developedBeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)into space on Monday. The pair are thelast two medium Earth orbit (MEO)satellites of their kind for the BDS-3constellation, marking the completion ofthe global navigation system’s coreconstellation deployment, according toofficials on Monday. Launched fromXichang Satellite Launch Center,Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, onboard a Long March-3B carrier rocketwith a Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upperstage, the two satellites were injected intodesignated orbits after more than threehours’ flight.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1173712.shtml

China’s supergun worriesPentagon watchersDave Makichuk, Asia Times, December 17,2019

While the United States spent yearsdithering over the future of its much-hypedelectromagnetic railgun project, Chinaappears to be moving closer to hitting itsoperational target, sources say. TheChinese navy plans to field its ownsecretive version of the electromagneticrailgun on naval vessels as early as 2025,possibly sooner, according to a USintelligence assessment first reported byCNBC. China’s interpretation of the long-theoretical supergun, which utilizes amassive amount of power to createelectromagnetic fields to accelerateprojectiles to hypersonic velocities, isreportedly capable of “striking a target 124miles away at speeds of up to 1.6 milesper second,” according to CNBC — fastenough to strike Philadelphia from NewYork in just under a minute.

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/12/article/chinas-supergun-worries-pentagon-watchers/

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Chinese rocket sends Ethiopia’s 1stsatellite into spaceZhao Lei, China Daily, December 20, 2019

China has presented a space-based gift toEthiopia – the African nation’s first satellitethat was designed and built by Chineseengineers was launched by a Chinese rocketon Friday. The Ethiopian Remote SensingSatellite-1, or ETRSS-1, was sent into spaceby a Long March 4B carrier rocket from theTaiyuan Satellite Launch Center in NorthChina’s Shanxi province. Carrying amultispectral wide-field imager and someother scientific devices, the 65-kilogramspacecraft is expected to work at least twoyears at an altitude of around 600 kilometersto obtain multispectral remote-sensing datafor Ethiopia’s agriculture, water resourcesurvey, disaster prevention and relief, andclimate change research, according to theChina National Space Administration.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201912/20/WS5dfc5dbea310cf3e3557f874.html

China’s lunar rover Jade Rabbit-2breaks record of working time onMoonXinhua, December 21, 2019

China’s Jade Rabbit-2, or Yutu-2, hasbecome the longest-working lunar rover onthe moon, as it started to work for the 13thlunar day on the far side of the moon.Previously the record was held by Lunokhod1, the Soviet robotic rover that became theworld’s first to be sent to the moon in 1970,where it worked for about 10 months.China’s Chang’e-4 probe including a landerand Jade Rabbit-2, launched on Dec. 8, 2018,made the first-ever soft landing on the VonKarman Crater in the South Pole-AitkenBasin on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3,2019.

Both the lander and rover have resumedwork for the 13th lunar day after layingdormant during the extremely cold night,according to the Lunar Exploration andSpace Program Center of the China NationalSpace Administration. The lander woke up

at 5:14 a.m. Saturday (Beijing time), andthe rover awoke at 6:43 p.m. Friday.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/21/c_138648446.htm

China’s 10,000 ton-class destroyerequipped with long-range land-attack missilesLiu Xuanzun, Global Times, December 22,2019

China’s latest 10,000 ton-class guidedmissile destroyer, the Type 055, is capableof launching long-range land-attack cruisemissiles, the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) Navy revealed as experts said onSunday the new weapon could let thedestroyer launch more precise attacksagainst land targets at greater range.Introducing the vast and complicatedarsenal at its disposal, the PLA Navy saidon China’s Twitter-like social platformSina Weibo that the service operates notonly vessels, but also submarine-launchedintercontinental ballistic missiles withstrategic missile submarines and long-range land-attack cruise missiles with10,000 ton-class guided missile destroyer,despite them also being the main battleequipment of the PLA Rocket Force.

China displayed its first Type 055destroyer, the Nanchang, in April at thefleet review of the PLA Navy’s 70thanniversary celebration in Qingdao, EastChina’s Shandong Province. As China’sfirst type of 10,000 ton-class destroyer, theType 055 has 112 vertical launch missilecells capable of launching a combinationof surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missilesand anti-submarine missiles, according tomedia reports. While military observershave been speculating the ship wascapable of launching land-attack missiles,the Navy’s Weibo post confirmed thespeculation.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1174437.shtml

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest13

Stalled talks with U.S. not good forNorth Korea, South Korea tellsChinaReuters, December 23, 2019

Stalled denuclearization talks and a recentflare-up in tension between the United Statesand North Korea are not beneficial forPyongyang, South Korean President MoonJae-in told Chinese President Xi Jinping inBeijing on Monday. North Korea has set ayear-end deadline for the United States tochange what it says is a policy of hostilityamid a stalemate in efforts to make progresson their pledge to end the North’s nuclearprogram and establish lasting peace.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S.President Donald Trump have met threetimes since June 2018, but there has been nosubstantive progress in dialogue while theNorth demanded crushing internationalsanctions be lifted first. On Saturday, statemedia said the United States would “paydearly” for taking issue with the North’shuman rights record and said Washington’s“malicious words” would only aggravatetensions on the Korean Peninsula.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-japan-southkorea/stalled-talks-with-u-s-not-good-for-north-korea-south-korea-tells-china-idUSKBN1YR01V

Third Long March 5 mission tobegin soonZhao Lei, China Daily, December 23, 2019

China will conduct the third mission of itslargest and mightiest carrier rocket

ÿLong March 5

ÿaround the end of this year, the ChinaNational Space Administration said. It saidin a brief statement that the gigantic rocketwas moved to its launchpad on Saturdaymorning at the Wenchang Space LaunchCenter in the island province of Hainan.Two transport ships operated by the ChinaSatellite Maritime Tracking and ControlDepartment, Yuanwang 21 and Yuanwang22, carried the rocket to Hainan in Octoberfrom Tianjin, where it was built. It was

assembled and tested at the Wenchangcenter during the past two months.

The administration said the rocket willnow undergo a functional examinationand combined checks before being injectedwith propellants. The strongest and mosttechnologically sophisticated rocket everbuilt by China, Long March 5 has a liftoffweight of 869 metric tons, and a maximumcarrying capacity of 25 tons to a low-Earthorbit or 14 tons to a geosynchronoustransfer orbit. Its payload capacity is about2.5 times bigger than any other Chineserocket.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201912/23/WS5dfff6cda310cf3e3557fd6a.html

Commercial space industry issoaringZhang Hongpei and Li Xuanmin, GlobalTimes, December 25, 2019

China’s commercial space sector isgrowing rapidly and its development isreaching a climax this year with domesticplayers making technologybreakthroughs, executives and industryanalysts told the Global Times onWednesday. “For both players with state-owned enterprise backgrounds or private-invested, this year means harvesting thegains” of past efforts, said HuangZhicheng, an expert in the space industry.The overall atmosphere is very dynamic,Huang told the Global Times.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1174817.shtml

Commercial suborbital carrierrocket launched in ChinaXinhua, December 26, 2019

A commercial suborbital carrier rocketdeveloped by a private Chinese companywas launched from the Jiuquan SatelliteLaunch Center in northwest China at 4:50p.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time). Therocket, Tansuo-1, was developed by SpaceTrek. It completed the whole maneuverflight and fairing separation at highdynamic pressure during the flight.

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The rocket can serve purposes ofmeteorological observation, microgravitytesting as well as satellite payloadexperiments. It was the maiden flight of thefirst rocket developed by the company. TheChinese government encourages theparticipation of private enterprises in thespace industry. The country had more than60 private companies in the commercialspace industry as of December 2018.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/25/c_138657406.htm

China to complete Beidou-3 satellitesystem in 2020Xinhua, December 27, 2019

China will finish the construction of theBeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), with another two geostationary orbitsatellites to be launched before June 2020,said BDS Spokesperson Ran Chengqi onFriday. Friday marks the one yearanniversary of China’s BDS-3 systemproviding global service. Ran said at a pressconference of the State Council InformationOffice that with the BDS as the core, a moreubiquitous, integrated and intelligentnavigation and timing system withcomprehensive national positioning isscheduled to be established by 2035.

China sent 10 BDS satellites into space in2019. The deployment of the core BDS-3constellation system has been completedwith all of the BDS-3 system’s medium earthorbit satellites being networked. With thesystem’s upgraded intelligent operation andmaintenance capabilities, the

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/27/c_138661493.htm

China exports Beidou systemproducts to over 120 countries,regionsXinhua, December 27, 2019

China has exported its Beidou NavigationSatellite System (BDS) basic products tomore than 120 countries and regions, saidBDS spokesperson Ran Chengqi Friday. The

BDS has entered into a new era of globalservice, benefiting ASEAN, South Asia,Eastern Europe, West Asia and Africa inprecision farming, digital construction andsmart port construction, Ran told a pressconference. China has implementedinternational exchanges and cooperationin the area of satellite navigation systems,according to Ran.

An intergovernmental cooperationagreement on satellite navigation betweenChina and Russia has entered into force,and the China-Russia satellite navigationmonitoring and assessment platform hasbeen put into operation. China and theUnited States have deepened coordinationof signal interoperability. China and EUhave cooperated in frequencycoordination. China has continuouslypromoted its BDS’s compatibility withother navigation systems to benefit globalusers, Ran said.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/27/c_138661870.htm

Roaring rocket lifts satellite intospaceZhao Lei, China Daily, December 28, 2019

China’s biggest and most powerful carrierrocket, the Long March 5, kicked off itslatest space mission on Friday night inHainan province. It was carrying thelargest satellite ever built domestically. Asthe launch sequence of the Long March 5-Y3 rocket started at 8: 45 pm, 10 engines

ÿat the bottom of the first core stage, plusfour boosters

ÿgenerated a tremendous combined thrustof more than 1,000 metric tons to lift thegigantic craft from its launchpad at theWenchang Space Launch Center in theisland province. The 57-meter-long rocket,the tallest, strongest and mosttechnologically sophisticated in China’slaunch vehicle family, then thundered upinto the cloudy night sky with a blindingwhite flash.

It follows the Shijian 18, which was lost

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest15

in the failed second flight of a Long March5. In addition to transporting the satellite tospace, the flight is intended to verify theengineering adjustments that were made toimprove the rocket’s overall design, as wellas key technologies to be used in a journeyto the moon with the Chang’e 5 probe,according to the China National SpaceAdministration. Another task of Friday’smission is to verify several key satellitetechnologies. The successful launch sparkeda wave of public cheers and celebrations,along with those from within Chinese spacecircles.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201912/28/WS5e06c220a310cf3e35581368.html

China moves ahead with majorscience, technology sectors under2030 goalsGlobal Times, December 29, 2019

China is moving into the second round ofmajor national science and technologyprojects aiming for 2030, a formergovernment official said on Saturday. At thefifth China’s Manufacturing Power Forumon Saturday, Li Yizhong, former minister ofindustry and information technology, whois also chairman of the China Federation ofIndustrial Economics, said that thegovernment has been formulating themedium- and long-term plans for majorscientific and technological infrastructureprojects for 2030, including quantumcommunications and artificial intelligencesectors. China approved the project, calledthe National Medium- and Long-term Planfor Scientific and TechnologicalDevelopment (2006-2020) in 2006.According to Li, the 2006-2020 program hashad great success with all 17 projectsachieving major breakthroughs, of whichnuclear power technology and high-speedrailways have become the national cards.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1175168.shtml

C. Pakistan

Pakistan Writes to UN, Says IndiaPlaced Missiles in KashmirNew York Times, December 19, 2019

Pakistan’s foreign minister said Thursdayhe has written to the United Nations towarn the world body of what he says areactions by New Delhi to position missilelaunchers in the Indian-controlledKashmir.

In the letter Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi said he wrote earlierthis month he said he fears India plans tolaunch an attack on Pakistan to divertinternational attention from human rightsviolations in Kashmir. The minister did notoffer evidence to support his claim ofmissiles being placed in the disputedHimalayan region. There was noimmediate comment from India.

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/12/19/world/asia/ap-as-pakistan-india-kashmir.html

USA-India nexus essentially anti-PakistanMalik Muhammad Ashraf, The Nation,December 24, 2019

A few days ago, US Secretary of StateMichael Pompeo and Secretary of DefenceMark Esper held bilateral talks with theirIndian counterparts, dubbed as two-plus-two ministerial dialogue. and in the jointstatement issued at the end of the parleyswhile reaffirming the growing strategicpartnership and working in support of afree, open and inclusive Indo-pacificregion, unwarrantedly asserted that thePakistani territory was being used by theterrorists. The statements also askedPakistan to take immediate and irreversibleaction against these networks and preventits territory from being used in this manner.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan,reacting to this indiscreet assertion, rightlyrejected the statement, terming it as anti-Pakistan. The reality is that the USA-India

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201916

nexus is not only designed to promote theobjective of the Contain-China policy, butis also essentially anti-Pakistan. The USAand its allies, blinded by their strategic andcommercial interests, are showing criminalindifference to the state terrorism by Indiain Indian-Occupied Kashmir and theruthless killing spree in the Valley at thehands of the Indian security forces and theIndian action to end the special status of thestate which effectively nullifies the UNresolutions on the Kashmir dispute.

They have also kept mum on the export ofterrorism to Pakistan by India through thelikes of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whoseconfessional statement and later convictionby the military court present irrefutableevidence of Indian involvement. Theconscience of the so-called champions ofhumanitarian causes and principlesenshrined in the UN Charter and theUniversal Human Rights Declaration doesnot seem to have been stirred either by whatis happening in Indian-Occupied Kashmirnor by the recent anti-Muslim legislationenacted by the Modi government which hasprovoked a country-wide protest movement.They have not gone beyond mild rebuke andconcern over what is happening.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/12/24/usa-india-nexus-essentially-anti-pakistan/

Cyber threats to Digital PakistanMubeen Ashraf, The Nation, December 31,2019

Heavy reliance on computers and theinternet has altered the life of a commonman in a number of ways. It is perceivedthat the world which is apparently so largehas dwindled to a number of devices andgadgets. The use of technology is a commonpractice as from communicating through e-mail to carrying out transactionselectronically, going to places for study to e-learning and flourishing businesses throughe-business, everything comes under onething. And for now, even governments,militaries, and national securityorganisations are dependent on computernetworks.

This dependency of nation-states on theinternet has urged the attention of anumber of state and non-state actors tointervene and exploit the vulnerabilities incyberspace. As cyberspace has become thenew place for terrorists and criminals forthe glorification of their acts such asrecruitment of fellow terrorists, motivatingothers using several platforms, providingtools for communications and trainings ofthe potential recruits and broadcasting ofillegal and violent content all in real lifewith anonymity in a much cheaper way.

Knowing the fact that there is a dark sideof surfing the internet where criminals,terrorists, pedophiles and hackers cancarry out their activities illegally. Theseactivities are carried out in Dark Web,Dark Net or Deep Web where data andinformation are password locked andwhere the user is required a specialsoftware (TOR in most cases) to operateand where the data is trapped behind paywalls. Taking the advantage of theiranonymity, individuals and groups canuse cyberspace to threaten and harasscitizens, specific groups, communities andeven countries as well. The growing useof cyberspace for such illegal and criminalactivities has already warned states to lookin to the matter with seriousconcentration.

https://nation.com.pk/31-Dec-2019/cyber-threats-to-digital-pakistan

D. USA

U.S. Congress pressures Trump torenew Russia arms control pactArshad Mohammed, Jonathan Landay,Reuters, December 18, 2019

U.S. lawmakers of both parties arepressuring the White House to extend thelast remaining restraints on U.S. andRussian nuclear weapons deployments bydemanding intelligence assessments onthe costs of allowing the New STARTtreaty to lapse. The demands, containedin three bills that may be harmonized thisweek, reflect doubts about whether theTrump administration has done sufficient

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest17

analytical work on how China and Russiamay respond to the 2010 treaty’s expirationin February 2021.

New START restricted the United States andRussia to deploying no more than 1,550nuclear warheads, the lowest level indecades, and limited the land- andsubmarine-based missiles and bombers thatdeliver them. It can be renewed for up tofive years if both sides agree. Moscow hasoffered to immediately extend the treaty.Washington still is considering the issue.U.S. President Donald Trump and his aideshave argued that New START does notcover all Russian nuclear weapons and saidthey want to bring China, which theyincreasingly view as the primary, long-termthreat, into a wider arms control framework.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-nuclear/u-s-congress-pressures-trump-to-renew-russia-arms-control-pact-idUSKBN1YL2LY

US regulator approves first SMRsite licenceWorld Nuclear News, December 18, 2019

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) has authorised the issuance of anearly site permit (ESP) to Tennessee ValleyAuthority (TVA) for the potentialconstruction of small modular reactors at itsClinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.TVA has yet to decide whether to actuallyconstruct such reactors at the site and, if so,what technology it would use. An ESPcertifies that a site is suitable for theconstruction of a nuclear power plant fromthe point of view of site safety,environmental impact and emergencyplanning, but does not specify the choice oftechnology. The permit is valid for 10 to 20years, renewable for an additional 10 to 20years.

TVA submitted its 8000-page ESPapplication for the Clinch River site to theNRC in May 2016. The application was fortwo or more small modular reactor (SMR)modules of up to a combined capacity of 800MWe at the 935 acre (378 hectare) site nearthe Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge

National Laboratory. The proposed sitehosted the former Clinch River BreederReactor Project. The NRC accepted theapplication for regulatory review inDecember of that year. It was the firstSMR-related application of any type to bereceived by the NRC. The regulatorpublished a final environmental impactstatement for the permit in April this year,followed in June by its final safetyevaluation report on TVA’s application.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-regulator-approves-first-SMR-site-licence

NRC seeks public comment onSMR regulationWorld Nuclear News, December 19, 2019

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) is seeking public comment onproposals to apply risk-based emergencypreparedness requirements to smallmodular reactors (SMRs) and other newtechnologies. The proposed rule wouldinclude a scalable approach fordetermining the size of the emergencyplanning zone around such facilities. TheNRC’s emergency preparednessprogramme for nuclear power plants hasup to now focused on large, light-waterreactors. The proposed rule, together witha draft regulatory guide, considersadvances in facility design and safetyresearch and their application to futureoperation of SMRs and other futuretechnologies including non-light waterreactors and certain non-powerproduction facilities, the regulator said.

“The alternative requirements andimplementing guidance would adopt arisk-informed, performance-based, andtechnology-inclusive approach. Thealternative requirements would include ascalable approach for determining the sizeof the emergency planning zone aroundeach facility, based on the distance atwhich possible radiation doses couldrequire protective actions,” the NRC said.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/NRC-seeks-public-comment-on-SMR-regulation

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201918

In rare move, U.S. and Iranianenvoys talk after U.N. meeting onnuclear dealMichelle Nichols, Reuters, December 20,2019

Since Washington pulled out of the Irannuclear deal in May 2018, tensions betweenthe United States and Tehran have risen. Butafter a contentious U.N. Security Councilmeeting on compliance with the 2015accord between world powers and Iran,Ambassador Kelly Craft walked over to talkto Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Majid TakhtRavanchi. Ravanchi had spoken about atwo-year old girl during his statement to the15-member council. He said the girl had diedin June from a rare disease known as EB andblamed the death on U.S. sanctions.

An official from the U.S. mission to theUnited Nations said Craft was expressingher condolences to Ravanchi. Iran’s U.N.mission spokesman Alireza Miryousefi saidthey “merely had a short conversation onEB patients affected by sanctions”. “It is notout of the ordinary for U.N. diplomatsaccredited to the U.N. to run into each other,or to have brief encounters, at HQ,”Miryousefi tweeted.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-un/in-rare-move-u-s-and-iranian-envoys-talk-after-u-n-meeting-on-nuclear-deal-idUSKBN1YO074

U.S. renews waiver on COSCO’sDalian tanker unit hit by IransanctionsReuters, December 20, 2019

The Trump administration on Thursdayrenewed a waiver for companies to winddown transactions with the Dalian unit ofa Chinese tanker company on which it hadimposed sanctions in September forallegedly transporting Iranian oil. Thewaiver, good until Feb. 4, 2020, allowsactivities and transactions “ordinarilyincident and necessary to the maintenanceor wind down of transactions” includingoffloading of non-Iranian crude oil involvingCOSCO’s Dalian Shipping Tanker Co, theU.S. Treasury Department said in a release.

The Trump administration reimposedsanctions on Iran’s oil exports last yearafter unilaterally withdrawing from a2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear program thatthe United States agreed with Tehran andother world powers. The Trumpadministr-he Treasury Departmentslapped sanctions in late September onfour Chinese shipping companies,including COSCO’s Dalian tanker unit.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-usa-cosco/u-s-renews-waiver-on-coscos-dalian-tanker-unit-hit-by-iran-sanctions-idUSKBN1YN2RG

U.S. envoy meets second seniorChina diplomat as North Koreatensions riseReuters, December 20, 2019

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yuchengmet U.S. special envoy for North KoreaStephen Biegun on Friday, China’s foreignministry said, Biegun’s second high-levelmeeting in Beijing in two days amidgrowing tension on the Korean peninsula.North Korea has conducted a series ofweapons tests in recent weeks and someexperts say the reclusive state may bepreparing for an intercontinental ballisticmissile test soon. Such a test would marka break from the detente reached with theUnited States last year, dash any hopes ofresuming talks on ending North Korea’snuclear and missile programmes and putthe two countries back on a path ofconfrontation.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman GengShuang, who disclosed the meeting of Leand Biegun during a daily briefing, did notelaborate on what was discussed. Hereiterated that China urges the UnitedStates and North Korea to resumedialogue and meet each other halfway.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-usa-china-mofa/us-envoy-meets-second-senior-china-diplomat-as-north-korea-tensions-rise-idUKKBN1YO0O9

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest19

USA, Japan need new nuclear, saysUS Commerce SecretaryWorld Nuclear News, December 20, 2019

Japan and the USA both need new nucleargenerating capability to replace ageing andinefficient generating capacity and couldwork together to achieve this, US CommerceSecretary Wilbur Ross told a bilateralmeeting yesterday. Japan would benefitgreatly by having a fleet of new, inherentlysafe reactors, he said. In his speech atthe 12th Annual US-Japan RoundtableConference held in Washington DC on 18December, Ross called for a “technologicalrevival” of the nuclear power industry.

