Summit Leaves Work Unfinished

Summing up the summit - “As he ended the Nuclear Security Summit on Friday, President Obama could claim some success in leading the international community to curb the amount of nuclear materials that could fall into terrorists’ hands. But even with considerable progress, Mr. Obama has not fulfilled his goal of securing all nuclear materials in four years; some 1,800 metric tons of nuclear material remain stored in 24 countries, much of it vulnerable to theft,” writes the New York Times Editorial Board.

--“Japan and the United States said they had completed the transfer of all highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium [from a reactor in Japan]... South Korea promised to strengthen nuclear detection at its ports, Kazakhstan said it would strengthen its export control laws and Britain pledged to lead a new cyber security initiative… China’s president… promised to convert some of China’s nuclear reactors… to low-enriched uranium... The United States also announced plans to look into using low-enriched uranium rather than highly enriched uranium in its naval reactors.” Full story here. http://nyti.ms/203MWr7

Tweet - @StateDept: Looking for #NSS2016 statements, fact sheets & gift baskets? You’re in luck -
http://bit.ly/1O30L0u has it all!

See also - Kelsey Davenport and Kingston Reif live blogged developments from the Nuclear Security Summit for Arms Control Now. Find their analysis here. http://bit.ly/1RtT8Xi

Amendment ratified - Enough countries ratified an amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material for it to enter into force. “This treaty amendment will bolster the legal foundation for global nuclear security and strengthen the tools we need to combat nuclear terrorism globally. Although this action took more than a decade and does not include military materials, this step shows that the international community can make progress and cooperate to build a safer world,” writes former Senator Sam Nunn for the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Read Nunn’s statement here. http://bit.ly/21WLRRd

Video - Watch President Barack Obama call on world leaders to secure nuclear facilities and prevent “madmen” from obtaining material for a weapon. http://reut.rs/1Y44lhL

Summit ignores the 98% - “Critics have pointed out that the summits have only focused on highly enriched uranium in civilian possession, ... 2 to 3 percent of the world’s supply… The remaining 97 to 98 percent is held in military stockpiles… Bruce Blair, co-founder of the Global Zero campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons, complains that ‘the summit virtually ignores the rest of the materials and the ways they can cause a catastrophe,’” Alex Emmons writes in The Intercept. Read the full article here. http://bit.ly/1V6PepE

See also - “Obama's nuclear security summits end with unfinished work,” by Patrick Malone for The Center for Public Integrity.http://bit.ly/225VltG

Video - “The IAEA - A Global Platform for Cooperation in Nuclear Security,” by IAEAvideo. http://bit.ly/1MQ9HfP

On the edge of escalation - “Former Defense Secretary William J. Perry, one of the nation's wise men on national security, delivered an arresting message last week: We're about to find ourselves in a new nuclear arms race. ‘The danger of a nuclear catastrophe today is greater than during the Cold War,’ Perry said. The danger stems not only from terrorist groups like Islamic State, which would gladly steal or buy nuclear material on the black market, but also from the huge nuclear arsenals the United States, Russia and other big powers maintain more than 20 years after the end of the Cold War,” writes Doyle McManus for The Los Angeles Times.

--“If an apparent attack against U.S. missile bases is detected, officials will have only a few minutes to decide whether to launch the missiles in response, or lose them. And that makes them susceptible to false alarms — which actually occurred several times in both the U.S. and Russia during the Cold War. (Luckily, officers realized that their radar was malfunctioning.) That vulnerability is still there. ‘The way to solve it is simply to eliminate the ICBMs,’ Perry said.” Full article here. http://lat.ms/1RYzajc

Video - “Nuclear Winter,” by Retro Report for The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/1UDJgNc

The nuclear threat is real - “Chills went down a lot of experts' spines last month when we saw the news that the Brussels bombers, the ISIS terrorists who blew up the airport and attacked the metro, were secretly videotaping a Belgian nuclear official. This official worked at a facility that had radiological material that terrorists could use for a ‘dirty bomb.’ We do not know if they were filming him or his family, if there was a kidnap plot in motion, or what their exact plans were. But this is not some Hollywood fantasy. This is real. A nuclear terrorist event may be closer than you think,” writes Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione for CNN. http://cnn.it/1PQsXok

Video - Watch Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione explain the dangers of nuclear terrorism on C-SPAN and Sky News.

