$27 Billion for Nuclear Warheads

On the radar: Expansive programs make for costly warheads; Science vs. rhetoric on Iran; Iran’s letter and P5 reactions; SM-3s into Romania; Joe talks nuclear safety; Ratifying CTBT; Cooperation and the reset; and Putin hunts tiger, holds puppy.

September 14, 2011 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke and Mary Kaszynski

$27 billion for warheads - That is what it could cost for NNSA to maintain, modify, and extend the service life of nearly every warhead in the enduring stockpile. Program costs: $3.7 billion on the W88 warhead, $3.9 billion on the B61 bomb, $4.2 billion on the W78 warhead, $1.7 billion on the W76 warhead, and $2.3 billion on the W80-1 warhead, with $11 billion to simply maintain the stockpile outside of LEP programs. Total price tag: $27 billion over twenty years.

--The latest plans indicate that LEP programs are “becoming more ambitious and will incorporate more intrusive changes to the warheads,” under the justification of improved warhead safety and surety, write analysts Nick Roth, Hans Kristensen and Stephen Young.

--Warning to Congress: “There must be a point of diminishing returns, where the potential improvements are not justified by the monetary costs or the risks to the reliability of the stockpile.” SSMP analysis part II of IV. http://ow.ly/6tcLe

“Science contradicts rhetoric” on Iran - Every time the IAEA releases a report on Iran, it sparks a fresh round of dire warnings about Iran’s nuclear program. “But how much cause for concern is there really in the report?” ask Ali Vaez and Charles Ferguson.

--”The actual science of Iran's nuclear program, as revealed by this latest IAEA report, looks far milder than what either [hawks in Washington or propagandists in Tehran are] portraying.” http://ow.ly/6tqmS

Developing - “Iran's judiciary said on Wednesday the release on bail of two U.S. citizens convicted of espionage was not imminent, state media reported, rejecting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's announcement that they will be freed in a couple of days.” From Reuters. http://ow.ly/6ucZl

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Iran opening to nuclear talks? - In a recent letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Iran expressed a new willingness to discuss nuclear issues in talks with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. AP notes that the recent letter is more moderate in tone and avoids some previous demands that have had the effect of scuttling talks outright. http://ow.ly/6uanF

Mixed reactions to Iran’s letter - “The six powers were discussing how to respond to Iran's letter to Ashton, who is handling diplomatic contacts with Tehran on behalf of the six capitals...they may decide to engage with the Islamic Republic as a result,” reports Fredrik Dahl at the bottom of a piece otherwise titled “Alarmed West dismisses Iran nuclear charm offensive.” http://ow.ly/6ubx8

US-Romania Missile Defense Agreement - Romania has agreed to host land-based SM-3 missile defense interceptors as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach. State Dept. has a fresh fact sheet on the agreement. http://ow.ly/6u5as

Nuclear Safety - Joe Cirincione discussed improving safety at nuclear facilities on the Rachel Maddow show. http://ow.ly/6u76z

Ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty - The CTBT is “an essential tool for dealing with today’s security threats,” write Hazel O’Leary and Daryl Kimball in The LA Times. Ratifying it will “immediately bolster the international community's efforts to stop rogue states from developing and potentially proliferating nuclear weapons.” http://ow.ly/6u7x0

How reliable is our intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program? - A new report of the Iran Task Force of the Atlantic Council seeks to answer that question, with lessons from Iraq and beyond. The report launches on tomorrow, with a panel featuring Sen. Check Hagel, Amb. Stuart Eizenstat, Barbara Slavin, Olli Heinonen, David Albright and Paul Pillar. Event details and RSVP here.

”A Durable Reset” - Obama and Medvedev have made significant progress restoring the US-Russia relationship with “important achievements” on Iran, Afghanistan, and nuclear arms control and security. Andrew Kuchins gives some perspective to the recent past and potential future of the “reset.” http://ow.ly/6uaeo

Vladimir Putin, Action Man - He hunts tigers, bends frying pans, holds puppies, and arm wrestles. Most of all, he has his photo taken. The Atlantic has a full set of 34 Putin photos - from the strange to the stranger. http://ow.ly/6u7SB