“Nuclear is and must remain an essentialpart of our energy mix long into the future.To make that happen, the United States isworking with allies like Japan to assure theefficient licensing and construction of a newgeneration of inherently safe andeconomically viable reactors,” he said. Rosscited the US administration’s support andcommitment to revitalising the nuclearindustry, highlighting the signature into lawof the Nuclear Energy Innovation andModernisation Act, and the Nuclear EnergyInnovation Capabilities Act, which he saidwere the first two nuclear-specific pieces oflegislation signed into US law since theAtomic Energy Act of 1954. He also spokeof collaboration and cooperation at bothfederal and corporate levels between Japanand the USA to promote civil nuclear powerdevelopment.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Ross-US-Japan-need-new-nuclear

US builds a force for space wars ofthe futureYashwant Raj, Hindustan Times, December22, 2019

The United States officially launched theSpace Force on Friday with PresidentDonald Trump signing into law the 2020defence budget that will fund the newestand the sixth branch of US military, tocounter increasing threats chiefly fromRussia and China to American assets inspace. The US Space Force has been assigneda $40 billion budget and will be staffed with

16,000 personnel. It will be charged withprotecting America’s navigation andcommunications satellites from beingjammed, blinded and disabled byadversaries, which also include Iran andNorth Korea.

“Space is the world’s newest warfightingdomain,” Trump said in an address totroops at airfield before signing theNational Defence Appropriation Act(NDAA) 2020 into law. “Among the gravethreats to our national security, Americansuperiority in space is absolutely vital. Andwe’re leading, but we’re not leading byenough, and very shortly we’ll be leadingby a lot.” “The Space Force will help usdeter aggression and control the ultimatehigh ground,” he added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/us-builds-a-force-for-space-wars-of-the-future/story-JXrDLhKOeTKhSMnbptfQpK.html

Russia’s Lavrov says Trump toldPutin U.S. will continue lookingfor arms treaty solutions: IfaxReuters, December 22, 2019

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovsaid on Sunday that U.S. President DonaldTrump had sent a short letter about theIntermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treatyto Russian President Vladimir Putin, theInterfax news agency reported. “U.S.President Donald Trump sent a short letterin which he said that they are ready tocontinue looking for ways to overcome theproblems in our relations,” Interfax citedthe minister as saying on a TV talk show.

The letter was in response to Putin’s offerto introduce a moratorium on thedevelopment of missiles banned by theIntermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty,Interfax cited Lavrov as saying. The U.S.formally left the INF treaty with Russia inAugust after determining that Moscowwas violating the treaty and had alreadydeployed one banned type of missile, anaccusation the Kremlin denies.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-missiles-treaty/russias-lavrov-says-trump-told-putin-u-s-will-continue-looking-for-arms-treaty-solutions-ifax-idUSKBN1YQ0AY

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201920

New aircraft to support USradiological emergency responseWorld Nuclear News, December 23, 2019

The US Department of Energy NationalNuclear Security Administration (NNSA)has unveiled three new nuclear incidentresponse aircraft. The King Air 350ERaircraft are equipped with specialisedradiation detection systems and will be usedto conduct measurements of air and groundcontamination following a nuclear orradiological accident or incident, as well asconducting baseline surveys for normallevels of radiation in the environment inpreparation for major public events.

The aircraft will be used by teams fromNNSA’s Aerial Measuring System (AMS),which is based out of Nellis Air Force Base inLas Vegas, Nevada, and Joint Base Andrews,near Washington, DC. The AMS mission isto provide a rapid survey of radiation andcontamination following a radiologicalemergency. It does this by using fixed-wingaircraft to collect information and determinethe location of ground contamination, thenusing helicopters to perform detailed surveysof ground contamination.

NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagertysaid AMS is a “premier example” of theorganisation’s dual public safety andnational security mission. “AMS aircraftfrequently support security preparations forhigh-profile events such as presidentialinaugurations, the Super Bowl, BostonMarathon, and other major public events.Although these deployments are not well-known to the public, they’re part of a criticalapparatus working behind the scenes to keepthe American people safe,” she said.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/New-aircraft-to-support-US-radiological-emergency

U.S. ready to deal with any NorthKorean ‘Christmas gift’: TrumpAlexandra Alper, Reuters, December 24,2019

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesdaybrushed off North Korea’s warning of a“Christmas gift,” saying the United States

would “deal with it very successfully,”amid U.S. concerns that Pyongyang mightbe preparing a long-range missile test.China, North Korea’s most importantbacker, meanwhile, urged Washington totake “concrete steps” as soon as possibleto implement agreements reached duringlast year’s summit between Trump andNorth Korea leader Kim Jong Un inSingapore.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, incomments relayed on Twitter by theforeign ministry in Beijing, called on NorthKorea and the United States to work out“a feasible roadmap for establishing apermanent peace regime & realizingcomplete denuclearization on the (Korean)Peninsula.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-usa/u-s-ready-to-deal-with-any-north-korean-christmas-gift-trump-idUSKBN1YS13A

U.S. promises action on any NorthKorea missile test: White HouseDoina Chiacu, Reuters, December 29, 2019

The United States would be verydisappointed if North Korea tested a long-range or nuclear missile and would takeappropriate action as a leading militaryand economic power, White Housenational security adviser Robert O’Briensaid on Sunday.

Washington has many “tools in its tool kit”to respond to any such test, O’Brien saidin an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”“We’ll reserve judgment but the UnitedStates will take action as we do in thesesituations,” he said. “If Kim Jong Un takesthat approach we’ll be extraordinarilydisappointed and we’ll demonstrate thatdisappointment.” North Korea has askedWashington to offer a new initiative to ironout differences over Pyongyang’s nuclearweapons program. It warned Washingtonthis month that failure to meet itsexpectations could result in an unwanted“Christmas gift.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-usa/u-s-will-take-action-if-north-korea-tests-missiles-white-house-idUSKBN1YX0CM

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest21

E. Europe

EU Overcomes Nuclear Divide toReach Key Green-Finance DealAlexander Weber, Bloomberg, December 17, 2019 

The European Union agreed on a landmarkgreen-finance regulation, advancing thebloc’s push to embed environmental goalsin standards for banks, money managersand insurers. EU lawmakers approved anaccord on the list of sustainable activities lateMonday, following agreement by the bloc’smember states earlier in the day.Policymakers had to overcome last-minutedivisions over the kinds of technologies thatshould be eligible to be classified as green,with nuclear-energy proponents, includingFrance, seeking revisions to an earlier versionof the proposed rules.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-16/green-finance-deal-reached-by-eu-states-on-nuclear-compromise 

New EU rules agreed on ‘green’investmentsWorld Nuclear News, December 18, 2019

A compromise agreement on criteria to beused to determine whether an economicactivity is environmentally sustainable hasbeen reached by the European Parliament,European Commission and the EuropeanCouncil. The so-called ‘taxonomyregulation’ does not explicitly excludenuclear energy. The European Commissionlaunched its Action Plan on FinancingSustainable Growth in March 2018, andadopted a package of measures two monthslater. Then, in July, a Technical ExpertsGroup (TEG) on sustainable finance set upby the Commission began assisting it indeveloping a unified classification system forsustainable economic activities. The TEGpublished its Taxonomy Technical Report inJune this year. Nuclear energy was excludedfrom the list of sustainable economicactivities. However, in September theEuropean Council decided to remaintechnology neutral in its strategy onfinancing sustainable growth and the

transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/New-EU-rules-agreed-on-green-investments 

Bulgaria’s nuclear dreams move astep closer to realityEmerging Europe, December 20, 2019

Bulgaria has shortlisted General Electric(GE) and four other internationalcompanies as candidates for a contract tobuild a new nuclear power plant in thecountry. Energy Minister TemenuzhkaPetkova said on December 19 that alongwith GE, France’s Framatome, Russia’sRosatom, China’s CNNC and KoreaHydro and Nuclear Power Company willalso be invited to file binding offers to buildthe 10 billion-euro project. Offers need tobe submitted by the end of April 2020.

https://emerging-europe.com/news/bulgarias-nuclear-dreams-move-a-step-closer-to-reality/ 

Wind and Solar Farms Are PuttingEuropean Nuclear Out of WorkLars Paulsson and William Wilkes,Bloomberg, December 20 2019

Two nuclear reactors that have servedhomes and factories in Sweden andGermany for many decades will producetheir last electricity by the end of thismonth.  The permanent halt of VattenfallAB’s 44-year-old Ringhals-2 reactor is yetanother sign of how the surge inrenewable energy has upended traditionalenergy economics. The Nordic region’sbiggest utility made the decision not toinvest to keep the facility going because ofthe unit’s struggle to break even as powerfrom wind and solar farms flood theEuropean grids and increasingly crowdout traditional power sources.

In Southern Germany’s advancedmanufacturing heartland, Energie BadenWuertenberg AG is preparing to closePhilippsburg-2, one of the nation’s biggestreactors, which has helped power the carindustry’s megaplants since mid-1980s.

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201922

While its fate was sealed by ChancellorAngela Merkel in the aftermath of theFukushima nuclear disaster, it probablywouldn’t be closing without the nation’sunprecedented supply of wind and solarpower.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-20/nuclear-reactors-retiring-in-europe-as-renewables-generate-more 

Japan Working With Europe toUphold Nuclear AgreementFinancial Tribune, December 20, 2019

Rouhani said Iran appreciates any effort byother countries to help preserve the nucleardeal and guarantee peace and stability inthe region and the world. Japan WorkingWith Europe to Uphold NuclearAgreementJapan Working With Europe toUphold Nuclear Agreement. Japanese PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe reiterated his supportfor Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with sixworld powers, saying Tokyo has initiatedcooperation with the three Europeansignatories to help salvage the fraying deal.He made the statement in a meeting withPresident Hassan Rouhani in Tokyo onFriday, President.ir reported. 

https://financialtribune.com/articles/national/101310/japan-working-with-europe-to-uphold-nuclear-agreement 

China, EU Powers Agree to HelpSave Iran Nuclear DealFinancial Tribune, December 21, 2019

China and the three European signatoriesto the 2015 nuclear deal have agreed toenhance cooperation to ensure theimplementation of the fraying agreement,according to a top Chinese diplomat.Political directors from France, Germanyand Britain visited China and met theirChinese counterpart on Friday to exchangeviews on the Iranian nuclear issue. Iran hasbeen stepping away from its obligationsunder the nuclear deal, formally known asthe Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, inresponse to the United States’ unilateralwithdrawal and reimposition of sanctions

as well as the other signatories’ inabilityto make up for the American pressure.

https://financialtribune.com/articles/national/101315/china-eu-powers-agree-to-help-save-iran-nuclear-deal 

French push for Washingtoninfluence and their own ‘veryspecial relationship’ draws UKsuspicion Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg, December 29,2019

Emmanuel Macron made an early effortto win over Donald Trump, with UKofficials discussing ways to counterFrance’s diplomatic drive. British officialshave grown concerned by France’sattempt to boost its military clout inWashington and are taking steps to ensurethe UK remains America’s top defencepartner, The Daily Telegraph has learned.Eyebrows have been raised by what is seenas a concerted French push to portraythemselves as America’s “oldest ally” andtout their own “very special relationship”with the US. At least one sensitive memohas been circulated among British officialsin recent years warning that France isattempting to gain advantage from thechange in circumstances that comes withBrexit.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/29/french-push-washington-influence-special-relationship-draws/ 

Iran blasts France for‘interference’ over jailedacademic The Telegraph, December 29, 2019

Franco-Iranian academic AdelkhahFariba, 60, a well-known expert on Iranand Shiite Islam. Tehran accused Paris onSunday of “interference” in the case of anIranian-French academic held in theIslamic republic, saying she is consideredan Iranian national and faces securitycharges. France said on Friday itsummoned Iran’s ambassador to protest

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest23

the imprisonment of Fariba Adelkhah andanother academic, Roland Marchal ofFrance, saying their detention was“intolerable”. Their imprisonment hasadded to distrust between Tehran and Parisat a time when French President EmmanuelMacron is seeking to play a leading role indefusing tensions between Iran and its arch-foe the United States.

“The statement by France’s foreign ministryregarding an Iranian national is an act ofinterference and we see their request to haveno legal basis,” Iran’s foreign ministryspokesman Abbas Mousavi said in astatement.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/29/iran-blasts-france-interference-jailed-academic/ 

Russia warns EU over crumblingIran nuclear dealEuronews, December 31, 2019

Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers is indanger of “falling apart” without thecompliance of the United States and theEuropean Union, Russia’s foreign ministerwarned Monday after meeting with hisIranian counterpart in Moscow. The 2015deal between Iran and Britain, China,France, Germany, Russia and the UnitedStates lifted sanctions on Iran in exchangefor limits on its nuclear program. The U.S.withdrew from the accord last year andimposed crippling economic sanctions thatblock Iran from selling crude oil abroad.“Because of the destructive line thatWashington keeps towing, this importantachievement of international diplomacy... isin danger of falling apart,” Russian ForeignMinister Sergei Lavrov said, adding that“colleagues from the European Union” werenot fully complying with the agreementeither.

https://www.euronews.com/2019/12/30/russia-warns-eu-over-crumbling-iran-nuclear-deal

F. Russia

Russian Strategic Missile Forcesto be fully equipped with modernsystems by 2024TASS News Agency, December 16, 2019

The share of modern missile systems in theRussian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN)will reach 100% by 2024, RSVNCommander Colonel-General SergeyKarakaev told the Krasnaya Zvezda (RedStar) newspaper. “By 2024, the share ofmodern missile systems will reach 100%,meaning that the Strategic Missile Forceswill cross the line after which they will nolonger have any obsolete Soviet-producedmissile systems,” Karakaev said.

He added that RSVN currently have seventypes of missile systems. “Among them arefour stationary-based systems: Voevoda,Stilet, Topol-M and Yars. The mobilegroup of missile systems includes Topol,Topol-M and Yars,” he explained. “In thenearest future, it is planned to graduallyequip all rocket units with new missilesystems Yars, Avangard and Sarmat,”Karakaev noted.

https://tass.com/defense/1099597

Russian Strategic Missile Forcesto test-launch 6 ICBMs in 2020TASS News Agency, December 16, 2019

The Russian Strategic Missile Forces(RVSN) plan to test-launch sixintercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)in 2020, RVSN Commander Colonel-General Sergey Karakaev told theKrasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper.“Six test-launches of ICBMs are plannedfor 2020, including five from the Plesetskcosmodrome,” Karakaev said. Hereminded that in 2019, the RVSN carriedout five test-launches of strategic missiles,including three from the Plesetskcosmodrome and two from the KapustinYar training range.

https://tass.com/defense/1099591

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201924

Smolensk unit 3 gets licenceextensionWorld Nuclear News, December 17, 2019

Russian regulator Rostechnadzor has issueda 15-year operating licence extension forunit 3 of the Smolensk nuclear power plant,the last of three RBMK-1000 reactors at thesite in western Russia. The move means thewhole plant has permission to operate for atotal of 45 years. The Smolensk plant covers75% of electricity supply to the region and13% of all of the country’s nuclear powergeneration. Life-extending modernisationwork at unit 3 was completed in March,when the other two units were already setfor an extended period of operation of 15years.

Rosenergoatom, the operator subsidiary ofRussian state nuclear corporation Rosatom,said the upgrade work had included “awhole range of scientific, technical andengineering activities”. Pavel Lubensky,director of the plant added: “The controlsystems of power unit No.3 have undergonealmost complete updating and technical re-equipment. We carried out completemodernisation, performing thousands ofcomplex operations with the massreplacement of equipment, the introductionof new-generation security systems andmuch more. Over 2000 kilometres of cablewas laid and more than 2000 sets ofequipment were installed. All the plannedwork has been completed efficiently and infull.”

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Smolensk-unit-3-gets-licence-extension

Russia to track Earth-Threateningasteroids from robot-inhabitednuclear-powered polar Moon baseRussian Times, December 17, 2019

Moon’s southern pole will be a good spotfor an observatory that together with space-based telescopes help find dangerousasteroids. Russia plans to build one as partof an ambitious lunar base project.Conquering the moon is on the Russian

space agency’s to-do list for the not-so-distant future. Roscosmos is currentlyworking on a comprehensive plan that theRussian government wants to see beforeallocating any money for it. Part of apermanent Russian base envisioned on theMoon will be given to an observatory thatwill serve as part of a ”global system fortracking asteroid and comet threats,” asenior Roscosmos official said in a recentinterview.

“The location selected for the base issouthern pole of the moon. It has favorablerelief and conditions: enough light for solarpanels, constantly shadowed craters withice reserves for fuel and rawmaterial,” Aleksandr Bloshenkoexplained.

https://www.rt.com/russia/476082-russia-moon-base-asteroids/

Russia connects floating plant togridWorld Nuclear News, December 19, 2019

The floating nuclear power plantAkademik Lomonosov was todayconnected to the grid, generatingelectricity for the first time in the remoteChaun-Bilibino network in Pevek, inRussia’s Far East. The achievementfollowed Russian regulatorRostekhnadzor’s provision of an operatinglicence, as well as permission to connectto the northern electricity grid maintainedby Chukotenergo JSC. Connecting theplant to Pevek’s heat networks will becompleted next year. AkademikLomonosov is a pilot project and a‘working prototype’ for a future fleet offloating nuclear power plants and on-shore installations based on Russian-madesmall modular reactors (SMRs).These units will be available fordeployment to hard-to-reach areas ofRussia’s North and Far-East, as well as forexport.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Russia-connects-floating-plant-to-grid

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest25

World’s First Floating Nuclear PlantGoes Online in Russia – RosatomMoscow Times, December 19, 2019

The world’s first floating nuclear powerplant has begun supplying electric power toa remote corner of Russia amid criticismsfrom environmental activists, the statenuclear companyRosatom announced Thursday. TheAkademik Lomonosov arrived in Russia’snorthernmost town of Pevek in September,three weeks after setting off on a 5,000-kilometer journey through Arctic waters.Greenpeace has voiced safety concerns withRussia’s seaborne nuclear plant, calling it the“Chernobyl on ice” and “nuclear Titanic.”

The Akademik Lomonosov is set to supplyPevek’s estimated population of 100,000people with energy, Rosatom said. Thefloating plant’s construction costs areunknown, although media reports haveestimated its price tag at around $450 million.Rosatom said it is working on a secondfloating nuclear-power plant with two 50-megawatt reactors.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/12/19/worlds-first-floating-nuclear-plant-goes-online-in-russia-rosatom-a68683

Russian heavy nuclear-poweredmissile cruiser to leave repair dockin 2020TASS News Agency, December 20, 2019

The Sevmash Shipyard will roll out theProject 11442M heavy nuclear-poweredmissile-carrying cruiser Admiral Nakhimovfrom the repair dock in 2020, Sevmash CEOMikhail Budnichenko told TASS on Friday.“Work will be fulfilled on the Project 11442Mship in 2020 in order to move it away fromthe dock,” the chief executive said.

The next stage will involve the ship’s furtherconstruction at the Shipyard’s quay and itspreparations for sea trials, he said. “Thework aboard the ship is proceeding inaccordance with the schedule. After itsupgrade, the ship will be outfitted with long-range precision weapons and powerful anti-submarine warfare armament,” the chiefexecutive added. In September, Russian

Deputy Defense Minister AlexeiKrivoruchko said that the cruiser was 50%ready and was set to be delivered to theNavy in 2022. After its repairs andupgrade, the ship will get the Fort-M andPantsyr-M air defense systems and thepowerful Paket-NK and Otvet anti-submarine warfare armament, he said.

https://tass.com/defense/1101715

Russian latest nuclear-poweredsubmarine gets new controlsystemTASS News Agency, December 20, 2019

The improved Project 885M (Yasen-M)lead nuclear-powered submarine Kazanwill differ from the baseline 885 versionby its new control system, SevmashShipyard CEO Mikhail Budnichenko saidon Friday. “The nuclear-poweredsubmarine Kazan is a modernized fourth-generation ship. It differs from the Yasen-class lead nuclear-powered submarineSeverodvinsk by its new combat controland integrated sub control systems,” thechief executive said in an interview withthe Shipyard’s journal Zavod on the eveof the enterprise’s 80th anniversary thatwill be celebrated on

The Kazan is “an unusually complexship,” the chief executive said. “That iswhy, some aspects surfaced in the processof trials that will require additional testsat sea in 2020.” “The ship is very good.During the sea trials in 2018 and 2019, itdemonstrated excellent maneuveringcharacteristics. We are continuing to checkthe nuclear-powered sub at sea: it isnecessary to test a large number of newtypes of armament and military hardwareinstalled on it,” the chief executive said.

The Kazan is the first multirole nuclear-powered submarine of the improvedProject 885M (Yasen-M). It was laid outat the Sevmash Shipyard in 2009 andfloated out on March 31, 2017. The sub isexpected to join Russia’s Northern Fleetwhere the lead Yasen-class submarineSeverodvinsk is in operation.

https://tass.com/defense/1101683

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Russia ready to include Avangard,Sarmat systems in New STARTafter its extension – LavrovTASS News Agency, December 22, 2019

 Russia is prepared to include its Avangardand Sarmat missile systems in New START(Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) when itis extended, Russian Foreign Minister SergeyLavrov said in an interview with theBolshaya Igra (Big Game) program onRussia’s television Channel One. “We toldthe Americans [at a bilateral consultativecommission set up under the New START]that we have presented our new systems,including hypersonic weapons. We considerthat the Avangard and Sarmat systems arecovered by the treaty. We are ready toinclude these weapons and systems in thecurrent New START (when it is extended),”Lavrov stressed.

“We have already presented Avangard tothe Americans and we will be ready to dothe same with Sarmat at a certain stage,”he noted. However, other systems, whichRussian President Vladimir Putinmentioned in his address to the FederalAssembly in March 2018, are not coveredby the New START. “We said that on thesesystems and on new US advanced militarysystems we are ready to hold a separateparallel dialogue. It should be certainly heldas part of a discussion on a whole range ofissues, which influences strategic stability,”Lavrov stressed.

https://tass.com/defense/1102179

Last of four Kola units getsextended operation licenceWorld Nuclear News, December 23, 2019

Russian regulator Rostechnadzor has issueda 15-year operating licence extension forunit 2 of the Kola nuclear power plant to2034. Kola NPP is located 200 km south ofMurmansk, on the shore of Lake Imandra.It produces about 60% of the electricity ofthe Murmansk region. The four Kola unitsare VVER-440 reactors; 1 and 2 are V-230models and 3 and 4 are of the V-213 type.Units 1, 3 and 4 have already received licenceextensions - to 2033, 2027 and 2029,

respectively. Kola NPP is a branch ofRosenergoatom, Rosatom’s operatorsubsidiary.