See also - “Could There Be a Terrorist Fukushima?” by Graham Allison and Williams Tobey for The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/1PRLY9R

See also - “America’s Nuclear Clunkers,” by Katelyn Fossett for Politico Magazine. http://politi.co/1RC4Krj

Cyberthreat mushrooming - “The threat of cyber-attacks is substantial and continues to increase over time,” write leaders convened at the Nuclear Industry Summit Working Group on Managing Cyber Threat. “Currently there are multiple cyber campaigns occurring that are specifically seeking out industrial control systems common to many nuclear facilities. These attacks have demonstrated a high level of sophistication, and a high degree of persistence by the attackers.” Read the full statement here. http://bit.ly/1pFzKMn

See also - “Making Matters Worse,” by Robert Gallucci for the Huffington Post.http://huff.to/1SBigKF

Nuclear spending is money misplaced - “President Barack Obama entered office concerned about the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. In his April 2009 Prague speech, Obama pledged ‘to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.’ His initial efforts produced a stabilizing arms-control treaty with Russia and a series of international summits that made modest progress in securing nuclear material. Since then, however, the effort to control the world's most dangerous weapons has stagnated,” writes Lawrence Korb for Reuters. Full article here. http://reut.rs/1SslsG5

See also - “Obama's fizzled nuclear vision,” by Bryan Bender for Politico.http://politi.co/1Y36LgB

Tweet - @StephenUCS: The US stockpile's rise & decline, from 1945 to 2014, from #SSMP17. Note very modest decline since Obama took office

Obama’s last chance - “We must reverse course on a misguided nuclear spending spree... We must retire insane Cold War policies that keep nearly half our nuclear arsenal locked and loaded... Above all, we must round up world leaders… for a Nuclear Weapons Summit [focused] on the end game: the phased, verified elimination of all nuclear weapons globally… [Obama] still has time to set something bold in motion... For a little while longer, it’s not too late,” writes Derek Johnson for the Huffington Post. http://huff.to/1MX3Gc8

Neocons for the Iran Deal - “As someone who has negotiated with Iran over the years perhaps more than any other U.S. diplomat, I disagree with those who argue that talks with Iran are akin to capitulation,” writes Zalmay Khalilzad for Politico. “I have seen little evidence that isolation has or will alter Tehran’s behavior in the right direction… We need at once to take strong action against Iranian aggression and to engage continuously diplomatically.” Full article here. http://politi.co/1VQBpes

See also - “Obama Administration Puttering on Sanctions Relief Risks Derailing Iran Accord,” by Tyler Cullis for the Huffington Post.http://huff.to/1UWDCFP

Tweet - @WinWithoutWar: #Trump is right about tearing up the #IranDeal — says a leading Iranian hard-liner… http://wapo.st/1UDOUz0 #DiplomacyWorks

China shouldn’t go to high alert - “The Chinese military is asking to put its nuclear missiles on hair-trigger alert so they can be launched immediately upon detecting an incoming attack. President Barack Obama should encourage his counterpart to carefully consider such a change, because it would dramatically increase the risk of an accidental or mistaken nuclear launch against the United States or its allies,” writes Gregory Kulacki for Defense One. Full article here. http://bit.ly/1q9Z0ev

China complies with North Korea sanctions - “China has said it is restricting trade with North Korea, announcing bans on gold and some coal imports and jet fuel exports, in line with UN sanctions... The UN Security Council voted in March to increase the sanctions.The unanimous decision came after North Korea carried out a fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket the following month,” reports the BBC. http://bbc.in/1PRO5dR

Troubling activity in North Korea - “Recent commercial satellite imagery indicates suspicious activity at the Yongbyon Radiochemical Laboratory complex used to produce plutonium for building nuclear weapons. Whether that activity—exhaust plumes from a steam plant used to heat the main plant—means reprocessing additional plutonium is underway or will be in the near future remains unclear. However, James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence recently stated that the North Koreans could be ready to do so in weeks or months,” report William Mugford and Joseph Bermudez Jr. for 38 North. http://bit.ly/1SMpMTh

See also - “Exclusive: North Korea to pursue nuclear and missile programs - envoy,” by Stephanie Nebehay for Reuters. http://reut.rs/1qmbEGS

South Korea should say no to the bomb - “For a country that has a record of secret nuclear programs, South Korea should understand how long it takes to build up credibility—and how easily it can be lost. If the South acquired nuclear weapons, it would inevitably provoke a nuclear arms race among China, Japan, and the two Koreas that would be almost impossible to reverse. It also would damage South Korea’s bilateral security arrangements with the United States. Such a scenario would most likely increase the probability of nuclear war in the region, ultimately leaving South Korea worse off with nuclear weapons than without them,” writes Jungmin Kang for the Bulletin of the American Scientists. Full piece here. http://bit.ly/1q3ljlm

