IRAN
First-step Deal on Curbing Iran’s Nuclear Program Takes Shape
Laurence Norman and Jay Soloman, Wall Street Journal — November 7, 2013
A confidence-building deal curbing Iran’s nuclear program is within reach according to American and Iranian officials currently negotiating in Geneva. The deal would have Iran pause its nuclear program for a period of six months in return for limited sanctions relief.
Sen. Bob Corker Moves to Stop Obama from Lifting Iran Sanctions
Josh Rogin, The Daily Beat — November 6, 2013
Senator Bob Corker is considering the introduction of a bill that would block the Obama administration from relieving existing Iranian sanctions. Mr. Corker is a senior member on the the Foreign Relations Committee.
SYRIA
Search of Syria’s disclosed chemical weapons sites nearly done
CNN Staff, CNN International — November 7, 2013
Weapons inspectors charged with destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile have verified a further weapons site within the country. The site, located in the contested city of Aleppo, was one of two sites that the inspectors could not verify in previous weeks due to ongoing fighting in the area between government and rebel forces.
DEFENSE
Is Pentagon paying for study it can get for free?
Ray Locker, USA TODAY — November 6, 2013
The Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment (ONA) is paying the conservative National Institute for Public Policy $184,000 to conduct an analysis of US nuclear deterrence strategy. This decision was made despite the fact that the Institute had already published such an analysis in the summer.
NORTH KOREA
Inside the Ring: North Korean missiles deemed a serious threat to U.S.
Bill Gertz, The Washington Times — November 7, 2013
Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear has expressed his concern regarding new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) currently being developed in North Korea. Adm. Locklear told a group of foreign reporters “I am bound to take that serious, both for not only the peninsula, but also the region, as well as my own homeland.”
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Nuclear Arsenal: US To Turn Old Bombs Into All-Purpose Weapons
Markus Becker and Otfried Nassauer, Der Spiegel — November 6, 2013
US plans to modernize an array of aging nuclear weapons have been criticized as violating President Obama’s pledge that the US would not develop any new nuclear weapons. The ongoing modernization programs seek to redesign certain parts of these older weapons rather than simply refurbish the weapons themselves. This, according to some interest groups, could lead some to view the modernization program as an effort to develop new weapon types.
US to spend billions ‘modernizing’ nuclear arsenal
Mathieu Rabechault, Agence France-Presse — November 6, 2013
The Obama administration is planning on spending billions of dollars on a modernization program for the B61 nuclear gravity bomb. Some members of Congress have raised concerns regarding the growing cost of the program. Originally slated to cost $4 to $8 billion, new projections estimate the cost at nearer to $10-$12 billion.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi nuclear weapons ‘on order’ from Pakistan
Mark Urban, BBC News — November 7, 2013
An unnamed senior NATO decision maker has told the BBC that Saudi Arabia has invested in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects. A number of Pakistani-made weapons have already been developed and are “now sitting ready for delivery” to Saudi Arabia.