Vasily Omelchuk, Kola NPP director, saidthe licence exntesion for unit 2 marked theculmination of “many months of work bythe entire plant staff, hundreds ofcontractors, research and designorganisations” to upgrade all of theequipment and introduce the mostadvanced safety systems. Rosatom said thenew licence means that the Kola plant, notonly guarantees the continued supply ofmore than half of the electricity needed inthe region, but also stimulates the creationof new energy-intensive industries in theKola Arctic. Funding for the programmeto extend the operation of unit 2 amountedto about RUB4.5 billion (USD72.2 million),making it one of biggest investmentprojects in the Murmansk region, Rosatomsaid.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Last-of-four-Kola-units-gets-extended-operation-li

Putin: Russia developing land-based version of Tsirkonhypersonic missileTASS News Agency, December 24, 2019

Russia is carrying out work on developingthe land-based version of the Tsirkon sea-launched hypersonic missile, PresidentVladimir Putin said at a meeting with thetop brass on Tuesday. “Our work on othersystems is proceeding according to plan:on the Sarmat enhanced-yieldintercontinental ballistic missile, on theTsirkon hypersonic missile in its land-basedand sea-launched versions, on thePoseidon intercontinental-rangeunderwater drone and on the Burevestnikglobal-range nuclear-powered cruisemissile,” Putin stated. A unique situationhas emerged for the first time in history inthe sphere of strategic balance: Russia hasfor the first time come ahead of the UnitedStates in developing the latest armament,the Russian president stressed.

“It was the United States that created theatomic bomb and the Soviet Union wasonly catching up with it. We also lacked

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest27

delivery vehicles, nuclear weapon carriersand strategic aviation: the Soviet Union wasonly catching up. The first intercontinentalmissiles were not developed in our countryeither: the Soviet Union was just catchingup. But today a unique situation hasemerged: they are catching up with us,” thepresident stated.

https://tass.com/defense/1103063

Putin: advanced weaponry reaches82% in Russia’s nuclear triadTASS News Agency, December 24, 2019

Advanced weaponry in Russia’s nucleartriad has reached 82%, President VladimirPutin said on Tuesday. “The share ofmodern armament in the nuclear triad hasreached 82% and the latest Avangardstrategic hypersonic missile system with theboost-glide vehicle has started to arrive forthe Strategic Missile Force,” Putin told aDefense Ministry expanded board meeting.Putin called the Avangard system theweapon of the future capable of overcomingboth existing and promising missile defenses.

Summing up the results of the RussianArmed Forces’ activity in 2019, the head ofstate said that many qualitative and systemicchanges had taken place over that period.Important steps were taken in improvinginter-operability and communications,reconnaissance and electronic warfaresystems, first of all, by way of introducingthe latest technologies in data collection,transmittance and processing, the Russianpresident elaborated.

https://tass.com/defense/1102975

‘Deadliest ever’: Russia launchesnew 4th-gen nuclear-poweredsubmarineRussian Times, December 25, 2019

The advanced Yasen-M nuclear-poweredsubmarine has been launched in Russia. Thenew ship, which is expected to join the Navynext year, is capable of carrying all existingRussian cruise missiles – and likely more.

The launch ceremony was held at the

Sevmash shipyard in Russia’snorthwestern city of Severodvinsk onWednesday. It comes just a few days afterthe shipyard marked its 80th anniversary– and an event such as this is the best wayto mark the occasion, Deputy DirectorGeneral of Sevmash Sergey Voronko said.Footage of the launch ceremony wasreleased to the general public – and it doesnot show much, since the new vesselremains top secret. The video only showsthe stern of the submarine and its propellerin detail, giving room for speculation.  

The new vessel called the Novosibirsk,which is expected to join the ranks of theRussian Navy next year, is the first massproduced submarine of its type. Themaiden Yasen-M submarine, the Kazan,is still undergoing naval trials and isexpected to join the Navy in 2020 as well.Four more submarines of the type areunder construction, and at least two moreare expected to be laid down later –presumably next year.

https://www.rt.com/russia/476812-russia-nuclear-submarine-launched/

Rosatom plans accident-tolerantfuel loadingWorld Nuclear News, December 27, 2019

The first Russian-made nuclear fuelassemblies with experimental accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) rods for commercialreactors have been manufactured andpassed acceptance inspection atNovosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant,a fabrication facility of Rosatom’s fuelmanufacturer subsidiary TVEL. The ATFrods are to be loaded into one of the VVER-1000 units at the Rostov nuclear powerplant in western Russia in the first quarterof 2020, TVEL said yesterday.

Each of the three TVS-2M model fuelassemblies contains 12 ATF rods with twovariants of cladding material - zirconiumalloy with chromium coating or chrome-nickel alloy. TVEL says both options makecladdings more heat-resistant. AlexanderUgryumov, vice president for research anddevelopment at TVEL, said the company

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had met all the milestones of its ATFprogramme for 2019.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Rosatom-plans-accident-tolerant-fuel-loading

Russia to build five nuclearicebreakers by 2026TASS News Agency, December 27, 2019

The Baltic Plant (an affiliate of the UnitedShipbuilding Corporation) will build fivenuclear-powered icebreakers for theNorthern Sea Route by 2026, Deputy PrimeMinister Yuri Borisov said on Friday. “Ourcountry is the only one in the world that hasa nuclear-powered fleet, which currentlyworks on the Northern Sea Route. In 2020-2026, five new 60-megawatt icebreakers willbe commissioned and begin to be used in thisimportant region, which accounts for ourmain reserves of oil and gas. The fiveicebreakers are being built at the BalticPlant,” Borisov told the Rossiya-24 televisionnews channel.

https://tass.com/defense/1104271

Russia Deploys HypersonicWeapon, Potentially RenewingArms RaceJulian E. Barnes and David E. Sanger, TheNew York Times, December 27, 2019

The Russian military on Friday said it haddeployed a hypersonic weapon that flies atsuperfast speeds and can easily evadeAmerican missile defense systems,potentially setting off a new chapter in thelong arms race between the world’s pre-eminent nuclear powers.

American officials said Friday they have littledoubt that the Russians have a workinghypersonic weapon — which sits on top ofa modified missile and is capable of carryinga nuclear warhead at speeds faster than3,800 miles per hour.

Moscow has been working on thetechnology for years and has investedheavily in it, determined to reverse thepattern in the Cold War, when it was oftenstruggling to catch up with American

nuclear weapons systems. If the newsystem, called “Avangard,” works asPresident Vladimir V. Putin of Russiaboasted when he described the weapon ayear ago, it would significantly enhanceMoscow’s already powerful nuclear forces,American officials said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/us/politics/russia-hypersonic-weapon.html

Russia, China to hold more U.N.talks on lifting North Koreasanctions: diplomatsMichelle Nichols, Reuters, December 30,2019

 U.N. Security Council members are dueto meet informally on Monday for asecond round of negotiations on a Russianand Chinese proposal to lift a raft ofsanctions on North Korea, a move thatsome diplomats say has little support.China and Russia are conveningnegotiations a day before North Koreanleader Kim Jong Un’s deadline for theUnited States to show flexibility in stalledtalks aimed at getting Pyongyang to giveup its nuclear weapons program. NorthKorea has warned the United States couldreceive an unwanted “Christmas gift” ifit fails.

A top White House official said on Sundaythat the United States would be verydisappointed if North Korea tested a long-range or nuclear missile and would takeappropriate action as a leading militaryand economic power. Russia and Chinahave said they hope lifting some sanctionscould help break the deadlock andencourage talks between Washington andPyongyang. But the United States, Franceand Britain said now is not the time toconsider lifting sanctions.  A SecurityCouncil resolution needs nine votes infavor and no vetoes by the United States,China, Russia, France and Britain. 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-un/russia-china-to-hold-more-u-n-talks-on-lifting-north-korea-sanctions-diplomats-idUSKBN1YX0LD

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest29

Russia’s Bilibino 2, Novovoronezh 4get licence extensionsWorld Nuclear News, December 30, 2019

Russian regulator Rostechnadzor has issuedoperating licence extensions to two morenuclear power units, bringing the totalnumber to 27 since 2001. Unit 2 of BilibinoNPP and unit 4 of Novovoronezh NPP arenow licensed to operate until the end of 2025and 2032, respectively, which is six and 13years longer than their previous licences.

State nuclear corporation Rosatom notedthat extending the operating periods ofexisting nuclear power units was globalpractice that enables the continued reliablesupply of electricity whilst allowing time toprepare for the construction of replacementcapacities. It added that units receivinglicence extensions would have had toundergo large-scale upgrade work todemonstrate that a high level of safety wasguaranteed.

Such work included, for example, “theaddition of a passive cooling system in theform of special hydraulic reservoirs withboron solution, which, if necessary, entersthe reactor core and cools it, givingadditional time to start the safetysystems,” Andrey Dementyev, deputygeneral director of Rosatom’s operatorsubsidiary, Rosenergoatom, said.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Russias-Bilibino-2-Novovoronezh-4-get-licence-exte

More nuclear energy for Turkey asRussia starts work on 2nd powerunit for Akkuyu plantRussian Times, December 30, 2019

The construction of a new power unit at theRussian-built Akkuyu nuclear power plant(NPP) in Turkey, the first of its kind in thecountry, is set to start in the first quarter of2020. “Works at the site have alreadybegun... We may hold an official concretepouring ceremony by March,” AlexeyLikhachev, director general of Russiannuclear energy corporation Rosatom, toldjournalists on Monday.

Pouring concrete at such sites usuallymarks the official start of construction. InAugust, Akkuyu Nuclear, a part ofRosatom charged with implementing theconstruction in Turkey, was granted ageneral licence, allowing them to startwork on the second reactor. The AkkuyuNPP is the largest joint project betweenRussia and Turkey. The $20-billion projectis fully funded by Russia, while in thefuture Russian companies are set to havea 51 percent stake in it. The rest will beacquired by third-party investors,according to an agreement the two sidessigned in 2010.

https://www.rt.com/business/477082-russia-turkish-nuclear-plant/

West Asia

G. Iran

Iran to U.S. Treasury: Sanctionsare the war itselfTehran Times, December 16, 2019

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman,in a post on his official Twitter account onMonday, rejected U.S. Treasury SecretarySteven Mnuchin’s remarks that sanctionsare alternative to war, noting thatsanctions are exactly economic war.  SeyedAbbas Mousavi’s tweet reads,“@stevenmnuchin1 stated, #sanctions arethe alternative to war! Truth is: “Sanctions”are the war itself. It is indeed the economicwar and worse than that, the#EconomicTerrorism which unfairlytargets civilians especially children, theelderly & the sick.”  CNBC quotedMnuchin as saying on Saturday that “thereason why we’re using sanctions isbecause they are an important alternativefor world military conflicts.” Talking at theDoha Forum, Mnuchin also claimed thatthe U.S. in not weaponizing the dollar.

In an interview with CNN aired onSeptember 24, Foreign MinisterMohammad Javad Zarif said thatsanctions were war. “Sanctions are war.Because in a war, usually military targetsare chosen. In sanctions, civilians are the

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201930

targets. So, it’s war. It’s more than war,” hesaid. During a speech at the 42nd session ofthe UN Human Rights Council inSeptember, Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh,Tehran’s ambassador and permanentrepresentative to the UN office in Geneva,called the consequences of unilateralsanctions against Iran “crime againsthumanity”.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443081/Iran-to-U-S-Treasury-Sanctions-are-the-war-itself

Araghchi says Iran’s dealings withINSTEX entering its final stageTehran Times, December 16, 2019

 Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister AbbasAraghchi said on Monday that transactionswithin INSTEX barter mechanism is enteringits final phase. INSTEX - the Instrument inSupport of Trade Exchanges - is designed tocircumvent U.S. sanctions against trade withIran by avoiding the use of the dollar. It wasintroduced by the European trio of France,Germany, and Britain on January 31. “Interaction between INSTEX and thesimilar Iranian institution is at the finalphase,” Araghchi told reporters on thesidelines of a conference at the Universityof Tehran. 

He added, “Recently, the two institutionssigned a memorandum of understandingand we hope that the first interaction willtake place in the coming days.”  On March20, Iran’s central bank governor AbdolnaserHemmati announced that a mechanismsimilar to INSTEX has been registered inIran, officially called the Special Trade andFinance Institute (STFI).

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443100/Araghchi-says-Iran-s-dealings-with-INSTEX-entering-its-final

EU chief diplomat: Iran has notviolated JCPOATehran Times, December 16, 2019

Josep Borrell, the new EU foreign policychief, has said Iran is moving within theframework of the JCPOA and has notviolated it, IRNA reported on Monday.Borrell also said the 2015 nuclear deal has

benefits for Europe and efforts must bemade to preserve it. “The JCPOA is stillalive and we make efforts to keep it alive,”Borrell said according to a translation ofhis remarks He noted that the EuropeanUnion supports the JCPOA and seeks topreserve it.

“Definitely, preserving the JCPOA hasmany benefits for us and it is a commonforeign policy of the European Union’smember states. Common foreign policymeans that the majority agree with that,however, there may be some differentviews,” the EU chief diplomat said in aninterview with France 24. Borrell said onDecember 9 that the signatories to thenuclear deal should adopt a united stanceto preserve the deal. He also said onDecember 7 that “collective responsibility”is needed to stop the JCPOA frombreaking apart.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443098/EU-chief-diplomat-Iran-has-not-violated-JCPOA

Paris serious in salvaging Irannuclear deal: envoyNew Delhi, December 17, 2019

 French ambassador to Tehran PhilippeThiebaud has underlined Paris’s interestin preserving the 2015 Iran nuclearagreement, also known as the JointComprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),reaffirming the seriousness and interest ofhis country and the European Union inmaintaining the important agreement.Thiebaud made the remarks in a meetingwith Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesmanof Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization(IAEO) on Monday.

During the meeting, the French envoydiscussed the latest status of the agreementand expectation of the JCPOA parties tomaintain the agreement given Iran’sscaling down of its commitments underthe deal, Iran Press reported. The two sidesalso exchanged views on bilateralcooperation in various fields of nuclearscience and technology, including fusionand radiopharmaceuticals, and thedeepening of relations in the field of

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest31

nuclear industry. Washington withdrewfrom the internationally-endorsed nucleardeal with Iran on May 8, 2018, reimposedthe toughest-ever sanctions against thecountry and started a plan to zero downTehran’s oil sales.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443133/Paris-serious-in-salvaging-Iran-nuclear-deal-envoy

No deal can survive if there is nobalance between gives and takes,Araqchi says of JCPOATehran Times, December 17, 2019

“The message is that we want to save thedeal. The purpose is not to kill the deal.Otherwise, we could have withdrawn fromthe deal right after the U.S. withdrew onMay 8, 2018, and nobody would haveblamed us because that was in reaction towhat the U.S. has done,” he told CGTN inan interview published on Tuesday. “Butwe decided to give diplomacy a chance tosave the deal. And now,… we are exercisingour right in paragraph 36 of the deal. So,we are still in the deal and are trying to takeremedy measures in order to save the deal,”he added.

He said, “No deal can survive if there is nota balance between gives and takes. And wehave no balance in the deal right now. Iranis fully committed to its obligations up toMay this year. But we received nothing. So,what Iran is doing is still trying to restorethe balance in the deal, which hasn’t happenyet.” Araghchi asserts that Iran wouldn’tbow to pressure. Negotiating undermaximum pressure is tantamount tosurrender, Araghchi believes. 

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443142/No-deal-can-survive-if-there-is-no-balance-between-gives-and

Iran to continue reducing JCPOAcommitments to create a balance:ShamkhaniTehran Times, New Delhi, December 18,2019

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s SupremeNational Security Council (SNSC), said on

Wednesday that if the Europeans fail tofulfil their commitments under the 2015nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, Iranwill have no choice but to continuereducing its commitments to the pact inorder to create a balance. During a meetingwith Russian Security Council SecretaryNikolai Patrushev on the sidelines of theRegional Security Dialogue onAfghanistan in Tehran, Shamkhani alsopraised Russia’s stance on the nuclear deal.

For his part, Patrushev said that the JCPOAmust be implemented and that Iran mustenjoy its benefits. Josep Borrell, the newEU foreign policy chief, has said Iran ismoving within the framework of theJCPOA and has not violated it, IRNAreported on Monday. Borrell also said thenuclear deal has benefits for Europe andefforts must be made to preserve it. “TheJCPOA is still alive and we make effortsto keep it alive,” Borrell said, according toa translation of his remarks. He noted thatthe European Union supports the JCPOAand seeks to preserve it.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443170/Iran-to-continue-reducing-JCPOA-commit-ments-to-create-a-balance

Iran is testing new uraniumenrichment centrifuges, PresidentHassan Rouhani saysJoshua Berlinger and Mallory Gafas

CNN, December 19, 2019

Iran President Hassan Rouhani said hiscountry is working on the development ofnew, advanced uranium enrichmentcentrifuges, according to Iranian state-runnews agency IRNA, a move that appearsto violate the landmark nuclear agreementTehran signed with world powers in 2015.Rouhani said at a meeting with Iranianexpatriates in the Malaysian capital ofKuala Lumpur on Wednesday that thecountry is now testing IR-9 centrifuges,which convert mined uranium into fuelfor nuclear power. Iran has repeatedlydenied it has any ambitions of building anuclear weapon. Iran had agreed to strictlimits on uranium enrichment as part of

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201932

the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JointComprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/19/middleeast/iran-nuclear-enrichment-rouhani-intl-hnk/index.html

Iran and US both underminingnuclear deal says UN politicalaffairs chiefUN News, December 19, 2019

Rosemary DiCarlo was briefing the SecurityCouncil on nuclear non-proliferation,and resolution 2231 that specifically backedthe Joint Comprehensive Plan ofAction (JCPOA), agreed in July 2015, byChina, France, Germany, Russia, The UnitedKingdom, the United States, the EuropeanUnion, and Iran (see fact box below for fulldetails). She said the “full and effectiveimplementation” of the Plan was “key toensuring the peaceful nature of Iran’snuclear programme and to secure tangibleeconomic benefit to the Iranian people.” Ms.DiCarlo said the US decision to pull out ofthe deal was a source of “regret” as well as“the recent steps taken by Iran to reduce itsnuclear-related commitments”.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/12/1054071

Iran president says country testingnew advanced centrifugesAmir Vahdat, AP News, December 19, 2019

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said hiscountry’s nuclear experts are testing a newtype of advanced centrifuges, remarks likelymeant to rally support for the Iranian leaderas his nation struggles under crushing U.S.sanctions. Rouhani spoke during a meetingWednesday with Iranian expatriates inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he alsoused an Islamic conference on Thursday asa platform to decry American sanctionsagainst Iran.

“We have had great achievements andtoday, Iranian new IR-6 centrifuges areworking and models IR-9 are currently beingtested,” the state-run IRNA news agencyquoted Rouhani as telling the Iranian

expats. Iran was gripped by several daysof violent protests in November amidanger over a sharp hike in gasoline pricesfollowing U.S. sanctions after Washingtonwithdrew last year from Iran’s 2015nuclear deal with world powers. Rouhanitold the Islamic conference that the U.S.sought to cripple Iran with the “heaviestsanctions” but the country’s economy ison the mend and moving away fromreliance on oil.

https://apnews.com/6b6541184b35ded84c0513b50b234f34

U.S. sanctions are ‘collectivepunishment’, Iranian diplomatsaysTehran Times, December 20, 2019

Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassadorto the United Nations, said on Thursdaythat the United States’ sanctions againstIran are illegitimate, immoral, inhumaneand cruel. “What the U.S. sanctions areintended to do is ‘collective punishment’of the general public, which is prohibitedeven in armed conflicts,” Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in a statement read in theUN Security Council meeting. He saidsanctions are “targeting the mostvulnerable groups of ordinary people inorder to create discontent within thesociety.”

Following is the full text of the statementissued on implementation of SecurityCouncil resolution 2231, which endorsedthe 2015 nuclear deal:  The SecurityCouncil is once again considering theimplementation of one of its mostimportant resolutions, namely resolution2231, which is being vehemently violatedby a permanent member of the Council,an unprecedented development in thehistory of the UN. Here, I wish to expressmy appreciation to all fourteen membersof the Council for lending their valuablesupport to the JCPOA.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443208/U-S-sanctions-are-collective-punishment-Iranian-diplomat

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest33

In rare move, U.S. and Iranianenvoys talk after U.N. meeting onnuclear dealMichelle Nichols, Reuters, December 20,2019

The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nationsmade a rare compassionate public gesturetoward her Iranian counterpart in theSecurity Council chamber on Thursday,expressing condolences over the death of anIranian toddler. Since Washington pulledout of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018,tensions between the United States andTehran have risen.

But after a contentious U.N. Security Councilmeeting on compliance with the 2015accord between world powers and Iran,Ambassador Kelly Craft walked over to talkto Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Majid TakhtRavanchi. Ravanchi had spoken about atwo-year old girl during his statement to the15-member council. He said the girl had diedin June from a rare disease known as EB andblamed the death on U.S. sanctions.

https://in.reuters.com/article/iran-usa-un/in-rare-move-u-s-and-iranian-envoys-talk-after-u-n-meeting-on-nuclear-deal-idINKBN1YO0SB

UN says US withdrawal fromnuclear deal is ‘source of regret’Tehran Times, December 20, 2019

“Certain actions taken by the United States,since its withdrawal from the Plan, arecontrary to the goals of the Plan”, she said,addressing the Security Council meeting onnuclear non-proliferation, and resolution2231, the UN website reported. Summingup the importance of the JCPOA, DiCarlosaid that António Guterres, the UNsecretary general, considers the fullimplementation of resolution 2231, by allmember states “as an integral componentof our collective conflict prevention efforts.”

Resolution 2231 confirmed the nuclear dealbetween Iran, the five permanent membersof the UN Security Council, Germany, andthe European Union. She added that it wasthe secretary-general’s wish for all countries“to avoid confrontational actions andexplore avenues for dialogue and

cooperation in the interest of internationalpeace and security.”

U.S. President Donald Trump quit thenuclear deal in May 2018 and introducedthe harshest ever sanctions on Iran as partof his administration’s “maximumpressure” campaign against Iran. Underthe JCPOA, Iran promised to put limits onits nuclear activities in exchange for thetermination of economic and financialsanctions.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443209/UN-says-US-withdrawal-from-nuclear-deal-is-source-of-regret

Iran may not take fifth JCPOAstep if INSTEX goes into effect:senior MPTehran Times, December 21, 2019

Chairman of the Iranian ParliamentNational Security and Foreign PolicyCommission Mojtaba Zonnour has saidthat if the EU-proposed INSTEX isoperationalized, Tehran may reconsidertaking the fifth step in reducing itscommitments to the nuclear deal. “In casethe signatories to the JCPOA, especiallyEurope, operationalize INSTEX andsanctions are removed, the fifth step ofreducing commitments to the JCPOA maynot be taken,” Zonnour told Mehr NewsAgency on Thursday.

