Digests and Blog

Today, the North Korean government released a statement through the Korean Central News Agency condemning the most recent UN Security Council resolution (S/RES/2087) directed at Pyongyang. The UNSC resolution expands the list of sanctioned entities in response to the most recent North Korean satellite launch, which occurred on Dec. 12, 2012. Although the resolution did not authorize a new round of sanctions, it demanded that Pyongyang refrain from conducting subsequent launches "using ballistic missile technology." It also instructed the country to comply with previous council resolutions…

The Advisory Committee of the Confidentiality of National Defense has approved the declassification of 58 documents related to radiation levels in French Polynesia during and after French nuclear test explosions. France conducted 4 atmospheric and 13 underground nuclear tests in Algeria and 46 atmospheric and 147 underground nuclear tests at the Mururoa and Fangataufa Atolls in the Pacific. French nuclear test veterans have long struggled to obtain compensation from their government for ailments that they believe resulted from exposure to radioactive fallout. Access to the nuclear testing…

In an opinion editorial on U.S.-Russian relations, which touches on further bilateral nuclear reductions, cooperation on missile defense, the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and increased trade between the two countries, former Secretary of State Albright calls for the United States Senate to ratify the CTBT. She and Ivanov write: "Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Limited Test Ban Treaty, the first nuclear arms control agreement. It would be an appropriate year for the U.S. Senate to consent to ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which…

The Associated Press reported on Dec. 27, 2012 that satellite photos indicate North Korea has repaired flood damage at its nuclear test facility and is now capable of conducting a nuclear test explosion at the site. According to 38 North, a program of the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS, North Korea is capable of conducting a nuclear test at the site "in as little as two weeks" from the point a decision to proceed is made. North Korea conducted a satellite launch on Dec. 12, 2012, which many believe was meant to gather data to construct an intercontinental ballistic missile. The United States…

By Tom Z. Collina and Daryl G. Kimball In all the last minute drama about whether the nation would fall off the 'fiscal cliff,' it went largely unnoticed that the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) almost took the plunge as well. The fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed by President Obama on Jan. 2, included language that Obama, in his signing statement, called "deeply problematic" as it would "impede the fulfillment of future U.S. obligations agreed to in the New START Treaty, which the Senate provided its advice and consent to in 2010, and…

Want help with your last minute holiday shopping for that arms control enthusiast in your office or family? Here are some ideas... A Gift to Arms Control Today! First and foremost, give a gift subscription to Arms Control Today, the journal of the Arms Control Association read by hundreds of policy makers, educators, and students. Subscriptions start at $65 per year and includes both print and digital access. Student rates are $35 per year. Digital subscriptions are only $25. For the Mobile Arms Control Enthusiast Just Released! Arms Treaties app for Apple iPad is the must-have app for…

By the ACA Staff Since 1971, the Arms Control Association has promoted practical solutions to address the dangers posed by the world's most dangerous weapons-nuclear, biological, and chemical, as well as certain types of conventional arms. Every year since 2007, ACA's staff has nominated several individuals and institutions that best exemplify leadership and action in pursuing effective arms control solutions. Each, in their own way, has provided leadership to help reduce weapons-related security threats. We invite you to cast your vote (one per person) for the 2012 Arms Control Person(s) of…

By Greg Thielmann The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which was signed in Washington 25 years ago tomorrow, December 8, is legendary among arms controllers for its improbable outcome and the depth, pace, and duration of its accomplishments. With implementation of this agreement, an entire category of U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons delivery vehicles –land-based missiles with ranges between 500 km and 5,500 km -- was eliminated. Equally important, the United States and the Soviet Union found their way back to negotiating mutually beneficial nuclear arms control limits, which…

President Barack Obama speaks Dec. 3, 2012 at the National Defense University along with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, fmr. Sen. Sam Nunn, and Sen. Dick Lugar. By Daryl G. Kimball In his first foreign policy-related address since his reelection, on Monday Dec. 3 President Obama praised the architects of the highly-successful Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, he reaffirmed his commitment to the action plan toward a world without nuclear weapons, and he underscored his commitment to achieve further progress to reduce the threats posed by nuclear, chemical and biological…

By Greg Thielmann As a general rule, serious security concerns and hyperbolic news reports are a bad combination. The November 27 Associated Press "Exclusive," based on an Iranian graph reportedly now in possession of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), provides the latest example. The AP acknowledges upfront that the document, which appears to depict calculations of nuclear warhead yield potential, was leaked by officials from a country that wishes to "to bolster their arguments that Iran's nuclear program must be halted before it produces a weapon." That should have led the AP to…