Authorizers Push for More Nuclear Spending

On the radar: HASC plus ups for CMRR, subs and warheads; Nuclear boondoggles; Opportunity with Pakistan; Israeli politics and Iran; Delays for MOX; Russia seeks BMD guarantees; Assessing North Korea’s nuclear threat; and a Nuclear poll.

May 8, 2012 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke and Mary Kaszynski

HASC defense spending bill - HASC Chair Rep. Buck McKeon released his version of the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act. The chairman’s mark, which will serve as the starting point for the full committee markup this Wednesday, is $8 billion over the Budget Control Act cap on defense spending.

--“While Republicans decry the national debt and denounce unnecessary spending, HASC is proposing to add hundreds of millions of dollars to defense programs the Pentagon says it doesn’t want,” writes Kingston Reif.

--Nuclear highlights (lowlights?): the mark authorizes $7.9 billion for NNSA weapons activities (a $323 million increase over the request); $100 million for CMRR (which was zeroed out in the president’s budget and congressional appropriations bills); and increases R&D funding for the SSBN(X). http://owl.li/aLXGK

CMRR and NATO’s bombs - Besides reviving CMRR, the McKeon mark provides $435 million for the B61 Life Extension Program, a $66 million increase over the request. POGO’s Mia Steinle has more on nuclear boondoggles in the HASC bill. http://owl.li/aLXJ9

Early Warning big question - Appropriators in the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate both allotted no funding for CMRR this year, in line with with the President’s request to defer CMRR. If the HASC goes through with plans to keep CMRR on life support, where will the money come from in these tight budget times?

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Tweet - @Cirincione: A lot of people are gasping at this new graphic of the world’s nuclear missiles. via @nationalpost http://natpo.st/IS4eEw

Improving US-Pakistan ties - Pakistan’s new guidelines for engagement with the US, which ban drone strikes inside Pakistan, may be a short-term setback but an opportunity for better relations in the long run, Toby Dalton and George Perkovich write in The Hill.

--“As long as the U.S.-Pakistan relationship is defined through war, the United States will be seen more as an adversary than a friend of Pakistan and the democratic aspirations reflected in the parliament’s recent exertions.” http://owl.li/aLXMV

Israel’s new coalition - Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the centrist Kadima party have joined to form one of the largest unity governments in Israel’s history. The coalition will focus on military conscription and the Palestine peace process, but is also seen as sending a signal to Iran. Reuters has the story. http://owl.li/aLXUg

MOX slipping further - The $5 billion MOX facility in South Carolina has been plagued with delays and cost increases. In a tacit admission of the problems with the MOX facility, the House Armed Services Committee’s defense bill proposes to add two years to schedules for detailed reports on the facility’s costs and its timetables for disposing of plutonium. Rob Pavey at the Augusta Chronicle has the story. http://owl.li/aLXOI

Surprise! - “Ex-President Medvedev Confirmed as PM” reports RIA Novosti. http://owl.li/aLXQx

Quote - “They are trying to run before they can walk, with the predictable outcome of tripping,” said Jeffrey Lewis about North Korea’s troubled missile and nuclear test programs.

--Eric Talmadge of AP has the full story on “N. Korean nuclear weapons: How real is the threat?” http://owl.li/aLXSu

Nothing new - Russia’s foreign policy priorities, according to a document signed by newly inaugurated President Putin, include closer ties with the U.S. and also “firm guarantees” that the NATO missile defense shield is not directed at Russia. Reuters reports. http://owl.li/aLXWl

Poll - “Should the nuclear arsenal be upgraded or drastically shrunk?” reads question #9 of the iWatch News defense poll. http://owl.li/aLZ7K

--The results of the poll, a joint project of the Program for Public Consultation, Center for Public Integrity, and the Stimson Center, will be unveiled this Thursday at 10am at Stimson. Details and RSVP here. http://owl.li/aLYwN