“Although, we predict that the Europeancountries will not take any specific andinfluential measure to preserve theJCPOA,” he added. On the U.S.anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal fromthe JCPOA, Tehran announced it wouldtake steps back from its JCPOA obligationsevery 60-day unless the other signatoriesto the deal abide by their commitmentsunder the accord. As the latest step (thefourth step) to scale back JCPOAcommitments, Iran injected gas into IR6centrifuges and resumed uraniumenrichment at Fordow nuclear facility inearly November.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443274/Iran-may-not-take-fifth-JCPOA-step-if-INSTEX-goes-into-effect

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‘China, Europe supportimplementation of nuclear deal’Tehran Times, December 21, 2019

“China and Europe, as two major forces formultilateralism, agreed to strengthencommunication and coordination, carry outthe consensus reached at the ForeignMinisters’ Meeting on the Iranian NuclearIssue in September, and ensure the full andeffective implementation of the JCPOA,”Geng told a press conference, according tothe Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

He added, “Both sides support diplomaticmediation efforts and stand for resolvingcompliance issues through consultationwithin the JCPOA Joint Commission. Westand ready to work for the easing oftensions to uphold the international nuclearnon-proliferation regime as well as peaceand stability in the Middle East.” AliShamkhani, secretary of Iran’s SupremeNational Security Council (SNSC), said onWednesday that if the Europeans fail to fulfiltheir commitments under the nuclear deal,Iran will have no choice but to continuereducing its commitments to the pact inorder to create a balance. Josep Borrell, thenew EU foreign policy chief, said onDecember 7 that “collective responsibility”is needed to stop the JCPOA from breakingapart.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443268/China-Europe-support-implementation-of-nuclear-deal

Iran installs Arak heavy waterreactor’s secondary circuit Tehran Times, December 23, 2019

In a ceremony on Monday, the AtomicEnergy Organization of Iran (AEOI) startedthe first stage of installing equipment of theArak heavy water reactor, includingsecondary circuit. Ali Akbar Salehi, theAEOI chief, who had attended theceremony, said, “One of the largestachievements of Iran in nuclear technologyis planning and building Arak’s Khondabresearch site. Our young scientists began away 20 years ago and we witness that giant

strides have been taken thus far in thisregard.”

He added, “If we divide the reactor’ssystem into 50 parts, out of which 20 partshave been completed so far, 12 more partsare under completion and preliminaryworks on the remaining 12 parts havebeen started.” “Today, we makeoperational a remarkable part of thereactor titled the secondary circuit whichis different from the primary part,” Salehistated.  “The primary circuit is tasked withremoving heat from the heart of thereactor, and the secondary circuit isresponsible for transferring the heat fromthe primary circuit to cooling towers andfinally to the outside environment,”explained Salehi, a nuclear physicist.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443343/Iran-installs-Arak-heavy-water-reactor-s-secondary-circuit

Iran unveils development at Arakreactor in face of U.S. pressureReuters, December 23, 2019

Iran unveiled a redevelopment of part ofits Arak heavy water reactor on Monday- a move that did not breach internationalrestrictions on its nuclear work butshowed it is developing the sector in theface of U.S. pressure. Iranian state mediasaid technicians switched on a secondarycircuit at Arak, a plant built to producethe heavy water used as a moderator toslow down reactions in the core of nuclearreactors.

“Today we are ... starting a noteworthysection of the reactor,” the head of Iran’satomic agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, said inremarks broadcast live on state TV.Tehran has been reactivating parts of itsnuclear program in protest at the UnitedStates’ withdrawal last year from aninternational deal meant to limit theIslamic Republic’s ability to develop anuclear bomb.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-arak/iran-unveils-development-at-arak-reactor-in-face-of-u-s-pressure-idUSKBN1YR0KA

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest35

Nuclear deal is in trouble: BritishdiplomatTehran Times, December 24, 2019

“I had in Moscow last week our politicaldirector, Richard Moore. Richard is theforeign secretary’s top advisor on matters ofinternational security. He was here with hisEuropean colleagues, French and Germancolleagues, to talk with their Russiancolleague, Sergei Ryabkov, about the Irannuclear deal. The reasons you well know.The Iran nuclear deal is in trouble,” he toldInterfax in an interview published onMonday. “As the leading members of theinternational community – we [Russian andthe UK] are both permanent members of theUN Security Council – we have a specialresponsibility here to work together tostrengthen the international nuclear non-proliferation arrangements,” he said.

During a meeting with Russian SecurityCouncil Secretary Nikolai Patrushev on thesidelines of the Regional Security Dialogueon Afghanistan in Tehran on December 18,Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s SupremeNational Security Council (SNSC), said thatif the Europeans fail to fulfil theircommitments under the nuclear deal, Iranwill have no choice but to continue reducingits commitments to the pact in order to createa balance.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443393/Nuclear-deal-is-in-trouble-British-diplomat

Tel Aviv repeats allegations againstIran’s peaceful nuclear and defensemissile programs Tehran Times, December 29, 2019

In an address to Mossad’s agents, Cohen saidthe Islamic Republic is “at the top of theMossad’s work priorities,” Press TV reportedon Saturday.  “All Iranian nuclear, long-range missile and precision missileactivities,” as well as its regional role “are achallenge to the security of” Israel, headded. The remarks came one day afterIsraeli military chief of staff LieutenantGeneral Aviv Kochavi said Tel Aviv is

preparing for “limited confrontation”with Tehran.

“There is a possibility that we will face alimited confrontation with Iran and we arepreparing for it,” he said, stressing that itwould have been better had Israel not beenthe only one engaged in the anti-Irancampaign. “We will not allow Iran toentrench itself in Syria, or in Iraq,” headded. In August, Iranian DefenseMinister Amir Hatami underlined hiscountry’s astonishing progress inproducing different types of weapons andmissiles, saying that Iran was able toprotect its security by conventionalwarheads.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443543/Tel-Aviv-repeats-allegations-against-Iran-s-peaceful-nuclear

Zarif says it is unlikely Europe toquit nuclear dealTehran Times, December 31, 2019

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifhas told IRNA in an interview publishedon Tuesday that it is unlikely that Europewithdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal,officially known as the JointComprehensive Plan of Action. However,the chief diplomat said Europeans areunable act independently fromWashington in regard to the JCPOA.“Unfortunately, the Europeans could nottake practical actions on the JCPOAindependent from the United States,”Zarif remarked. Zarif added, “It is essentialfor the Europeans to take practical actionson JCPOA.” 

He noted that Iran will reverse its decisionto reduce commitments under the deal ifEuropeans take practical actions. U.S.President Donald Trump quit the nucleardeal in May 2018 and introduced theharshest ever sanctions on Iran as part ofhis administration’s “maximum pressure”campaign against Iran.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443630/Zarif-says-it-is-unlikely-Europe-to-quit-nuclear-deal

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Iran in worst days of sanctions:Rouhani Tehran Times, December 31, 2019

 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said onTuesday that the country is passing “theworst days” of sanctions imposed by theU.S., praising the people for their resistanceand patience.  Addressing a ceremonyarranged to inaugurate subway train in thewestern part of Alborz province, Rouhanihailed people for their firm stance andresistance in hard days of sanctions.

Pointing to the consequences of sanctions onthe country, he said, “If we were notengaged in an imposed-economic war, wecould enjoy a sum of $200 billion out ofwhich $100 billion was income of crudeexport. Now we do not have that heftyamount of money.” “We are managing thecountry without that $200 billion income.People are not living comfortably, however,we (the government) try as much as wecan,” he went on to say.  Elsewhere in hisremarks, Rouhani said, “People shouldexpect the government to understand (theproblems), to draft required plan (to solvethe problem) and try (to implement its plan)as much as it can. If the government doesnot manage to do its duty it should becriticized.”

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443611/Iran-in-worst-days-of-sanctions-Rouhani

H. Israel

Israel determined to target Iranianpositions in SyriaYusuf Selman Ýnanç, Daily Sabah, December23, 2019

The Israeli army targeted Syrian and Iranianpositions near Damascus, the Israeli mediareported; while the Syrian state, in astatement, said missiles fired wereintercepted. Though Israeli army officialsremained silent and refused to issue astatement, the attacks show that Israel isdetermined to keep its frontiers clear of Iranand its proxies.

According to reports released Sunday night,the Israeli army fired missiles into Syrian

territory, targeting specific Syrian andIranian positions. One of the missileslanded in a populated area in one ofDamascus’ suburbs. No causalities werereported. Moreover, Israeli jets were heardin Lebanon’s skies during the night,indicating that the Israeli army may havebeen planning to carry out aerial attacksas well. The Syrian state television stationSANA claimed that the Syrian regimesuccessfully intercepted the missiles,downing one. Israel’s daily Haaretzreported that “four cruise missiles werebelieved to have been launched across thecoast through Lebanese airspace towardSyria.” The Britain-based SyrianObservatory for Human Rights, anopposition war monitoring group that hasobservers across the country, said themissile attacks targeted Iranian and Syrianpositions near Damascus, namely near theIsraeli-occupied territories.

https://www.dailysabah.com/mideast/2019/12/23/israel-determined-to-target-iranian-posi-tions-in-syria

I. Turkey

Turkey is going nuclear by 2030:Part 2Mehmet Öðütçü, Hurriyet Daily, December17, 2019

Currently, the Mersin Akkuyu projectundertaken with Russia remains Turkey’ssole concrete “nuclear energy game” intown. This does not mean that the Akkuyuproject will have a smooth path towardsthe 2023 target and beyond. Thegovernment presents nuclear energy ascheap, sustainable and environmentallyfriendly. It is also portrayed by many as apowerful way to diversify the country’senergy portfolio while at the same timereducing energy dependence and spillingover to the civilian economy.

However, as a country, which hadexperienced the consequences ofChernobyl disaster in 1986, it is not easyto convince people completely of thebenefits of a nuclear plant within theborders. In the public debate, there is noshortage of prejudice, misperception and

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest37

ideological preferences for a variety ofreasons, including public opposition, highcapital cost and financing difficulties, andinsufficient governance and managementcapacity on the part of the Turkish stateagencies. Perhaps, the biggest concern is thelack of an independent nuclear regulatorand a ‘‘safety culture’’ in state institutionsthat is commensurate with the risks inherentin nuclear operations. Public consultationand dispute settlement mechanisms does notexist yet. Political concerns and bureaucraticinterests might be at play instead of technicalassessments of supply and demand.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-is-going-nuclear-by-2030-part-2-149929

Turkey, Israel gas cooperationlucrative for capitalizing on EastMed resourcesElif Binici Erºen, Daily Sabah, December 17,2019

The reports also suggested that the Israeliofficials welcomed the idea of initiatingnegotiations for the Turkish proposal tobuild a gas pipeline from Israeli fields todeliver the gas to Europe. “It is good to see apositive media discourse emerge on potentialcooperation between Israel and Turkey. Fora long while, we mostly heard about negativedevelopments in ties,” Dr. Nimrod Goren,the founder and head of Mitvim – the IsraeliInstitute for Regional Foreign Policies, toldDaily Sabah, commenting on the recentreports. However, Goren remained cautiousof an immediate recovery or quickrapprochement between the two countries.

In June 2016, Israeli Energy Minister YuvalSteinitz announced a reconciliationagreement between Ankara and Tel Avivafter six years of strained bilateral relationsfollowing the Mavi Marmara incident in2010. While both parties endeavored to keepthe détente and resorted to energydiplomacy as an effective instrument at thetime, the changing dynamics of regionalpolitics, Israel’s choices of energy partners,moves to exclude Turkey and the TurkishRepublic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) fromthe share of hydrocarbon resources around

the island of Cyprus, and the institutionof a framework agreement on the EastMedgas pipeline have greatly hampered theefforts.

https://www.dailysabah.com/energy/2019/12/17/turkey-israel-gas-cooperation-lucrative-for-capitalizing-on-east-med-resources

Turkey accuses US Congress of‘hostile’ behaviourLaura Pitel, Financial Times, December 18,2019

Turkey has accused the US Congress of“hostile” behaviour after senators passedpunitive measures against Ankara,underscoring the growing tensionsbetween the two Nato members. Ankaraclaimed on Wednesday that members ofCongress were “acting under the influenceof anti-Turkish circles” after theyapproved the National DefenseAuthorization Act (NDAA), a sprawlingmilitary bill that included provisionsintended to punish Turkey for its growingcloseness with Russia — and for asimmering dispute with Cyprus overnatural gas reserves in the easternMediterranean.

“The language of threats and sanctions willnever dissuade Turkey from resolutelytaking steps to ensure its nationalsecurity,” the Turkish foreign ministry saidin a statement. “No one should doubt thatnecessary measures will be taken againstthese initiatives targeting Turkey.” Thesprawling $738bn defence bill, which wasapproved by the US Senate on Tuesdayand is expected to be signed into law bypresident Donald Trump shortly, reneweda decision to exclude Turkey from the US-led F-35 fighter jet programme — aretaliatory move in response to Ankara’spurchase of a Russian-made S-400 airdefence system.

https://www.ft.com/content/79feb8c0-2183-11ea-b8a1-584213ee7b2b

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201938

Turkey solidified regional presencewith East Med moveThe Daily Sabah, December 19, 2019

Turkey’s recent energy politics in the EasternMediterranean have strengthened itspresence in the region, experts on energysaid. Amid deepened conflicts betweencountries in the region over resources, theissue of maritime borders in the EasternMediterranean has been at the top of manystate’s agendas. “This step that camefollowing the cross-border operation, hasstrengthened Turkey’s presence in theregion. The recent policies and strategieshave shown that Turkey also has a say inthe region,” Levent Aydýn, a professor onEnergy at Ankara Social Sciences Universitysaid at a panel on energy in the EasternMediterranean, organized by the Instituteof Strategic Thinking (SDE).

Turkey has recently sealed a deal with Libyato secure its rights in the Mediterraneanwhile preventing any fait accompli actionby other states in the region and to pursueits interests regarding natural resources inthe Eastern Mediterranean. Furthermore, asa guarantor country, Turkey is also seekingto protect the rights of the the TurkishRepublic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2019/12/19/turkey-solidified-regional-presence-with-east-med-move-1576780942

Highlights of Turkish energymarket in 2019Ebru Sengul, Anadulu Agency, December 27,2019

The start of new drilling operations in theEastern Mediterranean, the completion ofthe TurkStream pipeline project, thefinalization of the laying of the foundationfor the first reactor of the Akkuyu NuclearPower Plant, the European leg of the TransAnatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP)and the record high electricity generationfrom renewable and local resources markedthe top news stories in Turkey’s energysector in 2019. Turkey’s exploration anddrilling activities in the EasternMediterranean have expanded to a great

extent in 2019. The country sent a secondvessel, Yavuz, to the East MediterraneanSea on June 20 to begin hydrocarbonexploration off the coast of Cyprus.

During the year, ongoing efforts to findcommon ground in sharing the EastMediterranean reserves between allconcerned actors, namely Turkey, theTurkish Republic of North Cyprus(TRNC), and the Greek CypriotAdministration failed. On July 13, theTRNC President Mustafa Akinci via theUnited Nations extended the hand ofcooperation to explore hydrocarbonresources as equal partners and share theincome equally with the Greek Cypriotadministration leader Nicos Anastasiades.Three days later, however, the GreekCypriot party leaders rejected thisproposal. In response, the Turkish ForeignMinistry clarified its stance in a statementsaying “it is a vain expectation for thosewho think that Turkey will bow to threatsand back down on its rights in the EasternMediterranean.”

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/highlights-of-turkish-energy-market-in-2019/1685141

Akkuyu NPP signs coolantequipment agreement withRussian, German firmsThe Daily Sabah, December 29, 2019

Turkey has signed an agreement to obtaincoolant system equipment for turbineinstallments at the country’s first nuclearpower plant in Akkuyu, the Russian StateNuclear Energy Corporation (Rosatom)confirmed Saturday. To supply equipmentfor systems that will provide cooling waterfor turbine capacitors, Rosatom’s energyengineering division Atomenergomash,Russian firm NPO TsNIITMASH andGermany’s Taprogge GmbH signed a dealwith Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP).Atomenergomash, which manufacturesreactor equipment for nuclear powerplants in India, Bangladesh, China andRussia, will supply machinery equipmentfor Akkuyu’s four reactors. Anintergovernmental agreement was signedbetween Russia and Turkey in May 2010

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest39

for the Akkuyu NPP that will consist of fourVVER-1200 power units with a totalinstalled capacity of 4,800 megawatts.

https://www.dailysabah.com/energy/2019/12/29/akkuyu-npp-signs-coolant-equipment-agreement-with-russian-german-firms

Second unit in Akkuyu nuke plant tobegin construction in early 2020Daily Sabah, December 30, 2019

The construction of the second unit ofTurkey’s first nuclear power plant Akkuyumay start in the first quarter of 2020, Russia’satomic energy corporation Rosatom’sDirector General Alexey Likhachev said.“We may hold an official concrete pouringceremony in March 2020,” Likhachev saidduring a press conference in Moscow, andadded that the preliminary works at the sitehave already begun. Likhachev said thatTitan-2 IC Ýçtas, a joint venture betweenConcern Titan-2 JSC and the Turkishconstruction company IC Ýçtas, is to carryout the construction of the plant.

“We created an alliance with Turkey’s ICÝçtas and Concern Titan-2, which is a partof Rosatom. This alliance gives us hope forthe successful implementation of theproject,” Likhachev said. Anintergovernmental agreement was signedbetween Turkey and Russia in May 2010 forAkkuyu NPP, the first nuclear plant ofTurkey that will have four VVER-1200power reactors with a total installedcapacity of 4,800 megawatts.

https://www.dailysabah.com/energy/2019/12/30/second-unit-in-akkuyu-nuke-plant-to-begin-construction-in-early-2020

East Asia

J. Japan

Contractors want 70 billion yen morefor safety at nuclear plantTakashi Ichida, Asahi Shimbun, December17, 2019

Costs to safeguard the Tokai No. 2 nuclearplant here will run at least 70 billion yen($642 million) more than the plant operator’s

estimate, raising the likelihood thatconsumers will get stuck covering thedifference through their power bills. JapanAtomic Power Co. (JAPC) is seeking torestart the plant, idled since the 2011Fukushima nuclear disaster, as soon aspossible to secure much-needed revenueby selling power from it to electric utilities.

The plant operator has been negotiatingwith leading general contractors over thecost of work to increase safety at the single-reactor plant along the coast of IbarakiPrefecture. It aims to ink contracts for thework by March 2020. But the differenceover the cost between the two sides hasrarely narrowed. Construction of a 20-meter-tall seawall and an emergencyfacility to protect the plant from possibletsunami and other natural disasters areamong the protective measures scheduled.The ballooning price tag is blamed on aspike in the cost of civil engineeringmaterials, machine tools and workers,according to officials familiar with thematter. The plant operator urgedcontractors to rethink their estimates, butthey refused, maintaining that the higherprice was inevitable in order to completethe project on time. With JAPC’s self-imposed March deadline to concludecontracts fast approaching, industryanalysts say the operator will likely givein to the contractors’ demands.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201912170067.html 

Calls grow to preserve factory thatsurvived atomic bombingSonoko Miyazaki, Asahi Shimbun,December 19, 2019 

A former Imperial Japanese Army clothingfactory that emerged more or less intactafter the 1945 atomic bombing of this cityis due to be torn down unless authoritiescan be persuaded to preserve the historicstructure. Mayu Seto, who works withFukuoka, submitted about 12,000signatures collected over the first five daysto the prefectural government on Dec. 16.The online campaign will continue.

The factory is one of the largest structures

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201940

left standing in Hiroshima after the nuclearattack. It is also one of the oldest reinforcedconcrete structures in Japan. Completed in1913, the facility produced military uniformsand boots for Japanese troops. The structure,situated just 2.7 kilometers from ground zero,served as an aid station in the aftermath ofthe atomic bombing. The factory oftenfeatures in wartime accounts given byhibakusha atomic bomb survivors.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201912190001.html 

Severed section of JR Joban Line inFukushima to reopen in MarchShoko Rikimaru

Asahi Shimbun, December 19, 2019

A disrupted section of the JR Joban Line nearthe beleaguered Fukushima nuclear plant isexpected to reopen March 14, bringing theentire line back in service for the first timein nine years. A test run to check signallights, rails and crossings started inFukushima Prefecture Dec. 18. As part ofthe test, a five-car train arrived around 10:20a.m. at the newly built Futaba Station, about4 kilometers northwest of the plant. TheFukushima No. 1 nuclear power plantsuffered a triple meltdown following theGreat East Japan Earthquake and tsunamiin March 2011, with residents in wide areasordered to evacuate.

The tests will continue through Dec. 20, withthe train making two round trips a daybetween Tomioka and Namie, the 20.8-kilometer section of the line that hasremained out of service. If service in thesection is resumed, the Joban Line willconnect Nippori in Tokyo to Iwanuma inMiyagi Prefecture, covering about 344 km.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201912190048.html 

Japan briefs Iran on plan to sendforces to Middle EastKiyoshi Takenaka, Reuters, December 20,2019

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe onFriday briefed Iranian President Hassan

Rouhani on Tokyo’s plan to send navalforces to the Middle East to protectJapanese vessels, a Japanese official said.Rouhani said in response that heunderstood Japan’s intention to contributeto navigational safety, the official told amedia briefing after the two leaders metin Tokyo. “I’m highly concerned abouttensions running high in the Middle East,”Abe told Rouhani at the start of themeeting. Friction between Tehran andWashington has increased since last yearwhen U.S. President Donald Trumppulled the United States out of Tehran’s2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions on the country,crippling its economy.

Japan, a U.S. ally maintaining friendly tieswith Iran, is looking to launch its ownoperation rather than joining a U.S.-ledmission to protect shipping in the region.Local media have said the plan will beapproved by Abe’s cabinet as soon as nextweek. In the Tokyo meeting, Abe askedRouhani to stick to commitments made inthe landmark 2015 nuclear agreement andsaid Japan would do what it can to ensurestability in the Middle East. In turn,Rouhani asked Abe to work with othercountries to help keep the nuclear dealalive. “I hope Japan and other countriesin the world will work hard to help keepthe nuclear agreement in place.” Inresponse to re-imposed sanctions, Iran hasgradually scaled back its commitments tothe deal this year.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-iran-abe/japan-briefs-iran-on-plan-to-send-forces-to-middle-east-idUSKBN1YO10W 

Government proposes release ofFukushima water to sea or airMari Yamaguchi, AP News, December 23,2019

Japan’s economy and industry ministryproposed on Monday the gradual releaseor evaporation of massive amounts oftreated but still radioactive water beingstored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushimanuclear plant. The proposal to a group ofexperts is the first time the ministry has

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest41

narrowed down the various optionsavailable to those choices. It is meant to solvea growing problem for the plant’s operatoras storage space for the water runs out,despite fears of a backlash from the public.The draft proposal will be discussed further.Nearly nine years after the 2011 meltdownsof three reactor cores at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant, radioactive watercontinues to accumulate as water used tokeep the cores cool leaks from the damagedreactors and is stored in tanks so it won’tescape into the ocean or elsewhere.

https://apnews.com/e60f93b7f7de2ff7b5b015fb5167dd9b 

Japan’s NHK delivers erroneousNorth Korean ‘Christmas gift’Chang-Ran Kim, Kaori Kaneko, Reuters,December 27, 2019

Japanese public broadcaster NHK on Fridaysent a news bulletin that incorrectly reportedNorth Korea had launched a missile that fellinto waters east of the Japanese archipelago,issuing an apology explaining it was a mediatraining alert. The news alert came as theUnited States and its East Asian allies havebeen on tenterhooks after Pyongyang’swarning this month of a possible “Christmasgift” for Washington in what experts tookto mean a possible long-range missile test.The NHK bulletin, sent out 22 minutes aftermidnight on its website, read: “NorthKorean missile seen as having fallen into seasabout 2,000 km east of Hokkaido’s CapeErimo”, suggesting a flight path overJapanese territory. The same informationwas also delivered to users’ phones throughNHK’s apps.

