Putin Punts Plutonium Pact

Putin withdraws from plutonium treaty - “President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia withdrew Monday from a landmark nuclear security agreement,” writes Andrew Kramer for The New York TImes. “The treaty, on the disposal of plutonium, the material used in some nuclear weapons, was concluded in 2000 as one of the framework disarmament deals of the early post-Cold War period.”

--“Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said the administration was disappointed by the Russian decision since both leaders in Russia and the United States have made nonproliferation a priority’... Russia will withdraw from the original pact and subsequent amendments, the decree says, meaning that the country will no longer be treaty-bound to destroy its plutonium stockpiles. But the decree also offers an assurance, backed by no bilateral agreement, that the plutonium will not be used for military purposes.” Read the full story here. http://nyti.ms/2dY0iH8

Tweet - @Cirincione: There is a bright spot in the breakdown of the Russia plutonium deal: no need for the nuclear facility that's costing US taxpayers billions.

Treaty dissolution not a surprise - “The Obama administration hasn’t been bashful with the Russians… about its own desire to step away from the agreement, because of the work’s high costs and technical challenges,” write Patrick Malone and R. Jeffrey Smith for The Center for Public Integrity. “The disposal method that Washington has been pursuing – and which is spelled out in the now-cancelled agreement – involves building a plant at the Savannah River Site nuclear installation in South Carolina to convert 34 tons of weapons-usable plutonium into fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.”

--“But a report by the Department of Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month said construction of the so-called Mixed Oxide (MOX) plant alone would not be complete until 2048 and that it would cost more than $17 billion, or roughly four times the cost promised in 1994, when the deal with Russia was initially struck… the Department of Energy… reiterated that it is eager to dispose of the plutonium instead in a burial pit, a less technically challenging alternative that it has said could bring a savings of up to $30 billion over the life of the project.” Full article here. http://bit.ly/2dFC8Nx

Tweet - @ArmsControlNow: "The Future of Plutonium Disposition" (July 2013 #ArmsControlToday) provides insight into Putin's announcement http://bit.ly/2cPXoE0

Getting rid of ICBMs is good U.S. security - “We can maintain our country’s strength and security and still do away with the worst of the Cold War weapons. The American plan to rebuild and maintain our nuclear force is needlessly oversized and expensive, expected to cost about $1 trillion over the next three decades. The good news is that the United States can downsize its plans, save tens of billions of dollars, and still maintain a robust nuclear arsenal,” writes former Secretary of Defense William Perry for The New York Times. “The United States can safely phase out its land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force, a key facet of Cold War nuclear policy.”

--“Retiring the ICBMs would save considerable costs, but it isn’t only budgets that would benefit. These missiles are some of the most dangerous weapons in the world. They could even trigger an accidental nuclear war… The United States should build only the levels needed for deterrence. We should encourage Russia to do the same. But even if it does not, our levels of nuclear forces should be determined by what we actually need, not by a misguided desire to match Moscow missile for missile… There is only one way to win an arms race: Refuse to run.” Full story here. http://nyti.ms/2dhQLbi

Time to cut America’s arsenal - “Not only could America make significant cuts to its nuclear forces without harming its security, but doing so would get the president closer to a major unmet goal while simultaneously freeing up federal money that could be much better used on other military priorities,” writes Daryl Kimball and Kingston Reif for Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

--“Now is the time to announce that the United States will reduce its strategic nuclear force to 1,000 (or fewer) strategic deployed warheads, invite Russia to do the same, and propose that the two sides agree to resume formal talks to regulate all types of strategic offensive and defensive weapons systems (nuclear and non-nuclear) that could affect strategic stability. Such a strategy could prompt Russia to rethink its expensive nuclear weapons modernization projects and possibly build-down its strategic nuclear arsenal.” Full article here. http://bit.ly/2dOfY0y

Tweet - @NuclearWatchNM: Five myths about nuclear weapons- Dan Zak, author of "Almighty" http://wapo.st/2dOjebW

President should retire nuclear cruise missiles - “In the coming weeks President Obama will reportedly make a decision on whether or not to pursue additional cuts and shore up his credentials as a nuclear disarmer,” writes Will Saetren for The National Interest. Although several measures are on the table, perhaps none is more politically feasible, and would have a greater short-term impact than canceling the new [nuclear] cruise missile.”

--“Former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry… has come out strongly opposed to the LRSO. Because cruise missiles can be launched without warning and come in conventional and nuclear variants, an enemy under attack has no way of knowing if he is facing a conventional our nuclear strike. That could cause a miscalculation that could launch a nuclear war… If the President wants to get serious about solidifying his legacy as a champion of nuclear disarmament, cancelling this dangerous and destabilizing program is an excellent place to start.” Full story here. http://bit.ly/2dFGBzx

Nukes cost a lot in other countries too - “Construction work is set to get underway soon on Britain’s £31 billion (US $40 billion) program to build a fleet of new nuclear missile submarines for the Royal Navy, the UK government has announced… The review said the program would cost £31 billion but that the [Ministry of Defense] was also putting aside £10 billion as a contingency,” writes Andrew Chuter for Defense News. Full story here. http://bit.ly/2dpErHE

IAEA validates Iran’s compliance - “Iran has kept to a nuclear deal it agreed with six world powers last year limiting its stockpiles of substances that could be used to make atomic weapons, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) [Director-General Yukiya Amano] told French daily Le Monde,” writes Michel Rose for Reuters. “‘The deal is being implemented since January without any particular problem,’ he told Le Monde.” Full story here. http://reut.rs/2dHKBRB

Quick Hits:

--“Report: Russia allowed North Korea nuclear scientists to conduct research” by Elizabeth Shim for UPI. http://bit.ly/2doz9P0

--“Obama’s Sanctions Finally Hit North Korea Where It Hurts—in China” by Gordon Chang for The Daily Beast. http://thebea.st/2dodNxp

--“Russia's nuclear rhetoric: Alarming or just ridiculous?” by Lucien Crowder for Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. http://bit.ly/2dPkI2g

--“Nuclear Weapons and Terrorism: A Dangerous Mix” by Jean-Bernard Latortue for International Affairs Review. http://bit.ly/2dOjoA2

--“MOX financial, completion figures shift shapes” by Thomas Gardiner for Aiken Standard. http://bit.ly/2dPlkEY

Events:

--“Living at the Nuclear Brink: Yesterday and Today,” a free online seminar taught by Fmr. Sec. Def. William Perry beginning October 4, hosted by Stanford University. Sign up here. http://bit.ly/2du08om

--“Reykjavik and arms control in U.S.-Soviet/Russian relations,” a panel discussion on October 4 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington. http://brook.gs/2deCUkj

--“Nuclear Debates in Asia: The Role of Geopolitics and Domestic Processes,” with a panel discussion on October 11 from 12:45 to 2:30 p.m., at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Room 505, 1957 E Street, NW, Washington. http://bit.ly/2dPphcY

--“Iran: Rising Power in the Middle East,” with Joseph Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund, and other panelists. October 13 at Chapman University, Orange County campus, Beckman Hall 404, Orange, CA. http://chapma.nu/2doMqRP

--“Book Launch: My Journey at the Nuclear Brink," with William Perry, former Defense Secretary on October 24 at 7:00 p.m., at All Souls Unitarian Church, 1157 Lexington Ave., New York. http://bit.ly/2dbK499