Korean Peninsula
North Korean nuclear test could happen as early as Tuesday night
Richard Engel, Jim Miklaszewski and Robert Windrem, NBC News – April 24, 2012
North Korea could carry out an underground test of a nuclear weapon as early as Tuesday night as the North’s reclusive leadership dramatically tries to up the stakes with the U.S. and the West, U.S. officials told NBC News.
U.S. Warns North Korea on Nuclear Test
Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times – April 25, 2012
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned North Korea on Tuesday not to conduct another nuclear test, saying it would create “greater instability in a dangerous part of the world.”
Iran
Israel army chief says Iran unlikely to make bomb
Maayan Lubell, Reuters – April 25, 2012
Israel’s military chief said he does not believe Iran will decide to produce an atomic bomb, describing its leadership as “very rational” in an interview published on Wednesday.
Ex-Iran negotiator: “historic” chance for nuke talks
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters – April 25, 2012
Iran and major nations have a “historic opportunity” to settle their decade-old nuclear dispute, but requiring the Islamic state to stop higher-grade uranium enrichment would be discriminatory, Tehran’s former chief nuclear negotiator said.
Defense Budget
Watchdog: Pentagon Buys Weapons Backwards
Lee Ferran, ABC News – April 24, 2012
The federal agency charged with catching U.S. government waste said in a new report that the Pentagon has squandered millions in taxpayer dollars on expensive and complex weapons systems by spending first and asking questions later. The new report, prepared by the Government Accountability Office and published Friday, focused on the shortcomings of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System but hit on a controversial strategy used in other major defense purchases: concurrency.
South Asia
Pakistan Says It Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile
Salman Masood, New York Times – April 25, 2012
The test launch came six days after India, the country’s regional archrival, test-fired an Agni 5, a long-range ballistic missile that is also capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Pakistani military and defense analysts said that their missile test was not in response to India’s, which was seen as focused on China. The Agni 5 tested last week was capable of reaching Beijing and Shanghai.
