Iran to Upgrade Enrichment Capacity at Natanz

On the radar: Newer model, more of them; Prepping negotiations with Russia; Hagel before the SASC; Aegis upgrade; N. Korea going for a super?; Kim Jong-un on moonwalks; and Vermont’s nuclear legacy.

January 31, 2013 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke and Alyssa Demus

Natanz upgrade - Iran announced plans to install new, more advanced centrifuges at its Natanz facility. These new models (IR2m), which Iran plans to install more than 3,000 of according to a Vienna diplomat, could increase Iran’s enrichment capability at Natanz by as much as two or three times. Alan Cowell of the New York Times has the story.http://owl.li/hisNA

Prepping the groundwork - The Obama administration is preparing for nuclear negotiations with Russia with a series of high-level meetings. Vice President Joe Biden is set to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this weekend, and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon is slated to go to Moscow and transmit a letter from President Obama to Russian President Vladimir Putin, reports Josh Rogin at The Cable. http://atfp.co/11au0N6

Hagel statement - From Sen. Chuck Hagel’s opening statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee. On Iran: “I am fully committed to the President’s goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and – as I’ve said in the past – all options must be on the table to achieve that goal. My policy is one of prevention, and not one of containment – and the President has made clear that is the policy of our government.”

--On nukes: “while we pursue the reductions in our deployed stockpiles and launchers consistent with the New START Treaty, I am committed to maintaining a modern, strong, safe, ready, and effective nuclear arsenal.” (pdf) http://wapo.st/WhyWf4

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Hagel a harbinger? - With defense cuts looming large, and the President’s ambitious arms control agenda remaining unfinished, decisions made by the next Secretary of Defense will “carry significant weight” for the future of the U.S. defense posture, and its nuclear arsenal.

--Kingston Reif examines President Obama’s pick for Secretary of Defense and asks if the nomination of Chuck Hagel - who “has remained active and outspoken on the importance of reducing the nuclear threat” - is an indication of the Administration’s plans for further nuclear reductions. Full story at Foreign Policy. http://owl.li/hizLj

Tweet - @Cirincione: Rumors that sequestration would force suspension of MOX plant. The bell is beginning to toll for this nuclear turkey.

Aegis radars - The Navy is looking to increase the size and capability of the air and missile defense radars on its Aegis destroyers. The current radars are underpowered to accomplish their intended mission. However, even if the Navy increases their power by a factor of thirty - as planned - it is unclear if the radar will be capable enough for its to handle complex missile threats. George Lewis at Mostly Missile Defense has the details and calculations. http://bit.ly/Yllfu4

Expectations - North Korea announced it intends to conduct a nuclear test of a “higher level.” Most experts expect the test device to use highly enriched uranium or perhaps use plutonium in a more efficient missile warhead design. Exploring other possibilities, Jeffrey Lewis considers if North Korea might attempt to test an early thermonuclear weapon design. At Arms Control Wonk. http://bit.ly/TfXbK4

Events:

--”Twenty Years of Transformation in South Asia.” Stability of Deterrence in South Asia. January 31, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. @ the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. http://owl.li/hbQXh

--”Dealing with a Nuclear Iran: Redlines and Deadlines.” Gen. James Cartwright, Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and seven other speakers. February 6, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. @ CSIS. http://owl.li/hbQKm

--”What to do about Nuclear Outliers Iran and North Korea?” Robert Litwak, Vice President for Scholars and Academic Relations and Director of Int. Security Studies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. February 6, 12:00-1:30 p.m. @ George Washington University. http://owl.li/hbTo6

Dessert:

Moonwalker - “Jubilation sounded far and wide in the North Korean capital today as upwards of 100,000 cheering citizens proudly thronged Kim Il-sung Square to celebrate the historic news that Dear Leader Kim Jong-un had become the first man to walk on the moon,” reports The Onion. http://onion.com/XlaSVO

Atlases in Vermont - In the 1960s, Vermont hosted two Atlas ICBM missile sites. The sites were retired long ago, and the empty silos sit on private property today. Addison’s The Eagle looks at the history of the sites and their preservation. http://bit.ly/14tsW4A