Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
2006 United States Special Weapons News
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December
November
- US has 480 nuclear weapons in Europe IRNA 29 Nov 2006 -- The US has 480 nuclear weapons deployed in six European countries -- Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Italy and Turkey.
October
September
August
July
- US Officials Outline Plan to Fight Nuclear Weapon Smuggling VOA 27 Jul 2006 -- Bush administration officials appeared before a Senate panel Thursday to outline efforts to prevent terrorists from smuggling nuclear weapons or material for such devices into the United States.
- U.S. To Convert 34 Tons of Plutonium into Nuclear Fuel Washington File 26 Jul 2006 -- The United States is on track to dispose of 34 metric tons of plutonium -- capable of making thousands of nuclear warheads – “by irradiating it as fuel in nuclear reactors to produce electricity,” an Energy Department official says.
- Bush, Russia's Putin Announce Program Against Nuclear Terrorism Washington File 16 Jul 2006 -- President Bush and President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced July 15 a new international initiative to prevent nuclear terrorism and stop the spread of nuclear and radioactive materials.
- Analysis: Preventing Ballistic Surprises cfr.org 07 Jul 2006 -- North Korea's recent missile tests (NYT) elicited harsh words from diplomats and alarmist headlines in newspapers.
- Indian Navy key target of US pressure IRNA 06 Jul 2006 -- The United States has turned up the pressure on India to join the Proliferation Security Initiative with the Indian Navy, which has been virtually crippled by US sanctions after the 1998 nuclear tests, and now being singled out by Washington as a valuable partner to take this forward.
June
- Wrap: Putin calls for new arms deal with U.S., fair competition RIA Novosti 27 Jun 2006 -- Russian leader Vladimir Putin proposed Tuesday that a new arms treaty be signed with the United States in the next three years and urged equal terms of commercial competition.
- Putin Calls for Talks with US on New Disarmament Treaty VOA 27 Jun 2006 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for new talks with the United States on key weapons reductions issues, three years before the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is due to expire.
- U.S. Nuclear Security Agency Focused on Reducing Threats Washington File 26 Jun 2006 -- The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has “accelerated and expanded” a five-pronged strategy to deny terrorists and rogue states the essentials needed to develop nuclear weapons, according to a senior official of that agency.
- Weapons Proliferation Initiative Seeking More Partners Washington File 23 Jun 2006 -- While more than 70 countries currently support the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), it needs additional partners from Asia, Africa and Latin America, says the State Department leading arms control official.
- Missileers receive new computer capabilities AFPN 08 Jun 2006 -- Airmen who pull alert in ICBM launch control centers deep underground in remote locations around the country are virtually cut off from the outside world.
May
April
March
- U.S. Sees Spread of Nuclear Weapons Greatest Security Challenge Washington File 29 Mar 2006 -- Because nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are capable of killing on a massive scale, it is imperative that such weapons be kept out of the hands of rogue states and terrorists, says Stephen Rademaker, acting assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation.
- Report Provides Strategic Vision for Countering WMD AFPS 24 Mar 2006 -- A document released today outlines the Defense Department's strategy for combating weapons of mass destruction and will serve as the foundation for assigning specific responsibilities throughout DoD toward that goal, a senior military official said.
- Nuclear Weapons Center set to open at Kirtland AFPN 20 Mar 2006 -- Kirtland will become the home of Air Force Materiel Command's newest organization, the Nuclear Weapons Center, on March 31.
- United States Advocates Major Expansion of Nuclear Energy Washington File 16 Mar 2006 -- The world's need for reliable, clean energy requires broadly expanded use of nuclear power, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman says.
- Australia, U.S. Strengthen Nuclear Security Partnership Washington File 11 Mar 2006 -- The United States and Australia have agreed to cooperate on countering radiological threats and responding to emergencies, according to the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
- North Korea, Iran Pose Missile Threat to U.S., General Says AFPS 10 Mar 2006 -- The proliferation of ballistic missile technology threatens the security of the United States, the director of the Missile Defense Agency said here yesterday.
- Conventional Missile System to Provide Diverse, Rapid Capabilities AFPS 09 Mar 2006 -- The conventional "Trident" missile program the Pentagon will ask Congress to fund is part of a larger strategy to better address diverse threats facing the United States and will further the country's defense goals, a Defense Department spokesman said here today.
- Nuclear Power Offers Risks, Potential VOA 02 Mar 2006 -- No new nuclear power plants have been approved in the United States since the 1970s, but the U.S. nuclear industry hopes to expand its role as a producer of energy.
February
- International Forum To Collaborate on New Reactors Washington File 21 Feb 2006 -- The United States signed an agreement about sodium-cooled fast reactor systems with France and Japan February 16, providing the framework for collaboration among these countries on the research and development of advanced nuclear reactors.
- Bush Envisions Transformation of Energy Use, Supply Washington File 18 Feb 2006 -- The United States will pursue technologies that can transform the ways Americans produce and use energy and expand the developing world's access to clean and affordable energy, President Bush says.
- Bush Says More Nuclear Power Plants Needed VOA 18 Feb 2006 -- President Bush wants more nuclear power plants in the United States to help lessen the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
- U.S. Favors Spotlighting Non-Proliferation Treaty Violators Washington File 13 Feb 2006 -- The United States and its allies are committed to confronting would-be violators of the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says Andrew K. Semmel, deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation.
- U.S. Urges "Concrete Action" to Stop Spread of WMD Washington File 14 Feb 2006 -- Individual countries “should ask themselves not what the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) can do for them,” but rather what they can do to combat the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMD), says Carolyn Leddy, senior adviser to the State Department's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.
- Stopping Dangerous Weapons Proliferation Highest U.S. Priority Washington File 09 Feb 2006 -- The State Department’s top arms control official says there is no higher national security priority for the United States than stopping the proliferation of dangerous weapons and addressing “the challenge of nuclear terrorism.”
- United States Proposes Global Plan To Encourage Nuclear Energy Washington File 08 Feb 2006 -- The U.S. Energy Department has proposed a broad global energy partnership to promote nuclear energy as a clean and safe source of electricity and develop advanced nuclear technologies to prevent spent nuclear fuel from being used to produce nuclear weapons.
January
- Accident report: B-1B fire caused by brake AFPN 12 Jan 2006 -- Leaking hydraulic fluid and sparks from its wheel being gouged caused a fire in a B-1B Lancer's right main landing gear as it touched down on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, after a mission Sept. 15, said Air Force investigators.