NHK corrected the information on thoseplatforms, as well as on television and radiowithin half an hour, an NHK spokesmansaid. “We apologize to our viewers and thepublic,” NHK said in a statement on itswebsite, explaining the alert was for trainingpurposes. It also said it would review itsprocedures to prevent a recurrence.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-nhk/japans-nhk-delivers-erroneous-north-korean-christmas-gift-idUSKBN1YV044 

K. North Korea

Biegun may hold secret meetingwith NK in Beijing: ex-unificationministerYonhap, Korea Herald, December 18, 2019

The US point man on North Korea,Stephen Biegun, could hold a secretmeeting with North Korean officials whenhe travels to China later this week, aformer South Korean unification ministersaid Wednesday. The State Departmentannounced earlier that Biegun, US specialrepresentative for North Korea policy, willvisit Beijing on Thursday and Friday “todiscuss the need to maintain internationalunity on North Korea.” The previouslyunannounced trip, which follows his visitsto Seoul and Tokyo, spawned speculationabout whether it has anything to do withBiegun’s offer to meet with North Koreanofficials to talk about ways to move thestalled nuclear talks forward.

Biegun publicly made the proposal duringa news conference in Seoul on Monday,apparently offering to meet with theNorth Koreans at the border village ofPanmunjom while he was in the South.The North has not reacted to the offerpublicly yet. “Special RepresentativeBiegun’s plan to go to Beijing must meanthat there is a change in North Korea’ssituation,” former Unification MinisterJeong Se-hyun, currently executive vicechairperson of the presidential NationalUnification Advisory Council, said duringa council meeting.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191218000801&ACE_SEARCH=1 

U.N. condemns North Korea rightsabuses, Pyongyang rejectsresolutionReuters, December 19, 2019

The United Nations General Assembly onWednesday condemned “the long-standing and ongoing systematic,widespread and gross violations of humanrights in and by” North Korea in anannual resolution that Pyongyang’s U.N.

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envoy rejected. The resolution, sponsored bydozens of countries including the UnitedStates, was adopted by the 193-memberGeneral Assembly without a vote. Suchresolutions are non-binding but can carrypolitical weight.

North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Kim Songtold the General Assembly that the resolutionhas “nothing to do with the genuinepromotion and protection of human rights,as it is an impure product of political plotsby hostile forces that seek to tarnish thedignity and image of the DPRK andoverthrow our social system.” North Korea’sofficial name is the Democratic People’sRepublic of Korea (DPRK).

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-rights-un/un-condemns-north-korea-rights-abuses-pyongyang-rejects-resolution-idUSKBN1YM2J8 

N. Korea establishes info websiteon science, technologyYonhap, Korea Herald, December 19, 2019

North Korea recently established a websiteproviding information on science andtechnology trade, its state media saidThursday, an apparent move to revitalizerelated sectors amid economic challengesstemming from global sanctions. The North‘sNational Science and TechnologyCommittee created it to contribute toinvigorating technology trade byestablishing a link to prepare and verify thequality and competitiveness of technologyproducts, the official Korean Central NewsAgency said. “The units that register withthe website can save human and materialresources and time related to the efforts,materials and funds required for thedevelopment and production of newtechnologies and products, and increase theefficiency of their spending,” the KCNAsaid.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191219000814&ACE_SEARCH=1 

US watching North Korea for‘Christmas gift’ missile launchLolita C. Baldor

AP News, December 20, 2019

The U.S. is closely watching North Koreafor signs of a possible missile launch ornuclear test in the coming days thatofficials are referring to as a “Christmassurprise.” A significant launch or testwould mean the end of North Korea’s self-imposed moratorium and raise tensions inthe region. It would also be a major blowto one of the Trump administration’smajor foreign policy initiatives: the driveto get North Korea back to negotiations toeliminate its nuclear weapons and missiles.

Earlier this month, the North conductedwhat U.S. officials say was an engine test.North Korea described it as “crucial” andexperts believe that it may have involvedan engine for a space launch vehicle orlong-range missile. Officials worry that itcould be a prelude to the possible launchof an intercontinental ballistic missile inthe coming days or weeks.

https://apnews.com/d846a03014a975c351ba3e640410c2da 

North Korea warns U.S. could ‘paydearly’ for human rights criticismJoyce Lee

Reuters, December 21, 2019

North Korea lashed back at the UnitedStates for taking issue with its humanrights record on Saturday, sayingWashington’s “malicious words” wouldonly aggravate tensions on the KoreanPeninsula, state news agency KCNAreported. The KCNA statement, attributedto a foreign ministry spokesperson,warned that if the United States dared totake issue with the North’s system ofgovernment by citing human rightsproblems, it would “pay dearly”.

The United Nations General Assembly onWednesday condemned North Korea’s

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest43

“long-standing and ongoing” violations ofhuman rights in an annual resolutionsponsored by dozens of countries includingthe United States, that Pyongyang’s U.N.envoy rejected. The North Korean ForeignMinistry statement is its first since U.S.special envoy for North Korea, StephenBiegun, publicly urged Pyongyang onMonday to return to talks. There has beenno direct response from North Korea toBiegun’s entreaty. U.S. Defense SecretaryMark Esper said on Friday that he remainshopeful the United States can restartdiplomacy with North Korea, as the clockticks down to North Korea’s declared year-end deadline for new U.S. concessions intalks over its nuclear arsenal.

https://in.reuters.com/article/northkorea-usa-rights/north-korea-warns-u-s-could-pay-dearly-for-human-rights-criticism-idINKBN1YP022 

NK leader presides over expandedCentral Military Commissionmeeting of Workers’ PartyYonhap, Korea Herald, December 22, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presidedover an enlarged meeting of the CentralMilitary Commission of the ruling Workers’Party and discussed “importantorganizational and political measures andmilitary steps to bolster up” the armed fores,state media said Sunday. The meeting washeld amid heightened tensions with theUnited States with Pyongyang threateningto seek a “new way” unless Washingtoncomes up with a acceptable proposal in theirnuclear negotiations by end of the year.“Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un gaveanalysis and briefing on the complicatedinternal and external situation and said thatthe meeting would decide on importantorganizational and political measures andmilitary steps to bolster up the overall armedforces of the country,” the Korean CentralNews Agency said.

“Also discussed were important issues fordecisive improvement of the overall nationaldefence and core matters for the sustainedand accelerated development of militarycapability for self-defence,” it added. The

meeting also decided on “importantmilitary issues and measures fororganizing or expanding and reorganizingnew units in conformity with the party’smilitary and strategic intention, changingthe affiliation of some units and changingdeployment of units.” KCNA, however,did not provide details on what militarycapability of self-defense. It did notmention when the meeting took place.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191222000007&ACE_SEARCH=1 

North Korea threat looms asChina, Japan, South Korea leadersmeetSe Young Lee, Reuters, December 22, 2019 

The spectre of new confrontation betweenPyongyang and Washington hangs overmeetings between China, Japan and SouthKorea this week, with growing risks NorthKorean actions could end an uneasydetente and upend recent diplomaticefforts. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister ShinzoAbe are expected to meet ChinesePresident Xi Jinping separately onMonday. They will then travel to thesouthwestern city of Chengdu for atrilateral meeting with Chinese Premier LiKeqiang. Though they are expected todiscuss various economic matters, NorthKorea appears likely to dominate theagenda.

Pyongyang has grown increasinglyfrustrated that its halt of nuclear and long-range missile tests has not ended thecrippling economic sanctions against it. Itset a Dec. 31 deadline for the United Statesto make concessions, but Washington hasbeen unmoved.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-japan-southkorea/north-korea-threat-looms-as-china-japan-south-korea-leaders-meet-idUSKBN1YQ01T 

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North Korea’s Kim holds militarymeeting as tension rises underlooming deadlineReuters, December 22, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held ameeting of top military officials to discussboosting the country’s military capability,state news agency reported on Sunday amidheightened concern the North may be aboutto return to confrontation with Washington.Kim presided over an enlarged meeting ofthe ruling Workers’ Party’s Central MilitaryCommission, KCNA news agency said, todiscuss steps “to bolster up the overall armedforces of the country ... militarily andpolitically.”

“Also discussed were important issues fordecisive improvement of the overall nationaldefence and core matters for the sustainedand accelerated development of militarycapability for self-defence,” KCNA said. Itdid not give details on when the meeting washeld nor what was decided.

https://in.reuters.com/article/northkorea-missiles/north-koreas-kim-holds-military-meeting-as-tension-rises-under-looming-deadline-idINKBN1YQ03T 

U.S., North Korea talks ‘moreimportant than anything’, SouthKorea tells ChinaBen Blanchard, Reuters, December 23, 2019

It is “more important than anything” to keepup the momentum for talks between theUnited States and North Korea, SouthKorean President Moon Jae-in told ChinesePresident Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday.North Korea has set a year-end deadline forthe United States to change what it says is apolicy of hostility amid a stalemate in effortsto make progress on their pledge to end theNorth’s nuclear program and establishlasting peace. North Korean leader Kim JongUn and U.S. President Donald Trump havemet three times since June 2018, but therehas been no substantive progress in dialoguewhile the North demanded crushinginternational sanctions be lifted first.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-japan-

southkorea/stalled-talks-with-us-not-good-for-north-korea-south-korea-tells-china-idUSKBN1YR01V 

North Korea leaning toward Chinaand Russia as it defies U.S.The Asahi Shimbun, December 23, 2019

A North Korean worker counts his cashat Vladivostok Airport in Russia’s Far Easton the morning of Dec. 20. Behind him areother North Korean workers lining up topay excess baggage charges.  A blackmarket money changer was doing aroaring business at Vladivostok Airport inRussia’s Far East on Dec. 20 as nearly 100North Korean workers loaded up withluggage waited to board a flight home toPyongyang. The group was leaving aheadof a Dec. 22 deadline for countries to sendback North Korean workers under a U.N.resolution two years ago aimed at reiningin Pyongyang’s missile and nuclearprograms.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201912230051.html 

New construction seen at missile-related site in North KoreaAP News, December 24, 2019

A new satellite image of a factory whereNorth Korea makes military equipmentused to launch long-range missiles showsthe construction of a new structure. Therelease of several images from Planet Labscomes amid concern that North Koreacould launch a rocket or missile as it seeksconcessions in stalled nuclear negotiationswith the United States. North Korea haswarned that what “Christmas gift” it givesthe U.S. depends on what actionWashington takes. One of the satelliteimages taken on Dec. 19 shows thecompletion of a new structure at theMarch 16 Factory near Pyongyang, whereNorth Korea is believed to be developingand manufacturing vehicles used asmobile launchers for long-range ballisticmissiles.

Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asianonproliferation program at the

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest45

Middlebury Institute, said in an email thatthe construction seemed to be an expansionof the factory, which would be “big news.”North Korea used what appeared to bevehicles imported from China during itsthree flight tests of the Hwasong-14 and -15intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017,Lewis said. An increased capacity toproduce mobile launchers would potentiallyhelp expand North Korea’s ICBM force andimprove its survivability during nuclearconflict. Lewis said, as far as he knows,North Korea only imported six of thevehicles that were used during the 2017ICBM tests. “I would think North Koreawould want 50-100 such systems,” he said.“This would probably be some mix of ICBMswe have seen and the new system thatNorth Korea claims is under development.”

https://apnews.com/2d79b8eae45f6adcaab193f48024e7e5 

NK may consider timing of nucleartalks amid uncertainty in USpolitics: sourceYonhap, Korea Herald, December 26, 2019

North Korea has reasons to keep up nucleartalks with the United States, but it mayconsider their timing based on its assessmentof the political fortunes of US PresidentDonald Trump, who faces an impeachmenttrial, a source said Thursday. Though theSenate trial is expected to result in Trump’sacquittal on charges of obstruction ofcongress and abuse of power, the Northcould wait until the political footing of theTrump administration becomes firmer, thesource said on condition of anonymity.  

Pyongyang has been concerned that thesubmission of a list of its nuclear weapons,materials and related sites — a keydenuclearization step demanded by the US— could be tantamount to making thempotential targets for attack absent clearsecurity assurances.  Taking such a stepwhen the fate of the incumbent USgovernment remains uncertain would be akey concern for the communist regime, areason why it may now be “taking abreather,” the source pointed out. Theremarks came amid growing concerns that

Pyongyang could resume majorprovocations such as an intercontinentalballistic missile launch in protest over thestalled nuclear talks. The source noted thatthe North may need to restart negotiationsto seek sanctions relief for its economicdevelopment ahead of big political eventsnext year such as the 75th anniversary ofthe founding of its ruling Workers’ Party.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191226000758&ACE_SEARCH=1 

NK propaganda outlet denouncesUS surveillance operationsYonhap, Korea Herald, December 26, 2019

A North Korean propaganda outlet onThursday denounced stepped-upsurveillance by the United States andSouth Korea of military targets in thecommunist nation, saying the country isclosely watching such “provocative”moves. The US and South Korea have beenon high alert in recent days amid growingconcerns that the North could conduct amajor provocation, such as launching anintercontinental ballistic missile, in protestover stalled nuclear talks. BetweenTuesday and Wednesday, the US flewfour spy planes over the Korean Peninsulaat the same time amid concern the Northcould fire an ICBM as a “Christmas gift”to the US. On Monday, South Korea alsobrought in its first advanced unmannedaircraft, Global Hawk.

Meari, a North Korean propaganda outlet,criticized the US and South Korea forengaging in “constant surveillance” on itsmilitary installations, introducing USfighter jets and strengthening theirmilitary readiness against Pyongyang.“We are fully ready for any situations nomatter what direction the US’ oppressivescheme against North Korea would go,”it said. “We are closely watching hostileforces’ provocative schemes. They shouldknow that our patience also has a limit.”

The website, in particular, criticized SouthKorea for “jumping on the bandwagon ofthe US’ oppressive scheme,” calling for itsrestraint and warning of “terrible

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consequences.” North Korea has threatenedto take a “new way” if Washington fails tocome up with a new proposal indenuclearization talks before the end of thisyear, hinting that it otherwise will enddiplomacy and revert to provocativebehavior. Speculation has arisen that theNorth might test-fire an intercontinentalballistic missile since it earlier conductedwhat are presumed to be rocket engines testsat its west coast satellite launch site.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191226000090&ACE_SEARCH=1

Kim Jong Un urges ‘positive andoffensive’ security measures aheadof nuclear talks deadlineHyonhee Shin, Reuters, December 30, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for“positive and offensive measures” to ensurethe country’s security before a year-enddeadline he has set for denuclearization talkswith the United States, state media KCNAsaid on Monday. Kim convened a weekendmeeting of top Workers’ Party officials todiscuss policy matters amid rising tensionover his deadline for Washington to softenits stance in stalled negotiations aimed atdismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear andmissile programs.

At a Sunday session, Kim suggested actionin the areas of foreign affairs, the munitionsindustry and armed forces, stressing theneed to take “positive and offensivemeasures for fully ensuring the sovereigntyand security of the country,” KCNA said,without elaborating.

https://in.reuters.com/article/northkorea-missiles/kim-jong-un-urges-positive-and-offensive-security-measures-ahead-of-nuclear-talks-deadline-idINKBN1YY04C 

Kim Jong-un stresses ‘aggressivemeasures’ for securityChoi He-suk, Korea Herald, December 30,2019

South Korean authorities are closelymonitoring North Korea, following NorthKorean leader Kim Jong-un’s mention of

“aggressive measures” to ensuresovereignty at the uncommonly longplenary meeting to the North’s rulingparty.  North Korean media reportedMonday that Kim called for “proactiveand aggressive measures to guarantee thecountry’s sovereignty and securitybefitting to the established politicalconditions,” on Sunday, the second dayof the plenary meeting of the CentralCommittee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

The KCNA also said that Kim discussedthe roles the party organs concerned withoverseas projects, the defense industry andmilitary should play to that end. The reportwent on to say that Kim provided detailedanalysis of foreign and defense policies,and proposed “practical measures forstrengthening the country’s independenteconomy.” The lack of details on the NorthKorean report on the “aggressivemeasures” is fanning speculations that theNorth may be mulling resuming a hostilestance against Seoul and Washington. Aday earlier, the KCNA had reported that“important policy issues for achieving anew victory for our revolution” and thedirection the North will take under currentpolitical circumstances were discusses onthe first day of the meeting.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191230000627&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Kim calls for ‘diplomatic, militarycountermeasures’ ahead of end-of-year deadlineYonhap

Korea Herald, December 31, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hascalled for “diplomatic and militarycountermeasures” for preserving thecountry’s sovereignty and security duringan ongoing Workers’ Party meeting, statemedia reported Tuesday, ahead of theimpending expiry of Pyongyang’s end-of-year deadline for US concessions. He madethe calls at the third-day session of theplenary meeting of the Central Committeeof the North’s ruling Workers Party onMonday, according to the Korean Central

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest47

News Agency. The meeting came as NorthKorea has threatened to take a “new way”in denuclearization talks if Washington failsto come up with an acceptable proposalbefore the end of this year, hinting it wouldotherwise end diplomacy and revert toprovocative acts.

Kim urged party members to prepare“positive and offensive political, diplomaticand military countermeasures for firmlypreserving the sovereignty and security ofthe country, intensifying the combat againstanti-socialist and non-socialist acts,” theKCNA said. “He made a comprehensivereport on the work of the Central Committeeof the WPK, state building, economicdevelopment and building of the armedforces for seven hours at the plenarymeeting,” it added. Kim called for the party’sstepped-up efforts to foster its leadershipability and turn itself into a “militant partyfull of vitality and vigor.” The KCNA saidthat a process has started to draw up thedraft resolution of relevant agenda itemsbeing discussed. It added that the plenarymeeting “goes on,” suggesting an additionalsession will take place.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191231000057&ACE_SEARCH=1 

L. South Korea

Biegun arrives in Seoul amiddeadlock in NK-US nuclear talksJo He-rim, Korea Herald, December 15, 2019

Pyongyang says it conducted “anothercrucial test” at Sohae site. US SpecialRepresentative for North Korea StephenBiegun arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a“close coordination” with allies amid thedeadlock in the denuclearization talks withPyongyang just weeks before the communistregime’s year-end deadline. A day before,North Korea issued statements to announcethat it had carried out “another crucial test”at a satellite launching site, warning theUnited States to “hold off” any action to“rattle” the regime.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191215000133&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Biegun proposes meeting withNorth Korean counterpartsPark Han-na, Korea Herald, December 16,2019

US Special Representative for North KoreaStephen Biegun on Monday proposed ameeting with North Korean officialsduring his visit to Seoul, sayingWashington is willing to discuss all issuesof interest to Pyongyang if they resumedenuclearization talks. He said it was “nottoo late” for North Korea to choose a“better way,” following the regime’ssecond “crucial” test at its long-rangerocket launch site Friday. The test mayhave been an attempt to advancetechnology for intercontinental ballisticmissiles that could potentially reach thecontinental US.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191216000607&ACE_SEARCH=1 

FOC assessment for OPCONtransfer is most important tasknext year: defense ministerJo He-rim, Korea Herald, December 16,2019

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo calledMonday for the military to thoroughlyprepare for next year’s assessment for thetransfer of wartime operational controlfrom Washington. Presiding over thesecond meeting to assess the military’spreparedness for the envisioned OPCONtransfer, Jeong highlighted the militaryshould be aware that the most importanttask next year is to successfully completethe Full Operational Capabilityassessment. 

Seoul and Washington have been workingtogether to transfer OPCON. In 2014, theyset three conditions that need to be fulfilledfor OPCON to be completely transferredto South Korea. The three conditions are:Seoul’s capability to lead the allies’combined defense mechanism; its capacityfor initial responses to the North’s nuclearand missile threats; and a stable security

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environment on the peninsula and in theregion.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191216000772&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Prospects dim for US-N. Koreanuclear talks: ministryPark Han-na, Korea Herald, December 17,2019

Prospects are dim for denuclearization talksbetween the US and North Korea next year,with the possibility of the communist regimeescalating military tension, the South Koreangovernment said Tuesday. “If there is noprogress in North Korea-US negotiations bythe year-end deadline, the possibility ofNorth Korea’s leader declaring thesuspension of the talks in his New Year’saddress cannot be ruled out,” theUnification Ministry said in a press releaseon its evaluation of the situation involvingNorth Korea in 2019 and the outlook for2020. 

North Korea has repeatedly urgedWashington to return to the negotiating tablewith a more flexible proposal, such as thelifting of sanctions and the halt of SouthKorea-US joint military exercises, by the endof the year. The US asserts that it has offeredcreative ways to proceed, with feasible stepsand flexibility in negotiations, which seemto have fallen short of meeting Pyongyang’sdemands. In light of the circumstances, theUnification Ministry said the North mayheighten military tension on the KoreanPeninsula.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191217000756&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Biegun wraps up trip to S. Koreawith his call for NK dialogueunansweredYonhap, Korea Herald, December 17, 2019

US Special Representative for North KoreaStephen Biegun on Tuesday wrapped up histhree-day visit to Seoul and departed forJapan, with his emphatic call for dialoguewith North Korea unanswered. His high-profile trip focused on efforts to bring

Pyongyang back to the negotiating table,as it has been pressuring Washington tomake concessions by the end of the year,with hints that it could engage inprovocative acts such as a long-rangerocket launch.