See also - “Donald Trump’s Great America apparently includes a nuclear-armed world,” by Philip Bump for The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/1PI28T1

India’s new submarine - “[An Indian] official confirmed reports that the submarine, the INS Arihant, had successfully completed deep-sea and weapons drills, which were the last remaining tests… These tests could include testing the submarine’s equipment and systems at maximum depths and its ability to surface quickly… The commissioning could take place within the next month,” writes Kelsey Davenport for Arms Control Today. Full article here. http://bit.ly/1W9CcHx

Nuclear close calls come to the screen - Eric Schlosser’s film “Command and Control chronicles the terrifying accident at the Titan II missile site near Damascus, Arkansas in 1980... Schlosser wants us to come away from the film understanding how fortunate we are to have survived these past 70 years without incinerating ourselves and our planet. He questions whether humans are really up to the task of maintaining... the world's nuclear arsenals,” writes Rachel Bronson for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. http://bit.ly/235r6Zy

Quick Hits:

--“FACT SHEET: Transparency in the U.S. Highly Enriched Uranium Inventory,” a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary on the U.S. release of data on highly enriched uranium. http://1.usa.gov/23dy4IJ

--“As Obama Hosts Nuclear Security Summit, the Focus Is on China,” by Mark Landler for The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/1TnFI0k

--“Britain to ship record amount of nuclear waste to U.S. - government source,” by Kylie MacLellan and Stephen Addison for Reuters. http://reut.rs/1UFUhgZ

--“How Bad Would A Radiological Terror Attack Be” by Keturah Hetrick for Defense One. http://bit.ly/1N6xva5

--“The Most Dangerous Place on Earth,” by Dilip Hiro for War Is Boring. http://bit.ly/1S7EYXO

--“Seoul: N. Korea fires missile and tries to jam GPS signals,” by Hyung-Jin Kim for the Associated Press. http://wapo.st/1PJd8Qj

--“The nuclear physicist who helped reduce the world stockpile of nuclear arms retires,” by Carol Morello for The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/1M9rIpA

--“India’s Nuclear Dangers,” by Hannah Haegeland for Foreign Policy. http://atfp.co/1RC1x7G

--“America's Nuclear Weapons in Europe Are the Nuclear Elephant in the Room,” by William Arkin for Vice News. http://bit.ly/1MQ44OZ

--“Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons?” by Peter Jenkins for LobeLog. http://bit.ly/1RLHXGg

--“Tribe on front lines of fight over nuclear lab contamination,” by Susan Montoya Bryan for the Associated Press. http://wapo.st/1RWfCz9

--“IAEA to Assist Brazil on Nuclear Security at 2016 Olympic Games,” reports the IAEA. http://bit.ly/23dvHFC

--“The Latest: US says progress made cutting uranium stockpiles,” by the Associated Press. http://wapo.st/1M61ios

--“To make the Iran Deal work, we need to fund the world’s nuclear watchdog,” by Sen. Chris Coons for The Hill. http://bit.ly/1UES2uH

--“Hawking Says ‘Don’t Bank on the Bomb’ and Cambridge Votes to Divest $1Billion From Nuclear Weapons,” by Max Tegmark for The World Post. http://huff.to/224ofds

Events:

--“NATO: Projecting Stability in an Age of Instability,” with Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General. Sponsored by the Atlantic Council. April 6 from4:00 to 5:30 p.m., at the Ritz Carlton, 1150 22nd St. NW, Washington. Webcast available here. http://bit.ly/1RCd8ad

-- “Is the U.S. Nuclear Arsenal Worth a Trillion Dollars?” With Tom Collina, Ploughshares Fund. April 13 from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Princeton University, 221 Nassau St., Second Floor Conference Room, Princeton, NJ. http://bit.ly/1mpMvbO

--Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, hearing on “Ballistic Missile Defense Policies and Programs,” with Robert Scher, Assistant Secretary of Defense; Adm. William Gortney, Commander, U.S. Northern Command; Vice Adm. James Syring, Missile Defense Agency; and Lt. Gen. David Mann, Commander, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. April 13 at 2:30 p.m. at 222 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington. Webcast on the committee website. http://1.usa.gov/22VTLAb

--World premiere of “The Bomb,” at the Tribeca Film Festival. April 23-24 at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., Gotham Hall, 1356 Broadway, New York. Tickets available online. http://bit.ly/1RsGbK1

Dessert:

Drumpf doesn’t know nukes - John Oliver once again takes aim at Trump on Last Week Tonight, this time for the candidate’s outlandish talk about nuclear weapons. Watch here. http://read.bi/1MQdTfE