Diplomacy Works: Syrian WMD Arsenal Is No More

June 24, 2014 | Edited by Lauren Mladenka and Geoff Wilson

Diplomatic Victory - “Some very good news has come from a very bad part of the world today,” write Joseph Cirincione and Geoff Wilson in Defense One. “Syria’s operational chemical weapons arsenal is no more. Officials in the Syrian port of Latakia loaded the very last shipment of the declared stockpile onto a Danish freighter and sent them off for destruction at sea.”

--“Many people said this could never be done. They blasted President Barack Obama’s September decision not to bomb Syria and to negotiate an agreement instead with Russia and Syria to eliminate the weapons… They were wrong. Inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, destroyed all of Syria’s known chemical weapons production, mixing and filling facilities; destroyed scores of munitions such as missile warheads and aerial bombs; destroyed in country 120 tons of isopropanol, a chemical used to make sarin nerve gas; and secured and shipped out of the country the remaining 1300 tons of sarin, mustard gas and other precursors chemicals.”

--“The significance of this achievement cannot be overstated. Syria had enough chemical agents to kill every man, woman and child in the Middle East. The destruction of these hideous weapons, so quickly and during a war where inspectors came under fire, is nothing short of remarkable... The destruction of Syria’s operational chemical arsenal has made all inhabitants of the Middle East safer, including some of our closest allies. It has helped prove that even in the direst of circumstances it is possible to negotiate the elimination of some of the deadliest weapons ever invented.” Full piece here. http://bit.ly/1j9E1OA

Tweet - @globalzero: #Nuclear war involving 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs (<0.5% of the world’s arsenal) could disrupt the global climate: owl.li/yh7rA

NATO interceptors - “Germany, the Netherlands and the United States reportedly are weighing ending their deployment of Patriot interceptors in Turkey by the end of the year,” reports Global Security Newswire. “The NATO allies have [reportedly] begun initial talks on potentially removing their respective Patriot antimissile batteries from Turkey's border with Syria, now that the threat of a possible chemical weapons attack by the Bashar Assad regime appears to have ended. On Monday, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced that the last of Damascus' declared chemical warfare materials had been transferred out of the country.” Full report here. http://bit.ly/1nZTJQs

Useless and divisive - “In early June, the U.S. Air Force announced the deployment to Europe of three B-52 and two B-2 bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons to partake in military exercises with allies in the region. During the deployment, which will span approximately two weeks, the bombers will conduct training flights in the U.S. European Command area of operations,” writes Gabrielle Tarini in Nukes of Hazard. “The announcement of the Pentagon’s training mission comes in the wake of tensions between the United States and Russia after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and continued threats against eastern Ukraine. The deployment of the bombers is largely seen as a means of reassuring our NATO allies alarmed by Russian actions, particularly the newer members in Central Europe.”

--“But wait a minute. Don’t we already have 180 tactical B61 nuclear bombs deployed in five European nations, the primary mission and raison d’etre of which is to assure our NATO allies? If the answer is ‘Yes’ (and it is), it begs the following question: If B61s in Europe are in fact fulfilling their mission of calming the nerves of our allies in the face of Russian threats, what is the need for additional assurance provided by strategic bombers? The only logical conclusion to draw is that the B61s stationed in Europe do not in fact provide assurance to our NATO allies because they are militarily useless and politically divisive.” Full piece here. http://bit.ly/1jLa0Vf

Joint US-Canada GMD - “The Canadian government is studying a recommendation that it become a partner in the US continental missile defense system, either by contributing locations for radars or by conducting research into improving the system,” reports David Pugliese for Defense News. “The US government has not requested Canada take part in the system. But the Canadian Senate’s Committee on National Security and Defence issued a report June 16 that called for Canada to contribute to US ballistic missile defense efforts, either directly or indirectly.”

--“The report suggested Canada could contribute to the system by allowing X-band radar sites on Canadian territory or by conducting research into ballistic missile defense technology issues. It could also provide indirect contributions by enhancing Arctic surveillance capabilities through new radar technology or space-based systems.” Full report here. http://bit.ly/1sBD4YA

Kill vehicle production - “Raytheon Co on Monday said it expects to soon resume production of an updated warhead, or ‘kill vehicle,’ used for U.S. homeland missile defense after the system successfully intercepted a dummy target over the Pacific,” writes Andrea Shalal in Reuters. “Raytheon is a subcontractor to Boeing Co on the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which defends the United States against long-range ballistic missiles and is projected to cost a total of $41 billion… The Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle Capability Enhancement II, EKV CE-II, is already carried by 10 of the 30 U.S. interceptors already in silos in Alaska and California, but it had failed to hit its target in two previous flight tests in 2010.” Full article here. http://reut.rs/1nZUWHx

Quick-fix - “Workers switched out equipment regulating air currents in a facility where radioactive particles escaped in February,” Global Security Newswire reports. “The Energy Department said the move affected filtration gear in one of two systems intended to help ensure safety at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico… A February radiation release spread contaminants to 22 workers and forced personnel to vacate underground portions of the complex. The cause remains under investigation.” Full report here. http://bit.ly/TrNutV

Events:

--“Retrospective Illusions? Nuclear Lessons from French Memory.” Discussion with Benoit Pelopidas and Garrett Martin. June 25 from 11:00-12:30 at the Wilson Center, Fifth floor, Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1lLu7bp

--“PONI Breakfast with Kirk Donald.” Breakfast discussion with former National Nuclear Security Administration Deputy Administrator Kirk Donald. June 26 from 9:00-10:30 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1owrOLA

--“Toward a Comprehensive, Effective Nuclear Deal with Iran?” Discussion with Daryl Kimball, Greg Thielmann, Kelsey Davenport, and Frank von Hippel. June 26 from 10:00-12:00 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Choate Room, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1p9kz8a

--“Aegis Sea-Based Missile Defense: Present Status and Future Recommendations.” Discussion with John James, Rear Adm. James Kilby, Ron O’Rourke, Henry Cooper, and Robert Soofer. June 26 from 12:00-2:00 at SVC 201-00, Capitol Visitor Center. RSVP by email to Polly Parke at pparke@ifpa.org