Appearing at Gimpo International Airportin western Seoul, the US envoy wavedaway questions from reporters. His SouthKorean counterpart Lee Do-hoon rode inthe same car with Biegun to the airport ina show of close coordination between theallies on efforts to resume the hithertounproductive negotiations with the North.On Monday, Biegun said that the UnitedStates has no deadline while stressing the“goal” of fulfilling the commitments thatUS President Donald Trump and NorthKorean leader Kim Jong-un made duringtheir first historic summit in Singapore inJune last year.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191217000820&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Seoul likely to send troops toStrait of HormuzKim So-hyun, Korea Herald, December 18,2019

The South Korean government is likely tosend military forces to join a US-ledmultinational coalition to defend the Straitof Hormuz early next year. According tomilitary sources, the 4,400-ton destroyerWang Geon of the Cheonghae anti-piracyunit is scheduled to leave Busan late thismonth to relieve the destroyer Kang Gam-chan which is currently operating in theGulf of Aden. The Wang Geon is expectedto arrive in the Gulf of Aden in mid-January, and start anti-piracy operationsand escorting vessels from February.

Sources said the South Koreangovernment is likely to join the coalition,known as the International MaritimeSecurity Construct, by changing the WangGeon’s operation region to the Strait ofHormuz.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191218000642&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest49

Moon to hold summit with Xi nextweek amid stalled NK nuke talksYonhap, Korea Herald, December 19

South Korean President Moon Jae-in willhold a summit with his Chinese counterpart,Xi Jinping, next week when he visits Chinafor annual trilateral talks with Chinese andJapanese leaders, Moon’s office saidThursday. The Moon-Xi summit will takeplace on Dec. 23 in Beijing, where the twoleaders will discuss ways to promotebilateral ties and the Korea peace process,according to Cheong Wa Dae.  The meetingcomes as North Korea has threatened to takea “new way” if the United States does notput forward concessions in their stallednuclear talks by the end of this year.  

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191219000390&ACE_SEARCH=1 

S. Korean firm shortlisted forBulgarian nuclear plant projectYonhap, Korea Herald, December 20, 2019

The South Korean energy firm, along withRussia’s Rosatom and the China NationalNuclear Corporation, were selected asstrategic candidates for the new nuclearenergy plant project in northern Bulgaria,its ministry said. The decision was based onthe candidates’ experience in buildingnuclear plants along with their financialcapabilities, it added. France-basedFramatom SAS and US General Electricwere also chosen as candidates to supplyequipment for the project.

The ministry plans to make preparations toreceive binding offers from the candidatesby the end of next month. The candidateswill then have six months to hand in an offer.Bulgaria currently operates a nuclear plantin Kozloduy, whose lifespan was supposedto end in 2021 but was extended for 10 yearson a lack of other options. South Korea,which has been seeking to reducedependence on fossil fuels and nuclearpower at home, is currently making effortsto win nuclear plant projects overseasinstead.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191220000101&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Biegun suggests US remains opento talks with N. KoreaYonhap, Korea Herald, December 21, 2019

US Special Representative for North KoreaStephen Biegun returned to Washingtonon Friday after a dayslong trip to SouthKorea, Japan and China, suggesting heremains open to meeting with NorthKorean officials to discuss the country’sdenuclearization. Biegun arrived at DullesInternational Airport on a flight fromBeijing after what would have been animpromptu meeting with the NorthKoreans apparently did not materialize.The special representative traveled to theregion as tensions have risen over NorthKorea’s threats to resume nuclear or long-range missile tests unless the United Statesoffers concessions to break their deadlockin denuclearization talks before the end ofthe year. “You heard what I said in SouthKorea and those remarks stand,” Biegunsaid when asked whether he met the NorthKorean delegation in Beijing. While inSeoul earlier this week, the specialrepresentative made a public offer to meetwith the North Koreans, saying it was timefor the two sides to “do our jobs” and worktoward an agreement.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191221000037&ACE_SEARCH=1 

N. Korea may launch ‘maximumgray-zone’ provocations for USconcessions in 2020: expertYonhap, Korea Herald, December 26, 2019

North Korea could launch maximum“gray-zone” provocations next year justshort of an intercontinental ballistic missilelaunch to extract US concessions in theirstalled nuclear talks, an expert saidThursday. Jun Bong-geun, professor at thestate-run Korea National DiplomaticAcademy, made the remarks amidspeculation that the North could engagein provocative acts in a show of anger overthe absence of US concessions byPyongyang’s self-imposed year-enddeadline.

“Though strong provocations are

Volume 12, Number 1 January 15, 201950

expected, the North may not go all the wayto an ICBM launch, as the launch couldmake it difficult for Pyongyang to securesupport from China and Russia,” Jun saidduring a briefing on the outlook of globalpolitics for 2020 by the KNDA Institute ofForeign Affairs and National Security.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191226000690&ACE_SEARCH=1 

Unification minister proposes‘tentative deal’ for NK nuclearimpasseAhn Sung-mi, Korea Herald, December 27,2019

Expressing regret over stalled inter-Koreanrelations, South Korean Unification MinisterKim Yeon-chul stressed the need to seek“modus vivendi,” or a tentative deal, as asolution to break the impasse in the nuclearnegotiations between the US and NorthKorea. “With North Korea’s loomingdeadline for negotiations, the situation onthe Korean Peninsula hereafter is veryuncertain. Concerned countries share theseverity of the circumstances, and areundertaking various diplomatic endeavorsat this moment,” Kim told reporters at ayear-end press conference held in Seoul onThursday.  “In order to prevent the situationfrom worsening and gain momentum fornegotiations, we need a tentative deal thatcould be a stepping stone to reach a finalagreement, the wisdom of modus vivendi.”

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191227000509&ACE_SEARCH=1

M. Misc

IAEA approves four projects forUzbekistanWorld Nuclear News, December 17, 2019

Four projects aimed at building upUzbekistan’s technical capacity, humanresources, developing nuclear infrastructure,and strengthening nuclear and radiationsafety have been approved by theInternational Atomic Energy Agency’s(IAEA’s) board of governors. The CentralAsian country aims to have two nuclear

power reactors in operation by 2030. Theapprovals were received under theframework of the technical cooperationprogramme between Uzbekistan and theIAEA. The programme provides for thestrengthening of nuclear and radiationsafety in the operation of nuclear facilitiesin Uzbekistan, the development andimplementation of modern nucleartechnologies in medicine and other sectorsof the economy, as well as thedissemination of nuclear knowledge.

In Uzbekistan, the project executors are:UzAtom, an agency created in July lastyear to manage the government’s nuclearpower programme; the State Committeefor Industrial Safety; the Institute ofNuclear Physics; the National Universityof Uzbekistan; Samarkand StateUniversity; and Tashkent City OncologyCentre. Uzbekistan has worked closelywith the IAEA on its atomic energyprogramme during 2019, Uzatom said,adding that these approvals have“deepened and strengthened”Uzbekistan’s relationship with the IAEA.The agency said it looks forward to closercollaboration with the IAEA on thedevelopment of reguation. “Uzatombelieves that the stronger its regulator is,the safer and more successful its atomicenergy programme will be.”

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-approves-four-projects-for-Uzbekistan

Is a New Nuclear Age Upon Us?Nicholas L. Miller and Vipin Narang,Foreign Affairs, December 30, 2019

A year ago, it was clear that a storm wasbrewing on the nuclear horizon. Writingin Foreign Affairs in January, we warnedthat “the United States could find itself innot one but three nuclear crises in the next12 months.” We pointed to the risk thatnegotiations with North Korea wouldbreak down, that arms control betweenthe United States and Russia wouldfurther deteriorate, and that Iran wouldbegin violating its commitments under the2015 nuclear deal.

Looking back, it is clear that we missed

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the mark—by being too optimistic. Over thepast year, Washington has not only facednuclear crises with North Korea, Russia, andIran, as predicted; it has also watched asnuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistanstumbled to the brink of all-out war and ahost of U.S. allies began to rethink theirnuclear options. Unless governments inWashington and elsewhere act quickly toreverse course, future scholars may lookback on 2019 as the turning point from anera of relative calm to one of intense nuclearcompetition and proliferation—the dawn ofa dangerous new nuclear age.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-12-30/new-nuclear-age-upon-us

N. Op-EdIndia

Meet India’s Fighter Jet ArmedWith Supersonic Nuclear MissilesZachary Keck, National Interest Blog,December 18, 2019

Pairing a supersonic missile with a jet fighterstrengthens one leg of India’s nuclear triad.India’s nuclear command has begunreceiving fighter jets armed with thecountry’s most advanced, supersonic cruisemissile. According to media reports, India’sStrategic Forces Command (SFC) has begunreceiving 42 Su-30MKI air dominancefighters modified to carry air-launchedBrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This willsignificantly enhance the striking power ofthe air leg of India’s nuclear triad.

The Sukhoi Su-30 MKI is a twin-seater,highly maneuverable, fourth-generationmultirole combat fighter aircraft built byRussia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau and licensedto India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.The plane will serve as the backbone ofIndia’s Air Force through 2020 and beyond.Delhi has already acquired around 200 jets,and eventually plans to acquire 282 of them.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/meet-indias-fighter-jet-armed-supersonic-nuclear-missiles-106291

India’s National CybersecurityPolicy Must Acknowledge ModernRealitiesPrateek Waghre and Shibani Mehta, TheDiplomat, December 20, 2019

Earlier this year, it was discovered thatIndia was the target of two cyberattacksin the same month. The malware attacksat the Kundankulam Nuclear Power Plantand the Indian Space ResearchOrganization (ISRO) are believed to be theoutcomes of phishing attempts onemployees. In 2018, it was reported thatan officer of the Indian Air Force wassharing sensitive information on Facebookwith two women who had honey-trappedhim. None of these incidents are knownto have resulted in severe harm, but thepossibility that they could have is reasonenough for India to cultivate and shapeinternational discussions on cyberspace.

As is the case with both internationalterrorism and protection of theenvironment, cooperation is a prerequisiteto deal with cyberthreats given theirborderless nature. India’s National CyberSecurity Policy (2013) did not assign muchweight to this aspect and defined nomeasurable outcomes against whichprogress could be judged. With itsupcoming National CyberSecurity Policy(2020-2025), India has the opportunity toalign its domestic policy with its globalaspirations.

https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/indias-national-cybersecurity-policy-must-acknowl-edge-modern-realities/

Pakistan

Pakistan Cannot Get Enough OfAmerica’s F-16 Fighting FalconSebastien Roblin, National Interest Blog,December 21, 2019

Recent aerial skirmishes highlight theimportant capabilities F-16s continue toprovide Pakistan’s military. During anaerial skirmish on February 27, 2019, anIndian Air Force MiG-21 Bison was shot

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down by a radar-guided missile. ThePakistani Air Force (PAF) claims the kill wasscored by a JF-17 Thunder, a domestically-built fighter built with Chinese assistance.

Today, Pakistan operates around sixty-sixF-16A/Bs and nineteen F-16C/Ds in fouractive squadrons, including No. 9 Griffinsmulti-role squadron in Sargodha, the No. 19Sherdills training and air defense squadronat Thatta, and the No. 11 Arrows multi-rolesquadron based at Shahbaz near Jacobabad.The last base also hosts No. 5 Falcons multi-role squadron, the only F-16C/D unit.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/pakistan-cannot-get-enough-americas-f-16-fighting-falcon-106656

USA

Talk With Iran Now. Time IsFleeting.Vali R. Nasr and Ali Vaez, The New YorkTimes, December 19, 2019

The momentous protests in Iran this autumncame at a delicate time in a tense standoffbetween the United States and Iran. Despitethe recent prisoner swap, officials inWashington may see the prospects fordiplomacy dimming. But that would bewrong. Iranian elections are coming, andwithout any American agreement to relenton sanctions, the current relativelyconciliatory government might well lose allits influence in favor of far moreconfrontational hard-liners. That calculusmakes this exactly the time to takediplomacy seriously. While the opportunityfor success may be slim, failing to reverserising tensions now risks a serious escalationin frictions that would be more imperviousto diplomacy down the road.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/opinion/talk-iran-now-time-fleeting.html

Viewpoint: Only the atom, not fossilgas, can deliver robust climateactionWorld Nuclear News, December 19, 2019

The rhetoric from many world leaders at theclimate summit in Madrid

was, unsurprisingly, laden withforeboding and a strong sense of urgencyon taking robust climate action.Proclaiming a transition to an electricitysystem powered by 100% renewables isseemingly the latest fashion, and prevalentin contemporary discourse. However, theEconomist Intelligence Unit’s recentlypublished Industries in2020 report concluded that generationfrom renewables is not increasing fastenough to keep global warming within thegoals set in the Paris Agreement. Withbatteries large enough to support amodern economy for days - let alone weeks- remaining elusive, and coal falling out offavour, the modern economy requiresother, more reliable, energy sources.

In this vacuum, opportunists have enteredthe field. Some of the biggest cheerleadersfor renewables are, paradoxically enough,the fossil gas companies. Some of thesehave embarked on flashy public relationscampaigns, proudly proclaiming thatrenewables, heavily backed by ‘natural’gas, is the path to a low-carbon future.

http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/View-point-Only-the-atom,-not-fossil-gas,-can-deliv

Congress’s Christmas gift toTrump: A new nuclear weaponJohn Tierney, The Hill, December 24, 2019

In reaction to the Trump administration’sinept negotiating process ondenuclearization, the North Koreans havethreatened to send an ominous “Christmasgift.” Unfortunately, Americans arealready certain to get a differentnightmarish present, compliments of theU.S. Congress. Absent convincing logic orreason, and against the House ofRepresentative’s inclinations, legislatorsoverwhelmingly decided to providePresident Donald Trump with a newnuclear warhead — one that hisadministration thinks is “more usable.”Indeed, upon signing the Fiscal Year 2020National Defense Authorization Act, thispresident — only the third in U.S. historyto be impeached for high crimes andmisdemeanors — will be in the position to

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gain control over the new nuclear weaponhe first requested in 2018, a submarine-launched “low-yield” warhead.

The United States has the most sophisticatedconventional and nuclear arsenals in theworld, with capabilities to respond to anylimited use of nuclear weapons in multipleways, including a thousand existing low-yield options that can be delivered by air. Infact, Congress and the last twoadministrations have already devotedbillions of dollars to ensure these assets caneffectively penetrate the most advanced airdefenses. Based on existing bipartisan-supported plans, those investments are sureto continue.

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/475794-congresss-christmas-gift-to-trump-a-new-nuclear-weapon

With China, the US must avoid arepeat of its disastrous war inAfghanistanChi Wang, South China Morning Post,December 28, 2019

In 1953, while studying agriculture at theUniversity of Maryland, I received a draftnotice. Like thousands of young Americans,I was being drafted by the United States forservice in the Korean war. Although I wasnot an American citizen at the time, themilitary planned to use my Chinese-language skills by having me interrogatecaptured Chinese soldiers detained in SouthKorea. That war ended in June 1953, beforeI could fulfil such a function. It would bethe last time American and Chinese soldiersmet directly in combat, but it was far fromthe end of American military action in thepost-WWII era. 

Critics have frequently derided the US forbeing in a ”constant state of war” sinceWorld War II. From a purely legalstandpoint, this is not true. The US has notdeclared war on any country since 1942,when war was declared on Bulgaria,Hungary and Romania.

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3043627/china-us-must-avoid-repeat-its-disas-trous-war-afghanistan

Russia

Roscosmos plans 20 launches ofSoyuz rocket in 2020TASS News Agency, December 16, 2019

Twenty launches of the Soyuz carrierrocket are planned for 2020, according toa video shared by state space corporationRoscosmos Director General DmitryRogozin at a press conference at theVostochny cosmodrome on Monday.“Twenty launches of the Soyuz carrierrocket,” according to the video. It was alsonoted in the video that the work on theconstruction of carriers is in full swing. Asof now 22 flight vehicles have lifted off in2019, among them Soyuz-2 rockets ofvarious modifications and Rokot. Thatnumber includes three manned launchesand one unpiloted launch of mannedspacecraft.

https://tass.com/science/1099675

Russian scientists ready to designreusable space launch system in 8yearsTASS News Agency, December 17, 2019

Russian scientists are ready to build areusable space launch system with a single-stage-to-orbit carrier rocket in eight years,the director of the Polytechnic Institute ofthe South Urals State University, whichtakes part in the project, said. “We havepassed the stage of technical design reportand, by now, three variants of thespacecraft have been designed. If we startworking in 2020, a prototype of a carrierrocket should be ready by 2028. It will takefive years to design the [launch] platformand eight years - for the entire system,”Sergei Vaulin said.

The system can be used for buildingmodular orbital stations or deliveringcargo to the International Space Station(ISS). The project, codenamed Korona,was ran by the Makeyev State RocketCenter between 1992 and 2012, but wassuspended due to lack of financing. In2017, the center suggested resuming it. InNovember 2019, the South Urals State

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University said its scientists were ready tojoin the project.

https://tass.com/science/1100033

Russia replaces orbital missileearly warning system with newsatellitesTASS News Agency, December 18, 2019

Russia has replaced its Oko-1 orbital missileearly warning system with new Kupolsatellites, according to the materials for abriefing by Chief of the Russian General StaffArmy General Valery Gerasimov who spokeat a meeting with foreign military attacheson Tuesday. In his presentation, the chief ofRussia’s General Staff demonstrated slidesthat showed the structure of the country’smissile early warning system. Specifically,the slides showed a satellite with the caption:satellite of the Kupol integrated spacesystem.

The general noted at the presentation thatin 2019 Russia launched another satellite ofthe integrated space system, whichenhanced its capabilities for detectingballistic missile launches. Russia’s DefenseMinistry earlier reported that the newsystem’s satellites were called Tundra. Thefirst such satellite was launched in 2015. TheOko-1 orbital grouping comprised eightsatellites and ceased to operate in 2014. Asof now, the new orbital grouping comprisesthree satellites, including the space vehicleorbited this year. Overall, nine new satellitesare set to be launched by 2022.

https://tass.com/science/1100559

Look Out America: Russia’sHypersonic Avangard NuclearMissile Is Going LiveMichael Peck, National Interest Blog,December 20, 2019

The U.S. withdrawal from the INFagreement has spurred fears thatWashington and Moscow will revive thecostly and dangerous Cold War nucleararms race. “This missile system is set to goon combat alert in December 2019,” Russia’sMinistry of Defense announced.

A defense industry source said “that thefirst two UR-100N UTTKhintercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)outfitted with the Avangard nuclearboost-glide vehicle would go onexperimental combat duty in lateNovember - early December in theDombarovsky division of the StrategicMissile Force,” according to Russian newsagency TASS. TASS also noted thatanother defense industry source said inOctober 2018 that “two Avangardregiments with six silo-based missiles eachwere due to assume combat duty inRussia.” And in December 2018, SergeiKarakayev, chief of the Strategic MissileForce, said that Avangard be deployedwith the Dombarovsky missile division inthe Orenburg Region in 2019. Orenburgis a city in southwest Russia near theborder with Kazakhstan.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/look-out-america-russias-hypersonic-avangard-nuclear-missile-going-live-106771

U.S. Submarines Are Getting NewW76-2 Tactical Nuclear Warheads(And It Might Be a Giant Mistake)Sebastien Roblin, National Interest Blog,December 21, 2019

It was a small, obscure-sounding item inthe 2020 defense budget—a mere $19.6million to procure W76-2 warheads, a sumwhich could pay for just one quarter of asingle F-35A stealth fighter. But it, alongwith a select few other items includingplans for a Space Force and border wallfunding, generated such controversy thatSenate Republicans and House Democratsspent three additional months hashing outa compromise defense budget afterstriking an initial deal this summer.

Ultimately, the House conceded on mostof its defense policy priorities—meaningfunding will continue flowing to deploythe W76-2 nuclear warheadsmanufactured by the Pantex plant inTexas. The W76-2 is a less powerful variantof the W76-1 warhead deployed on 13.5-meter-tall Trident II ballistic missiles

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deployed on the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-classsubmarines. Whereas the four 90- or 100-kiloton independently reentering warheadscarried on a standard Trident each explodewith six times the force of the Little Boyuranium bomb that killed over 60,000Japanese at Hiroshima, the 5 to 7 kilotonW76-2 has an explosive yield a third or halfthat of the Hiroshima blast.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-subma-rines-are-getting-new-w76-2-tactical-nuclear-warheads-and-it-might-be-giant

Russia to launch new Angara carrierrocket in 2020TASS News Agency, December 23, 2019

Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmosintends to launch a new Angara carrierrocket in 2020, the Roscosmos press officetold TASS on Monday. The Angara’s launchwas previously scheduled for December2019. “Next year, we are planning to resumethe launches of the Angara carrier rocket.The launch vehicle will be delivered by theKhrunichev Center in the first quarter of2020,” the press office said.

All necessary organizational andtechnological measures have beenscheduled to make the Angara a commercialspacecraft through the launch of its serialproduction in Omsk in Siberia. There areplans to produce eight Angara-A5 rockets(including its crewed version) and two light-class Angara-1.2 carriers a year after theenterprise reaches its designed capacity,Roscosmos specified.

https://tass.com/science/1102539

Russian Navy to get carrier fornuclear super-torpedo Poseidonnext year – manufacturerRussian Times, December 20, 2019

The submarine Belgorod, which may bearmed with Russia’s much-anticipatednuclear drone Poseidon, will be one of fournuclear-propelled ships which the producerplans to hand over to the Russian militaryin 2020. The Oscar-class nuclear-propelled

submarine ‘Belgorod’ was modified “forspecial purposes” and widely believed tobe the intended carrier of the Poseidonweapon system. The large long-rangerobotic nuclear vehicle is part of Russia’seffort to counter the US development ofanti-ballistic missile technologies and iscurrently undergoing trials. The 184-meterlong submarine will reportedly be able tocarry as many as four Poseidon drones andis one of two vessels designated for thepurpose.

https://www.rt.com/russia/476473-belgorod-submarine-poseidon-drone/

How The U.S. Navy Remains TheMasters Of Modular NuclearReactorsJames Conca, Forbes, December 23, 2019

You might be aware of the 98 or socommercial nuclear power reactors thatproduce about 20% of our electricity. Butthere are another hundred nuclearreactors that power 86 submarines andaircraft carriers, producing electricity, heatand propulsion. We think of small modularnuclear reactors as something new thatwill take nuclear power to a new level, andeven marvel at the rollout of new iterations,like Russia’s new floating nuclear powerplant. But in truth, the U.S. Navy has beenoperating and perfecting SMRs for 75years. Work on nuclear marine propulsionstarted in the 1940s. In 1955, the firstnuclear-powered submarine, the USSNautilus, put to sea. This changedsubmarines from slow underwater cigartubes to warships capable of sustaining 20-25 knots submerged for weeks or monthson end. By 1962, the U.S. Navy had 26operational nuclear-poweredsubmarines with 30 more underconstruction.

