Misblog

Originally Published December 10, 2008; Last Updated August 01, 2010; Last Republished August 01, 2010:

An international group meets in Paris to renew efforts toward eliminating all nuclear arms—the group has launched the Global Zero campaign.

The group will offer nuclear nation's leaders and individuals worldwide a step-by-step plan for eliminating all nuclear weapons worldwide through phased and verified reductions.

Ground Zero Nuclear Explosion¹

Web:

• UPDATED 08/01/2010 Newsweek, The Power of Zero.

  Former CIA officer Valerie Plame talks on counter-proliferation, urgent need to reduce existing nuclear stockpiles, and her involvement with Global Zero's documentary Countdown to Zero.

• UPDATED 10/19/2009 CSM, Next nuclear worry for US: Kazakhstan?.

  The article includes a link to an Open Source Center report on the corrupt besot leaders of Kazakhstan to use the nation's significant uranium ore reserves to promote economic growth (report is also downloadable at FAS).

  It remains to be seen whose economic growth (Kazakhstan or its corrupt leader’s) and the role other nations will play—will other nations work to enhance, exploit, or eliminate Kazakstan's corruption?

• UPDATED 09/03/2009 Reuters, Russia says progress made on U.S. nuclear arms deal.

  This is very welcomed and encouraging news—hopefully "progress" means substantial movement toward zero nuclear weapons.

  OK, for the time being one nuclear missile each (a "Charlie Brown, Linus Security Blanket"), provided one is targeted on Moscow and the other on Washington and both are configured such that neither or both missiles are launched.

• UPDATED 07/02/2009 BBC, Japan envoy [Yukiya Amano] wins UN nuclear post.(IAEA, Short Bio for Yukiya Amano)

• UPDATED 05/29/2009 (05/30/2009 local) IISS Shangri-La Dialogue Singapore, Text of U.S. Secretary of Defense (SecDef) Robert Gates Speech.

  It is difficult to image a more apropos speech given current events—it would be most unfortunate for America and others if our SecDef were to prematurely leave his current assignment.

• UPDATED 05/19/2009 Reuters, Russia, U.S. hold talks on cutting nuclear weapons.

  • UPDATED 05/21/2009 White House, Remarks by the President post meeting with Schultz, Kissinger, Nunn, and Perry on non-proliferation.

• UPDATED 05/16/2009 UPIAsia, Japan keen to advance nuclear disarmament.

  It would be wonderful if Japan would continuously host global nuclear disarmament talks until nuclear disarmament reach global zero.

  Under the banner of its profoundly simple three not principle:

  not possessing; not producing; and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons

  • UPDATED 05/18/2009 Nobel Peace winners issue declaration
• UPDATED 04/08/2009 NPR, U.S. to Talk Directly With Iran on Nuclear Program.
  
  • WP, U.S. to Join Talks on Iran's Nuclear Program
• UPDATED 04/07/2009 Reuters, U.S. hints deadline could slip on Russia arms deal.
• UPDATED 04/04/2009 Reuters, Obama to call for nuclear-free world. This bold announcement is long overdue—we are drowning in our weapons grade fissile material—to what end or purpose (UPDATED 04/06/2009 text of speech, courtesy AP & BaltimoreSunTimes).
  • Obama Is Set to Speak on Global Arms Control
• UPDATED 04/04/2009 Reuters, Russia says to start nuclear talks with U.S. in April.

• PDATED 04/01/2009 NYT, Seeking New Start, U.S. and Russia Press Arms Talks.

  • Reuters, Obama, Medvedev to reset ties with arms pact

• UPDATED 03/06/2009 NTI, U.S., Russia Could Set Table for Nuclear Talks Today.

  "We're on the cusp of an explosion of proliferation and Iran is now the poster child."--NIT quoting Former U.S. national security adviser Brent Scowcroft--

  It is no longer acceptable for nuclear nations to seek unilateral security in nuclear weapons without ensuring and assuring the security of nations not seeking such security in nuclear weapons.

  One hopes nations will sooner learn to live without an illusion of nuclear weapons security. But that will require radical changes in the way we currently think about the world and our place in it. How will these changes come about?

  Kudos United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov...we look forward to the results and effects of their work product, whatever it is called.

• UPDATED 03/03/2009 NTI, Russia Opposes Simple Extension of START.

• UPDATED 02/24/2009 NYT, When Nuclear Subs Collide.

  Our mature tridents (hull life in the area of 40 years) can be converted to SSGNs (four already have been converted). Cruise missiles (primarily non nuclear variants²) replace the trident D5 ballistic missiles in the converted SSGNs.

  Nuclear non proliferation talks are also timely as America considers the need and configuration of the follow-on submarine platform (SBSD³) for the mature Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine platform (more conversion to SSGNs are likely to continue).

• UPDATED 02/22/2009 UPI, Obama to push arms control agenda. This is as bold and fantastic as it is welcomed—there is not a dearth of nations who've figured out how to war—only nations who've figured out how not to war.
• BBC, Group seeks nuclear weapons ban

Res:

• UPDATED 02/10/2009 NAP, Future of the Nuclear Security Environment in 2015: Proceedings. The 2009 publication contains the papers from the November 2007 symposium—requires an email address for the no-cost download.

  Papers focus on understanding and enhancing Russia-U.S. cooperation toward furthering their already impressive gains in securing access to fissile material (no easy task) and reducing the nuclear threat.

  "Cooperation between Russia and the United States in material protection, control, and accounting (MPC&A) has often been called a successful example of cooperation between the two countries in the area of international nuclear security and in resolving specific tasks aimed at strengthening the nuclear weapons and nuclear materials non-proliferation regime."--Sergei V. Antipov, et al.--

Blog:

• UPDATED 05/07/2009 TimesOnline, The Luckiest or Unluckiest Man in the World? Tsutomu Yamaguchi, double A-bomb victim. Short story on survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing.

-----notes-----

1. Detonation immediately changes the bomb's core geometry such that neutron collisions are insufficient to sustain nuclear fission.

Physicist Jeremy Bernstein has written a short primer (liberally incorporating Serber's primer), Plutonium: A History of the Worlds Most Dangerous Element, which helps interested non-technical individuals understand some of the proliferation concerns.

Now that the flat earth faithful are leaving office, science, like Lazarus can rise from the dead.

2. There are SLCM cruise missile variants that can carry nuclear payloads (see handy FAS nuclear weapons table).

The boys in blue have their own advanced air launched nuclear cruise missile variant (aka ACM and ALCM) to go with their bombers (B-2 and 52).

3. UPDATED 03/01/2009 Sea Based Strategic Deterrent, which may differ from what has typically been thought of as an SSBN submarine platform. The FY 2009 Defense Appropriation also includes money for a related parallel Undersea Launched Missile Study (ULMS).