Corker Details Support for New START

Today's top nuclear policy stories, with excerpts in bullet form.

Stories we're following today: Thursday, October 7, 2010.

Corker: 'If every American knew what I knew . . . ' – Frank Munger for the Knoxville News Sentinel [link]

• How many Republican senators ultimately vote for ratification of New START will likely depend on two things, Corker said. The first is whether senators are satisfied with the administration's commitment on maintaining the arsenal and believe that modernization will occur, he said. The second is whether anything pops up in the intelligence that makes senators less trustful of the agreement with Russia, he said.
• "If every American knew what I knew," Corker began on a couple of occasions, making reference to briefings he'd received and conditions he'd witnessed during trips to Y-12, Los Alamos and Sandia and those he'd heard about from others who'd been to Pantex.
• At this moment, Corker indicated he feels good on both those issues. He said he's sat through intelligence briefings and heard nothing to suggest that moving foward with the treaty isn't a good thing to do.
• "Let's face it, both countries know what the other is doing on nuclear issues," Corker said. "The one thing we don't have is a view from the ground, and that is to verify."

Germany to Do Away With U.S. Nukes? - United Press International [link]

• Germany's Rheinische Post newspaper Wednesday reported that the German Bundeswehr plans to decommission its entire Tornado fleet by 2013, at the latest. The move would essentially end the nuclear weapons sharing deal with the United States and force Washington to either take the bombs back or station them elsewhere in Europe.
• "The usage of the weapons system Tornado is planned beyond 2020," a spokesman said in a statement. "The time frame of final decommissioning has not yet been decided."
• The statement didn't, however, deny that Berlin might decommission selected Tornado units -- which experts say is likely to happen due to severe budget pressures weighing on the Bundeswehr.
• The German position could spark a row with the United States, Britain and neighboring France within NATO. The alliance plans to hold on to the nuclear deterrent and wants to continue its policy of stationing nuclear weapons at strategic locations across Europe.

Scrapping the Safe Nuke? – Hans Kristensen and Polughshares Fund Grantee for Strategic Security an FAS Blog [link]

• The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently announced that disassembly of the W84 warhead has begun at the Pantex Plant in Texas.
• This marks the final phase for a group of 400 warheads that were at the center of the Cold War in Europe as part of NATO’s Double Track Decision in 1979 to deploy intermediate-range weapons in response to Soviet deployments.
• The Nuclear Posture Review decided that the “full range of LEP approaches will be considered: refurbishment of existing warheads, reuse of nuclear components from different warheads, and replacement of nuclear components.”
• As a result, the W84 – and all other retired warheads currently in line for dismantlement – “will be assessed for reuse applications as appropriate,” NNSA told me.
• Therefore, they said, “it would be premature to assume that components from the W84 operations will be for immediate disposal (scrapping).”

Russia's Bulava Missile Succeeds in Trial Launch – Global Security Newswire [link]

• Russia's experimental Bulava submarine-based ballistic missile in a test today delivered its payload to a target on the Kamchatka Peninsula, breaking a string of test failures involving the planned lynchpin of Moscow's future sea-based nuclear deterrent, the Associated Press reported.
• The missile was launched from the Dmitry Donskoy nuclear submarine in the White Sea and dropped its practice warheads on the predetermined site at the nation's Kura test range, Defense Ministry spokesman Alexi Kuznetsov said. The Bulava's flight spanned roughly 3,730 miles, Agence France-Presse quoted the ministry as saying.
• The launch could mark the sixth successful Bulava test of 13 conducted to date, though even the five declared test successes have been questioned by some military specialists.
• Work on the missile has accounted for a significant portion of Russia's defense acquisition spending, Russian media said.