More and different classes of nuclearsubmarines followed, along with nuclearaircraft carriers and other ships. The firstnuclear-powered carriers, the USSEnterprise completed in 1960, waspowered by eight Westinghouse reactors.The USS Long Beach followed in 1961 as

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the first nuclear-powered cruiser with tworeactors.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/12/23/americas-nuclear-navy-still-the-masters-of-nuclear-power/#417bf3d86bcd

Russia’s Meteor-M satellite hit bymicrometeoriteTASS News Agency, December 24, 2019

One of Russia’s Meteor-M satellites hasbecome uncontrollable following an externalimpact, presumably a micrometeorite strike,Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporationsaid on its website on Tuesday. “OnDecember 18, 2019, an emergency situationcaused by external influence (presumably,a micrometeorite) was reported on boardMeteor-M (identification number 2-2)spacecraft,” the space agency said. “As aresult, the parameters of the spacecraft’sorbit were changed, and it entered the non-directed flight mode with high angularvelocity.” After that, the spacecraftswitched to energy-saving mode. When thesatellite entered the Russian ground controlzone and established contact with theground, efforts to restore its operations havebeen launched.

https://tass.com/science/1102815

Satellites delivered to orbit by Briz-KM upper stage — Russian DefenseMinistryTASS News Agency, December 27, 2019

The Briz-KM upper stage has delivered tothe orbit the military satellite and the Gonets-M communications satellite, the RussianDefense Ministry told journalists on Friday.“The Rokot light carrier rocket that has beenlaunched earlier today, on December 27, at2:11 a.m. Moscow time from the Plesetskcosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region),delivered three Gonets-M communicationsspacecraft and the spacecraft of the RussianDefense Ministry to the orbit at the assignedtime,” the ministry said.

The launch of the Rokot rocket and deliveryof the spacecraft to the orbit were carried

out in the routine mode, the ministryadded.

https://tass.com/science/1104117

America Is Driving The Return OfRussia’s Nuclear “Dead Hand”Michael Peck, National Interest Blog,December 29, 2019

Russia is acting out of fear that a U.S. first-strike that would decapitate the Russianleadership before it could give the orderto retaliate. Russia has a knack fordeveloping weapons that—at least onpaper—are terrifying: nuclear-poweredcruise missiles, robot subs with 100-megaton warheads. Perhaps the mostterrifying was a Cold War doomsdaysystem that would automatically launchmissiles—without the need for a humanto push the button—during a nuclearattack. But the system, known as“Perimeter” or “Dead Hand,” may beback and deadlier than ever.

This comes after the Trump administrationannounced that the United States iswithdrawing from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, whicheliminated the once-massive Americanand Russian stockpiles of short- andmedium-range missiles. Donald Trumpalleges that Russia has violated the treatyby developing and deploying new,prohibited cruise missiles.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/america-driving-return-russias-nuclear-dead-hand-109206

West Asia

Iran

From Nuclear to NewClearChris Cook, Tehran Times, December 25,2019 - 15:47

This election was fought and won byJohnson’s Conservative party in order to“Get Brexit Done” so that the UK will nowdefinitively – after three years of politicalparalysis - leave the European Union. Ibelieve this result to be positive for Iran

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for two reasons, the first being PrimeMinister Johnson as a person, and the secondbeing the new role and responsibilities ofJohnson’s office as UK Prime Minister ininternational diplomacy and commerce foran independent UK.

“Those are my principles, and if you don’tlike them....well, I have others.....” GrouchoMarx. As with President Trump it is amistake to view Prime Minister Johnsonthrough the lens of rational statecraft.Johnson combines intelligence, idleness andpure expedience in equal measure. He oweshis success to his capacity to delegatestrategy and responsibility to capable anddiligent subordinates such as DominicCummings, the Grand Vizier to Johnson’sByzantine Caliph. Perhaps the mostimportant point for Iran’s decision-makersto bear in mind with PM Johnson is that,like his father Stanley before him, hegenuinely likes and respects Iran andIranians, and the country’s great culture,history and heritage. So, all things beingequal, the accession to power of Johnson asa person is positive for Iran.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/443393/Nuclear-deal-is-in-trouble-British-diplomat

Iran Newly Breaches Nuclear DealArms Control Today, December 2019

December 2019 By Kelsey DavenportEuropean parties to the 2015 nuclear dealthat limits Iran’s nuclear program saidTehran’s decision to resume enrichinguranium at its Fordow site makes diplomaticefforts to preserve the agreement and de-escalate tensions more difficult. Iran hasannounced it is accumulating uraniumenriched by more advanced technology,including these IR-4 centrifuges. Iran hasannounced it is accumulating uraniumenriched by more advanced technology,including these IR-4 centrifuges.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhaniannounced on Nov. 5 that Iran had “noother choice” but to resume enrichment atFordow, violating the 15-year prohibition onenrichment at that site put in place by the

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA). The nuclear deal allows Iran toretain 1,044 centrifuges at Fordow, butrequires Tehran to convert the uranium-enrichment facility into a medical isotopeproduction and research center.

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2019-12/news/iran-newly-breaches-nuclear-deal

Israel

Does Israel Have Nuclear MissileSubmarines?Sebastien Roblin, December 17, 2019

Jerusalem has to have someplace to storeits alleged 80-300 nuclear weapons.Unofficially, Tel Aviv wants everyone toknow it has them, and doesn’t hesitate tomake thinly-veiled references to itswillingness to use them if confronted byan existential threat. Estimates on the sizeof Tel Aviv’s nuclear stockpile range from80 to 300 nuclear weapons, the latternumber exceeding China’s arsenal.

Originally, Israel’s nuclear forces relied onair-dropped nuclear bombs and Jerichoballistic missiles. For example, whenEgyptian and Syrian armies attacked Israelduring the 1973 Yom Kippur War, asquadron of eight Israeli F-4 Phantom jetsloaded with nuclear bombs was placed onalert by Prime Minister Golda Meir, readyto unleash nuclear bombs on Cairo andDamascus should the Arab armies breakthrough.

Though Israel is the only nuclear-armedstate in the Middle East, Tel Aviv ispreoccupied by the fear that an adversarymight one day attempt a first strike todestroy its nuclear missiles and strikeplanes on the ground before they canretaliate. Currently, the only hostile stateslikely to acquire such a capability are Iranor Syria.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/does-israel-have-nuclear-missile-submarines-105517

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Can Israel combat Iran at the UN?Yonah Jeremy Bob

The Jerusalem Post, December 19, 2019

Despite US sanctions which started inAugust 2018 and kicked into full gear thispast May, support from Russia, China anda range of other countries has kept theIslamic republic afloat.

More than four years after the Iran nucleardeal was signed and about 18 months afterPresident Donald Trump pulled the US outof the deal, Iran is finally on the defensiveagain at the UN. Since Trump pulled the USout in May 2018, the EU-3 have criticizedthe US and mostly given moral support toIran, ignoring most of its problematicactivities with ballistic missiles and in theMiddle East. This all changed two weeks agowhen the EU-3 referred Iran to the UNSecurity Council for at least four separateviolations of resolutions restricting it fromballistic missile testing.

https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/With-EU-support-Iran-issue-goes-to-the-UN-will-Israel-get-anywhere-611487

Middle East Disaster: Nuclear WarBetween Russia and Israel IsPossibleMichael Peck, National Interest Blog,December 24, 2019

Were the Israelis and Russians to come toblows, or if Moscow were to seriouslythreaten military force against Israel, couldthe United States risk a grave loss of prestigeby not intervening to back its longtime ally?

Israel remains determined to continuepounding Iranian forces in Syria in a bid tokeep Tehran’s forces away from Israel’snorthern border. At the same time, Russiahas thousands of troops in Syria that couldbe caught in the crossfire—or even becomebelligerents if Moscow tires of its Syrian allybeing pummeled. And if Israel and Russiacome to blows, would Israel’s big brother—the United States—feel compelled tointervene? Not that Jerusalem or Moscoware eager for such a fight. “Neither of usdesire a military confrontation,” a senior

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official told meduring a recent interview in Jerusalem. “Itwould be detrimental to both sides.”

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/middle-east-disaster-nuclear-war-between-russia-and-israel-possible-108286

Turkey

Turkey Threatens to Close KeyU.S. Air Base That Houses NuclearBombsMark Episkopos, National Interest Blog,December 18, 2019

In what may become the latest wedge inTurkey-NATO relations since Ankara’spurchase of the Russian S-400 missilesystem earlier this year, Turkish PresidentTayyip Erdogan has threatened to shutdown the Incirlik air base. “If it isnecessary for us to take such a step, ofcourse we have the authority ... If this isnecessary, together with our delegations,we will close down Incirlik if necessary,”Erdogan told Turkish state televisionearlier this week.

President Erdogan’s comments wereprompted by a recent Senate vote torecognize the early 20th century massacresand mass deportations of Armenians inthe Ottoman Empire as a genocide, as wellas the ongoing prospect of Ankara’s S-400deal being sanctioned under the 2017Countering America’s AdversariesThrough Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Far more than merely a symbolic rift in theU.S.-Turkey defense relationship, theprospective closure of the Incirlik air baseforebodes immediate and serious militaryrepercussions for the U.S. The base, locateddeep in southern Turkey off themediterranean coastline, houses a 50-unitstockpile of B61 nuclear bombs. A legacyof Cold War-era nuclear deterrencestrategy, Incirlik remains the largest U.S.nuclear weapons storage site in Europe.But what used to be a forward post for aretaliatory strike against prospective Sovietencroachment into Western Europe, aswell as a crucial bargaining chip during

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the 1960’s Cuban Missile Crisis, isincreasingly seen as a strategic liability amidthe stark downturn in U.S.-Turkish relationsover the past several years.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/turkey-threatens-close-key-us-air-base-houses-nuclear-bombs-106116

CHP rules out sanctions, threats onTurkey-US tiesSerkan Demirtaº, Hurriyet Daily News,December 18, 2019

First, it was Foreign Minister MevlütÇavuþoðlu; then, it was President RecepTayyip Erdoðan who said that Turkey mayshut down Ýncirlik military base and theradar site in Kürecik, Malatya in retaliationagainst a vote by the U.S. Congress thatpaves the way for sanctioning Turkey overits military operation into Syria andpurchase of Russian weaponry.

Both the Ýncirlik base and the Kürecik radarsite operate under separate bilateralagreements between Turkey and the UnitedStates. The legal foundation of the Ýncirlikbase dates to 1980 when the two allies signedthe Defense and Economic CooperationAgreement (DECA), although it was builtin the early 1950s. The base has long beenregarded as the symbol of the Turkish-American strategic partnership particularlythrough the Cold War. Plus, it’s believed thefacility still stores around 50 nuclearwarheads

The legality of the Kürecik radar site is basedon a memorandum of understanding thetwo countries inked in September 2011.Although Kürecik has already been hostinga radar site there since the 1950s, the newagreement has allowed expanding thecapacity of the base so that it could functionas part of NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defenseprogram. Both facilities are still crucial forboth the U.S. and NATO although manyexperts recall that the U.S. Army has builtseveral important military bases in the entireregion, particularly in Iraq and in the Gulf,and the role of the Incirlik may have beenignored for Washington. However, anongoing discussion over Turkey’s threats

that it may terminate the use of these sitesby the U.S. is much deeper and concernsnot only bilateral ties with Washington butalso Ankara’s commitments to its NATOresponsibilities. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opinion/serkan-demirtas/chp-rules-out-sanctions-threats-on-turkey-us-ties-149966

East Asia

North Korea

Chief of KPA General Staff urgesUS to watch its mouthPyongyang Times, December 16, 2019

“I am very glad that the DPRK Academyof Defence Sciences is attaining greatsuccesses in building up defencecapabilities of the country as it successfullycarries out a series of tests of greatsignificance,” Pak Jong Chon, chief of theGeneral Staff of the Korean People’sArmy, said last Saturday. He said that thepriceless data, experience and newtechnologies gained through the recenttests will be applied to another strategicweapon programme of the DPRK aimedat restraining and overpowering the US’nuclear threat in a definite and reliablemanner. Only when the balance of poweris fully ensured, can genuine peace besafeguarded and our development andfuture be guaranteed, he added. “We havestored up tremendous force.

“We should be ready to cope with bothpolitical and military provocations byhostile forces and be familiar with bothdialogue and confrontation.” The KPA, henoted, is fully poised to carry through anydecision of the Supreme Leader withaction. Everyone is free to evaluate theentity of our force, he said, but he or sheneeds to see it squarely before judgment.Given the acute situation, he advised theUS and other hostile forces to refrain fromprovoking the DPRK in order to spend theyear-end in peace.

http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/?bbs=32453 

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Diplomacy is best wayKorea Times, December 16, 2019

N. Korea should not ignore Biegun’sproposal, U.S. Special Representative forNorth Korea Stephen Biegun, who is visitingSeoul, on Monday offered to meet NorthKorean officials to discuss how to move thestalled denuclearization talks forward. Thisraises expectations for an impromptumeeting between Biegun and NorthKoreans at the inter-Korean truce village ofPanmunjeom before he leaves Seoul,Tuesday. Hopefully, the North will accepthis proposal without conditions andexchange ideas on how to break thedeadlock in a candid manner.

First, the North should realize that the self-imposed “deadline” for a deal with the U.S.is meaningless as long as both sides arecommitted to seeking solutions throughdiplomacy. The North cannot get anythingby firing missiles or resuming nuclear tests.It only aggravates the situation, and willgive the impression to the world that thenuclear issue cannot be resolved throughdialogue. Pyongyang should leave open thepossibility of extending the negotiations withWashington. So when Biegun told reportersin Seoul that the U.S. had no deadline onnuclear negotiations with the North, itsounded like an implicit acknowledgementthat narrowing differences with the Northis impossible at this moment. However,Biegun said his team was ready to resumenegotiations with the North, saying the U.S.had offered the North a number of “creativeways” to proceed with “feasible steps andflexibility” to reach a balanced agreement.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280384.html 

Wrong signal to North KoreaKorea Times, December 17, 2019

It is premature to call for sanctions relief.China and Russia have proposed the U.N.Security Council ease sanctions againstNorth Korea amid growing tensionsbetween Pyongyang and Washington overthe stalled nuclear talks. On Monday, thetwo countries circulated a draft resolution

to council members calling for sanctionsrelief. The proposal is somewhat surprisingas it came when U.S. SpecialRepresentative for North Korea StephenBiegun was visiting Seoul for a possiblecontact with the North’s negotiators to putthe deadlocked dialogue back on track.Pyongyang is threatening to conductanother provocation, possibly an ICBMtest launch, after carrying out two tests ¯believed to be rocket engine tests ¯ on Dec.7 and 13.

The Kim Jong-un regime has made thethreat in an apparent bid to extractconcessions from the U.S., possiblysanctions relief, before the year-enddeadline it has given. The North has eventhreatened to stop the denuclearizationtalks and take a “new way” unlessWashington accepts its demands by Dec.31. Against this backdrop, the sanctionsrelief proposal by the North’s allies ̄ Chinaand Russia ¯ runs the risk of sending thewrong signal to Pyongyang. The draftresolution calls on the council to liftsanctions which were imposed on majorNorth Korean exports such as seafood,textiles and statues in 2016 and 2017. Italso calls for lifting a ban on NorthKoreans working abroad and thetermination of a decision to repatriate allthose workers by Dec. 22. The twocountries said the proposal was made toenhance the livelihood of the civilianpopulation and for humanitarianpurposes.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280464.html 

NHK’s false alarmKorea Times, December 27, 2019

Even a small mistake can be dangerous atthis time. Japan’s public broadcaster NHKmistakenly reported early Friday morningthat a North Korean missile had landedin the sea off the country’s northern islandof Hokkaido. It was not the first time NHKhas issued a false alarm about NorthKorea’s missile launch. In January lastyear, the broadcaster sent out a “J-alert”warning to the public that North Korea

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had fired a missile, prompting Chief CabinetSecretary Yoshihide Suga to issue areprimanding commentary. “J-alertprovides extremely important informationthat affects the safety and security ofJapanese citizens. We want NHK to do theirutmost to prevent a recurrence,” Suga saidat the time. NHK took disciplinary measuresagainst its news bureau chiefs regarding thisincident.

But NHK made the same careless mistake.The latest case should not be taken lightlybecause such a false report at this sensitivetime could lead to an armed clash ¯ evenwar. Notably, tensions are running highover Pyongyang’s possible missile test as a“Christmas gift” for U.S. President DonaldTrump. The U.S. has been increasingly flyingsurveillance aircraft near the KoreanPeninsula. What is notable in Friday’soriginal NHK report is that it containedsome specific information about the missiletrajectory. It stated that the North Koreanmissile had landed in the sea about 2,000kilometers east of Hokkaido’s Cape Erimo,suggesting a flight path over Japaneseterritory. The alert was sent out 22 minutesafter midnight on its website and news app,not on TV. At 2:28 a.m., NHK issued anapology on its website, explaining that thetext was meant for training purposes andwas a false alarm. “We apologize to ourviewers and the public,” NHK said. But weshould not rule out the possibility that thefalse alert could have been intentionalconsidering the Shinzo Abe administrationhas maintained a hostile stance on NorthKorea.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280977.html 

South Korea

Christmas gift - for whom?Choi Sung-jin, Korea Times, December 17,2019

This month, the North seems to be preparinga “Christmas gift” for the United States,saying the content of the present will dependon Washington. Even longtime Pyongyangwatchers are not sure what the gift will be.

They just guess it will be a long-rangerocket closer to an intercontinental ballisticmissile under the guise of a satellite launchor another nuclear test.

Listening to what North Korea says,however, it is Pyongyang that direly wantsa Christmas gift from Washington. TheNorth has called for the U.S. to lifteconomic sanctions or guarantee itsnational security, and make promisesabout them before this year passes.Otherwise, the isolationist regime says itwill seek a “new way,” another word overwhich guesses are rampant about what itmeans. According to some educatedguesses, the “new way” of North Koreamay be to raise tensions by sophisticatingnuclear and missile capabilities andreturning to brinkmanship tactics. OrNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un maymaintain the status quo in the nuclearconfrontation while focusing on rebuildingthe economy with the help of China andRussia.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280432.html 

Unhappy holidaysDeauwand Myers, Korea Times, December18, 2019

The cold and gloom this Christmas seasonmatches the mood on the KoreanPeninsula and elsewhere. Andunfortunately for world leaders likePresident Moon Jae-in, he won’t be gettingwhat he wants for Christmas. The threatof a fully operational nuclear arsenalcontrolled by North Korea has become anincreasingly likely scenario, a positionthat’s untenable and obviously dangerous.How did we get here?

Well, first, let’s look at the players. Japan’sPrime Minister Shinzo Abe is not the bestarbiter when it comes to Korean relationsbecause of his increasingly truculent andahistorical rhetoric on Imperial Japan’swar crimes. Then, of course, there’s U.S.President Donald Trump. His two failedsummits with North Korean leader KimJong-un were predictably unproductivephoto ops for Trump’s ridiculous obsession

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with getting the Nobel Peace Prize.Predictable because, like everything elseTrump does, his large ego doesn’t match hisactual capabilities.

China’s President Xi Jinping is not nearly asintellectually uncurious as his Americancounterpart. But he is ideologically rigid. Butmore than this, a reunited Korea wouldmean a democratic country right on China’sdoorstep, a scenario that’s unpalatable tothe Chinese Communist Party. Xi wantsNorth Korea to suspend its nuclear weaponsprogram, but he most likely doesn’t want itcompletely dismantled. He sees theseweapons as the Kim regime does: as a kindof insurance against regime change. Thenthere’s President Moon himself. Hisbreathless attempts at rapprochement withNorth Korea have been unsuccessful. Hisovertures to North Korea, though noble,were naive and politically wasteful. Theyfear that without the threat of using thesedeeply immoral weapons in a conflict, anAmerican administration at one point in thefuture would attack and destroy the NorthKorean government, reunifying the KoreanPeninsula.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280255.html 

Fragile peaceKorea Times, December 22, 2019

Seoul should work closely with US, Chinaover NK. U.S. President Donald Trump andChinese President Xi Jinping had atelephone conversation about North Koreaand other critical issues of mutual concern.Trump tweeted that he had a “very goodtalk” with Xi concerning an interim tradeagreement the U.S. and China reached onDec. 12. “China has already started largescale purchases of agricultural product &more. Formal signing being arranged,”Trump wrote. “Also talked about NorthKorea, where we are working with China& Hong Kong (progress!).” China’s Xinhuanews agency reported that Xi stressed toTrump that all parties needed to seek a“political” settlement on the North Koreanissue and that “all parties should meet eachother halfway and maintain the momentum

of dialogue, which serves the commoninterests of all parties.” Much of Xinhua’sreport was about Xi’s concerns about U.S.“interference in internal affairs” on issuesrelated to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiangand Tibet.

It is unclear what the U.S. and Chineseleaders discussed about North Korea. Butit is easy to guess, given rising tensions onthe Korean Peninsula over the North’smove to pull out of denuclearization talkswith the U.S. It is becoming more evidentthat the “new path” it previously pledgedto take if the U.S. failed to present a newproposal within this year is about resumingtests of intercontinental ballistic missilesand nuclear weapons. According to theNorth’s Korean Central News Agency,Sunday, Kim Jong-un has presided over ameeting of the Workers’ Party CentralMilitary Commission to decide on“important organizational and politicalmeasures and steps to bolster the North’sarmed forces.”

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280684.html 

‘Pivot’ to ChinaKorea Times, December 24, 2019

President Moon sees easing sanctions onN. Korea necessary. President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinpingappear to have reached a consensus thateasing sanctions on North Korea isnecessary to revive the momentum fordialogue between the North and theUnited States. Cheong Wa Dae said Moonand Xi exchanged opinions during theirsummit in Beijing, Monday, about thedraft of a fresh U.N. Security Councilresolution proposed recently by China andRussia to remove some sanctions imposedon North Korea.

Moon and Xi agreed to make concertedefforts to revive the dialogue momentumand reduce tension on the KoreanPeninsula. According to the South Koreanpresidential office, the Chinese leader toldMoon that Seoul and Beijing should worktogether to help Pyongyang andWashington continue the denuclearization

Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest63

talks, saying China and South Korea coulddo many things if they joined hands. Moonagreed, saying maintaining the dialoguemomentum was “more important thananything else.” We view this as Moon’s tacitagreement with China’s efforts to push forthe easing of sanctions on North Korea. Asecurity aide for Moon also told reporterson condition of anonymity that Pyongyangand Washington need to take “simultaneousand paralleled” measures to move thedenuclearization talks forward based on alandmark agreement reached by theirleaders in Singapore in June 2018.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280805.html 

Shutdown of nuclear reactorKorea Times, December 27, 2019

Decision leaves room to be desired in manyways, The nation’s atomic industrialregulator has decided to shut down theWolsung-1 nuclear reactor for good. Theseven-member Nuclear Safety and SecurityCommission Tuesday approved 5-2 thepermanent closure of the reactor inGyeongju, some 370 kilometers southeast ofSeoul. The Wolsung-1, which begancommercial operation in 1983, has becomethe second reactor to go into the shutdownprocess, following Kori-1 in 2007. Thedecision was fully expected under theincumbent government, which had pledgedto denuclearize the nation’s energy mix. Inpursuing a nuclear-free energy policy, theMoon Jae-in administration put forth twoprinciples ¯ no building of new nuclearpower stations and no prolonging theoperation of existing ones after their servicelife has expired. According to the policy, theMoon administration decided to nullify theprevious government’s plan to build six newreactors and extend the operational licenseof the 14 worn-out plants, reducing thenumber of nuclear power stations from thecurrent 24 to 14 by 2038.

The preliminary decision to shut down theWolsung-1 reactor, however, resulted in afierce debate on nuclear energy. The plant’sservice life expired in 2012, but theregulatory commission decided to extend it

by 10 years, provided it supplements safetyequipment. Its operator, Korea Hydro andNuclear Power (KHNP), poured 560 billionwon ($482 million) in taxpayer money intobeefing up its security system. It isincomprehensible that the commission,which initially took issue with safety issues,is now citing the plant’s lack of commercialviability as the reason for closure.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/137_280961.html

O. Think Tanks

Kudankulam: One Incident, ManyFacetsCherian Samuel and Munish Sharma,Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses,December 16, 2019

A malware infection in the IT network ofthe Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant(KKNPP) located in Tamil Nadu was firstreported in social media on October 28. Thecoincidental shutdown of one of the plantsin the preceding week led to speculationsthat the two were connected. An initialofficial response from the plant authoritiesrefuted these reports. Subsequently, officialsfrom other agencies including office of theNational Cyber Security Coordinator(NCSC) confirmed these reports, and theNuclear Power Corporation of India Limited(NPCIL) – the parent body responsible forrunning the nuclear power plants in thecountry – came out with an official pressrelease giving some details of the incident.In its October 30 press release, the NPCILclarified that the infected personal computerwas in use for administrative purposes only,and the control systems of the plant andcritical functions were unaffected by thebreach. These details were later confirmedby the Union Minister of State for theDepartment of Atomic Energy in theParliament on November 20.

The breach of a critical informationinfrastructure, particularly in the nucleardomain, cannot be taken lightly. It alsoaffords an opportunity to review existingsecurity practices and address the lacunae,where found. Now that much of the dust

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has settled down, this issue brief seeks toexamine the incident and address the largerquestions it raises about the security ofcritical information infrastructure.

https://idsa.in/issuebrief/kudankulam-incident-cherian-munish-161219

Good news for climate change:India gets out of coal and intorenewable energyTim Buckley, Bulletin of Atomic Scientist,December 16, 2019

In the often grim world of climate reporting,there is at least one upbeat story: India hasbeen aggressively pivoting away from coal-fired power plants and towards electricitygenerated by solar, wind, and hydroelectricpower. This means that the amount ofcarbon dioxide the country emits into theatmosphere should come downdramatically.

The reasons for this change are complex andinterlocking, but one aspect in particularseems to stand out: The price for solarelectricity has been in freefall, to levels solow they were once thought impossible. Forexample, since 2017, one solar energycompany has been generating electricity inthe Indian state of Rajasthan at the unheard-of, guaranteed wholesale price of 2.44 rupeesper kilowatt-hour, or 3 US cents. (Incomparison, the average price for electricityin the United States is presently about 13.19cents per kilowatt-hour, and some locationsin the country pay far more. As recently as2008, the average homeowner on BlockIsland, Rhode Island, paid a staggering 61cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity, beforeany other fees or charges—which can nearlydouble the price. And businesses had it evenworse, with some business owners reportingelectric bills of as much as $30,000 permonth.)

Consequently, with this massive reductionin the cost of renewables, India is able to shiftaway from the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel, andto much cleaner sources. It’s a stunningchange, and one that could have profoundimplications on the world energy market.While western countries continue to baulk

at reducing their reliance on fossil fuels,India is accelerating its plans to lock in asustained, aggressive reduction in thecarbon emissions intensity of its economy.In fact, India’s prime minister, NarendraModi, is targeting a fivefold expansion ofthe electricity generated from renewableenergy sources by 2030—and this from acountry that has already doubled itsrenewable energy in the past three years.

https://thebulletin.org/2019/12/good-news-for-climate-change-india-gets-out-of-coal-and-into-renewable-energy/#

As the US, China, and Russia buildnew nuclear weapons systems,how will AI be built in?Matt Field, Bulletin of Atomic Scientst,December 20, 2019

Researchers in the United States andelsewhere are paying a lot of attention tothe prospect that in the coming years newnuclear weapons—and the infrastructurebuilt to operate them—will include greaterlevels of artificial intelligence andautomation. Earlier this month, threeprominent US defense experts publisheda comprehensive analysis of howautomation is already involved in nuclearcommand and control systems and ofwhat could go wrong if countriesimplement even riskier forms of it.

The working paper ”A Stable NuclearFuture? The Impact of AutonomousSystems and Artificial Intelligence” by theteam of Michael Horowitz, Paul Scharre,and Alexander Velez-Green comes on theheels of other scholarly takes on the impactartificial intelligence (AI) will have onstrategies around using nuclear weapons.All this research reflects the fact thatmilitaries around the world areincorporating more artificial intelligenceinto non-nuclear weaponry—and thatseveral countries are overhauling theirnuclear weapons programs. “We wantedto better understand both the potentiallystabilizing and destabilizing effects ofautomation on nuclear stability,” Scharre,a senior fellow at the Center for a NewAmerican Security, told the Bulletin. “In

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particular, as we see nations modernizetheir nuclear arsenals, there is both a riskand an opportunity in how they useautomation in their nuclear operations.”

The report notes that nuclear weaponssystems already include some automatedfunctionality: For example, warning systemsautomatically alert nuclear weaponsoperators of an attack. After the Cold War,Russian missiles were programmed toautomatically retarget themselves to hit UStargets if they were launched without aflight plan. For its part, the United States atone point designed its entire missile arsenalso that it could be retargeted in seconds fromits peacetime default of flying into the ocean.Even these forms of automation are risky asan accidental launch could “spark a nuclearwar,” the report says. But some countries,the report warns, might resort to riskier typesof automation.

https://thebulletin.org/2019/12/as-the-us-china-and-russia-build-new-nuclear-weapons-systems-how-will-ai-be-built-in/#

AI-controlled nuclear weapons,smallpox labs, and nucleardisinformation: The best of 2019 indisruptive tech coverageMatt Field, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists,December 27, 2019

Since the Bulletin’s first issue in 1945, thepublication started by scientists hoping tofocus the world’s attention on the dangersof nuclear weapons has been expanding itsscope. These days you’re just as likely to findexclusive climate change coverage as you areto read about new and ill-conceivedventures in the nuclear weapons space. Arelatively new focus at the Bulletin involveswhat we call disruptive technologies. Fromartificial intelligence (AI) to new gene editingtechniques, many technologies underdevelopment today promise unquestionablyuseful applications but also raise thornyethical and practical questions and thepossibility of misuse. Some use cases, in fact,seem only to help spread disinformation,raise the risk of war, or contribute to greaterinequality.

There’s been quite a lot to talk about under

this umbrella of disruptive technologies, andover the last year, the Bulletin has done justthat. From an explosion at a Russian diseaseresearch center that houses the smallpoxvirus to a proposal to allow AI to be used inthe command and control system fornuclear weapons, Bulletin authors rangedacross the disruptive tech landscape. Hereare six stories that are among the best wepublished in 2019.

https://thebulletin.org/2019/12/ai-controlled-nuclear-weapons-smallpox-labs-and-nuclear-disinformation-the-best-of-2019-in-disruptive-tech-coverage/

The six best nuclear risk stories of2019John Krzyzaniak, Bulletin of AtomicScientists, December 30, 2019

2019 was full of surprising—andterrifying—nuclear news. To list a few ofthe major events: A crisis between India andPakistan brought two nuclear-armedcountries to the brink of war; DonaldTrump met Kim Jong Un twice but madeno diplomatic progress on North Koreandenuclearization; Russia tried to cover upa mysterious explosion on its northern coastthat prompted near-endless speculationabout its efforts to build a nuclear-poweredcruise missile; the United States formallywithdrew from the Intermediate-rangeNuclear Forces Treaty and resumed testingmissiles that would have been banned underthe treaty; and Iran, after nearly goadingthe United States into a war over thesummer, settled into a series of steady,deliberate breaches to its commitmentsunder the nuclear deal that was inked in2015.

A wide array of experts contributedvaluable stories to help Bulletin readersmake sense of these major events. While thatcoverage was superb and merits readingand even re-reading, the list below takes adifferent tack. It is composed of articles thateither look back to generate some historicalperspective or look forward to a brighter,less dangerous future.

https://thebulletin.org/2019/12/six-best-nuclear-risk-stories-2019/

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IAEA Highlights and Achievementsin 2019 – a Year in ReviewNatalia Ivanova, International AtomicEnergy Agency, December 30, 2019

The appointment of a new Director General,over 60 peer review missions, the firstentirely virtual conference and a strongervoice in global climate discussions are someof the highlights of this past year here at theIAEA. This article summarizes some of thekey events and achievements of the year. Toreview some of the most important topics atthe IAEA during this past year, see alsorecent issues of its flagship publications —the IAEA Bulletin — highlighting theAgency’s work and impact in the peacefuluses of nuclear technology.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-highlights-and-achievements-in-2019-a-year-in-review

US-India space cooperation: Movingaway from the burden of the pastKartik Bommakanti, Observer ResearchFoundation, December 31, 2019

Since the 2000s, India and the US haveforged ahead and sought to intensify civilianand commercial cooperation in the domainof space. US-India space cooperation havecome a long way since the 1960s.Washington played a vital role in laying thefoundations of the Indian space programme.The US helped in establishing the ThumbaEquatorial Rocket Launch (TERL),Thiruvananthapuram and transferredsounding rockets such as the Nike-Apache,which was launched from the TERL. US-India space cooperation has witnessedgrowth since 2008 when the Indian SpaceResearch Organisation (ISRO) as part ofIndia’s first deep space mission theChandrayaan-1 to the moon carried twoscientific payloads — the Moon MineralogyMapper (M3) and Miniature SyntheticAperture (MiniSar). In 2006, the ISRO andits American counterpart NationalAeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU), which enabled theNASA payloads to be part of the lunarmission under the aegis of the US

Administration led by George W. Bush.The Bush Administration pushed forimproved strategic ties starting with the2004 launch of the Next Steps in StrategicPartnership (NSSP) between United Statesand India. Since then in a little over adecade, US-India space cooperation hasintensified at a brisk pace, particularlyinvolving the American private sector,which has found India’s space launchservices attractive and economical.However, before we address the keydevelopments in US-India space relationsin recent years, we need to survey theissues that divided New Delhi andWashington for decades.

Nevertheless, beyond space launches,India and the US have started cooperatingin the area of Satellite Navigation(SatNav). The United States Congressearlier this month decided in principle, ifnot yet formally, to designate the IndianRegional Navigation Satellite System(IRNSS) or better known as the NaVIC asan “allied system”. According allied statusto the NaVIC is part of a larger effort onthe part of Washington to develop a“prototype” programme with underlyingobjective of establishing “multi-global”SatNav system. In addition, Americanprivate sector companies such asQaulcomm Technologies have concludedan agreement with ISRO to support theNaVIC’s geolocation capabilities in itschipset platforms that will enable bettermobile services and Internet performance.All this represents important progress andas ISRO’s capacities grow further, moresignificant scientific exploration couldcrystallise for deep space missions as wellas initiatives that are more limited.

https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/us-india-space-cooperation-moving-away-burden-past-59282/

P. Reports & Interviews

Iran’s Nuclear Program: StatusCongressional Research Report, December20, 2019

Iran’s nuclear program began during the1950s. The United States has expressed

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concern since the mid-1970s that Tehranmight develop nuclear weapons. Iran’sconstruction of gas centrifuge uraniumenrichment facilities is currently the mainsource of proliferation concern. Gascentrifuges can produce both low-enricheduranium (LEU), which can be used innuclear power reactors, and weapons-gradehighly enriched uranium (HEU), which isone of the two types of fissile material usedin nuclear weapons. Is Iran Capable ofBuilding Nuclear Weapons? The UnitedStates has assessed that Tehran possesses thetechnological and industrial capacity toproduce nuclear weapons. But Iran has notyet mastered all of the necessary technologiesfor building such weapons. Whether Iranhas a viable design for a nuclear weapon isunclear.

A National Intelligence Estimate madepublic in 2007 assessed that Tehran “haltedits nuclear weapons program” in 2003. Theestimate, however, also assessed that Tehranis “keeping open the option to developnuclear weapons” and that any decision toend a nuclear weapons program is“inherently reversible.” U.S. intelligenceofficials have reaffirmed this judgment onseveral occasions. Obtaining fissile materialis widely regarded as the most difficult taskin building nuclear weapons. As of January2014, Iran had produced an amount of LEUcontaining up to 5% uranium-235, which,if further enriched, could theoretically haveproduced enough HEU for as many as eightnuclear weapons. Iran had also producedLEU containing nearly 20% uranium235;the total amount of this LEU, if it had beenin the form of uranium hexafluoride andfurther enriched, would have been sufficientfor a nuclear weapon.. After the Joint Planof Action, which Tehran concluded withChina, France, Germany, Russia, the UnitedKingdom, and the United States (collectivelyknown as the “P5+1”), went into effect inJanuary 2014, Iran either converted muchof its LEU containing nearly 20% uranium-235 for use as fuel in a research reactorlocated in Tehran, or prepared it for thatpurpose. Iran has diluted the rest of thatstockpile so that it contained no more than5% uranium-235.

In addition, Tehran has implementedvarious restrictions on, and provided theIAEA with additional information about,its nuclear program pursuant to the July2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA), which Tehran concluded withthe P5+1. Although Iran claims that itsnuclear program is exclusively for peacefulpurposes, the program has generatedconsiderable concern that Tehran ispursuing a nuclear weapons program. TheU.N. Security Council responded to Iran’srefusal to suspend work on its uraniumenrichment program by adopting severalresolutions that imposed sanctions onTehran. Despite evidence that sanctionsand other forms of pressure have slowedthe program, Iran continued to enrichuranium, install additional centrifuges,and conduct research on new types ofcentrifuges. Tehran has also worked on aheavy-water reactor, which was aproliferation concern because its spent fuelwould have contained plutonium—theother type of fissile material used in nuclearweapons. However, plutonium must beseparated from spent fuel—a procedurecalled “reprocessing.” Iran has said thatit will not engage in reprocessing.

How Soon Could Iran Produce a NuclearWeapon? Then-Under Secretary of Statefor Political Affairs Wendy Shermanexplained during an October 2013 hearingof the Senate Committee on ForeignRelations that Iran would need as muchas one year to produce a nuclear weaponif the government decided to do so. At thetime, Tehran would have needed two tothree months to produce enoughweapons-grade HEU for a nuclearweapon. Iran’s compliance with theJCPOA increased that time frame to oneyear, according to U.S. officials. Theseestimates apparently assume that Iranwould use its declared nuclear facilities toproduce fissile material for a weapon.However, Tehran would probably usecovert facilities for this purpose; Iranianefforts to produce fissile material fornuclear weapons by using its knownnuclear facilities would almost certainly bedetected by the IAEA.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL34544.pdf

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Gorbachev: Don’t give up hope forworld without nuclear weaponsThe Asahi Shimbun, December 17, 2019

With the Trump administrationwithdrawing from a key nuclear weaponsagreement and even contemplating the useof low-grade nuclear weapons, formerSoviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachevwants to reach out to the United States fordialogue. “The main thing is to act so as notto allow the world to slide towards an armsrace, to a confrontation, and to hostility,”Gorbachev said. “Despite everything, Ibelieve that this is still within ourcapabilities.” As general secretary of theformer Soviet Union, Gorbachev played alarge role in bringing the Cold War to anend and reaching agreements with theUnited States on reducing nuclear weapons.He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.The Asahi Shimbun recently interviewedGorbachev, 88, in Moscow to hear his viewson what needs to be done to restore mutualcooperation and negotiations to lessen thedangers of nuclear war.

Excerpts of the interview follow:

Question: Having worked toward thesigning of the Intermediate-RangeNuclear Forces Treaty (INF), how do younow feel about the invalidation of thattreaty?

Gorbachev: I want to remind you of an ideawhich was the main driver on the road tothis treaty. It is expressed in the jointannouncement given by the leaders of theSoviet Union and the United States that wasagreed at our first meeting (in 1985) inGeneva: “A nuclear war is not acceptable,and there will be no winners in a nuclearwar.” We announced that we had to get ridof nuclear weapons. This is something I amstill praying for.

This was the first step as the states reviewedtheir respective military doctrines with theaim of reducing their reliance on nuclearweapons. In comparison with the peak ofthe Cold War, the number of nuclearweapons that Russia and the United Stateshad was reduced by more than 80 percent.The countries of Eastern and Western Europe

agreed on reductions in their armed forcesand their weaponry. This was the “peacedividend,” which everyone received as aresult of the end of the Cold War.

Q: But with the abandonment of variousrestrictions, what do you feel will be theeffects for the future of the world?

Gorbachev: The decision by the UnitedStates to withdraw from the INF threatensto unleash a sequence of events that wouldmove to undo all of this. The United Statesrefused to ratify the ComprehensiveNuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). As aresult of the unilateral decision in 2002,the United States nullified the Treaty onthe Limitation of Anti-Ballistic MissileSystems (ABMT).

Out of the three principal pillars of globalstrategic stability—the ABMT, INF andSTART (Strategic Arms ReductionTreaty)—only one is left, but even the fateof the New START, which was signed in2010, is becoming unclear.

What’s behind the United States’ decisionto withdraw from the INF is their strivingto free themselves of any obligations withrespect to weapons and obtain absolutemilitary supremacy. That is an illusoryaim, an unfulfilled hope. Hegemony byone single country is not possible in today’sworld. The result would be destabilizationof the global strategic situation, a new armsrace and all the randomness andunpredictability of global politics. Thesecurity of every country, including theUnited States, will suffer as a result.

Q: What would you like to say to thecurrent U.S. president?

Gorbachev: I hear from the currentpresident of the United States that they arethe richest country, that they have moremoney than anybody else, so there is goingto be a new arms race. Who is Americaplanning to fight, however? The firstcountry to come to mind, of course, isRussia. We should never let ourselvesembark on a course of developing nuclearweapons again and of a new arms race.We have to stop working on pipe dreams,

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and engage with realpolitik. We don’t needan apocalypse! We need peace!

Q: I understand that one catalyst for yoursigning the INF was the accident at theChernobyl nuclear plant. Can you explain?

Gorbachev: The explosion of the atomicreactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear PowerStation became one of the most importantboundaries in the history of our country andof the world, laying bare the problems in theSoviet Union and reminding us of thecolossal destructive power of atomic energyand of nuclear weapons. Colossal effortswere put in place to find the reasons behindwhat happened and to liquidate theimmediate consequences of this tragedy. Theliquidators showed courage, butunfortunately, this did result in casualties.

My life was divided into two parts: beforethe Chernobyl accident, and after. They triedto prevent a nuclear explosion themselves,but they still lacked the understanding ofwhat Japan had been through. Again, thatwas an experience which demonstrated tous that we had to do something aboutnuclear weapons.

Q: After the Chernobyl accident, youmade a speech on television in May 1986in which you called out to U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan for a meeting at aEuropean capital or even Hiroshima. Whydid you make that proposal?

Gorbachev: I don’t think anyone wants asecond Hiroshima. The powerful states whohave 90 percent of the nuclear arsenal attheir disposal have to reassure global publicopinion that we are moving toward aliquidation of these weapons. Russia isready.

Q: How have you been making your callsfor eliminating nuclear weapons?

Gorbachev: I consider nuclear war to beunacceptable. Only a madman would starta nuclear war. Even during the course ofwhat was mandatory training for a head ofstate I never pressed that button in the so-called “nuclear briefcase.” I recently wroteto Nobel Peace Prize laureates and called onthem to approach the leaders of the nuclear

states and request that they return to talkson the reduction and elimination ofnuclear arsenals. Some of our experts aresinging the praises of nuclear weapons.They are saying that nuclear weaponssaved the world from war. But at least onone occasion they took the world to thebrink of self-destruction. I am referring tothe Cuban missile crisis. This should neverbe forgotten.

Q: What do you think needs to be donenow?

Gorbachev: I think that talks between theUnited States and Russia must be resumedimmediately. During these talks not onlymust the issues of the INF, or acontinuation of the New START bereviewed, but also the principal questionsof peace and security, and, first andforemost, the need to restore the movementtoward a world without nuclear weapons.All the nuclear states need to makedecisive steps toward a world free ofnuclear weapons. Nuclear deterrence willnot protect the world from a nuclearaccident or from nuclear terrorism, butwould keep it under a constant threat.

Q: What advice do you have for thecurrent global situation?

Gorbachev: The agreements that createdthe basis for international securityfollowing the end of the Cold War shouldbe used for further talks. I want to reachout to the Americans, especially to themembers of Congress, Republicans andDemocrats. I regret that the pressingsituation with respect to internal politicsthat has unfolded in the United States overthe last few years has led to a failure ofdialogue between our two countries. It istime to overcome the inter-partydisagreements and start a seriousconversation.

New ideas are needed, which would helpin moving relations between Russia andthe United States away from theirdeadlock. Not so long ago, former U.S.Secretary of State George Shultz and Icalled for the establishment of a non-governmental forum of Russian and

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American experts to develop proposals forthe governments of our respective countries.The militarization of thought has led to themilitarization of the behavior of countries.The key to resolving security issues lies notin weapons, but in politics. The main thingis to act so as not to allow the world to slidetowards an arms race, to a confrontation,and to hostility. Despite everything, I believethat this is still within our capabilities.

Q: How did you first become involved innuclear issues?

Gorbachev: It all began when I worked inthe Komsomol (the Communist Party’syouth division). We were a small groupgathered at an officers’ club and we wereshown a film about the effects of a nuclearexplosion and about the atomic bomb itself.There is so much power in that bomb. Wewere shocked. We were told you shouldnever look directly at the blast and you haveto cover yourself with a wet sheet. Back thenwhen I saw all this, I said there is only onething we can do—we have to fight for peace.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201912170049.html

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