Nuclear Priorities for President Obama’s 2nd Term

On the radar: Dealing with Iran; Reductions with Russia; NIF minus the “I”; slight SM-3 delay; Jin-class 2 years from deploying warheads; and Flying through a mushroom cloud.

November 8th, 2012 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke and Marianne Nari Fisher

Ignatius suggestion - The President should be bold for his second term, says David Ignatius at The Washington Post. At the top of Ignatius’ list for foreign policy: “a deal with Iran that verifiably limits its nuclear program and avoids war.” http://wapo.st/SwIT2Y

Expert views - President Obama has the opportunity to leave a strong legacy on foreign policy with Iran, Russia, China and the Middle East, writes Mark Landler for The New York Times. On Iran, experts say there is room for a negotiated solution between now and Iran’s elections next June. “If they can achieve something during that period, it would create a new dynamic and create a very promising opening,” said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council.

--On arms control, President Obama has the chance to advance strategic arms reductions with Russia. Says Steven Pifer of Brookings, “It’s teed up for the president to make the decision...If you think about what his legacy would be, this is something he would like to leave behind.” http://nyti.ms/UycaKA

View from Tehran - A new report from Iran’s (generally hawkish) Ministry of Intelligence “suggest that the ministry has a pragmatic understanding of the challenges the country faces, the cost it is paying for continuing uranium enrichment at current levels, the threat of Israeli aggression and, perhaps most important, a way out of the stalemate,” writes Jason Rezaian in The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/T9oIJu

View from Moscow - “Russia sees hope for greater cooperation in Obama’s second term” by Kathy Lally for The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/SP8hUg

Tweet - @nukes_of_hazard: On arms control, @newyorker says Obama 2nd term goal could be "containment of Iran's nuclear program” http://ow.ly/f7Kro

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Refocusing the NIF - “After an unsuccessful campaign to demonstrate the principles of a futuristic fusion power plant, the world’s most powerful laser facility is set to change course and emphasize its nuclear weapons research,” writes Geoff Brumfiel for Nature.

--Directors at Lawrence Livermore lab “are expected to outline plans to cut its time for ignition research from 80% to 50% and to give the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is responsible for maintaining the US nuclear arsenal, a more central role in determining the NIF’s priorities.” http://bit.ly/SEUBJ0

SM-3 IIB delayed - The Missile Defense Agency indicated that plans to develop the SM-3 block IIB missile defense interceptor will be delayed by nine months, as the agency pushed back its initial call for contractor bids on the program until early 2014. Global Security Newswire has the story. http://bit.ly/Uydc9l

A Chinese sea-based deterrent - China is within two years of deploying nuclear weapons on its Jin-class submarines, according to a 2012 draft report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

--”The U.S. Congress should require the U.S. State Department to spell out efforts to integrate China into nuclear arms reduction, limitation, and control discussions and agreements, the draft said.” Reuters has the story. http://reut.rs/Z6g1D5

More nuclear nightmares - There have been some terrifying moments involving accidents or security slips with nuclear weapons. Jeffrey Lewis at Arms Control Wonk shares a few more: marines being a little too close to a 15 MT nuclear blast, a high-altitude test that knocked out power in Hawaii, and a Soviet nuclear device abandoned in a hole in Kazakhstan for a few years. http://bit.ly/T9vXRV

Tweet - @ctbto_alerts: 55 years ago today: 1st UK H-bomb #nuclear test, the 1.8 mt 'Grapple X' test at Christmas Island, Pacific Ocean w/video http://bit.ly/Tx8dHh

Flying through a mushroom cloud - In 1958, RAF navigator Joe Pasquini was part of a crew that flew a plane through the radioactive mushroom cloud of a 3 MT nuclear test. When the plane landed, they sprinted away from the aircraft, measured their radioactivity dosages and scrubbed themselves off for half an hour. "After that we all felt like a few beers, and that's exactly what we did," Pasquini says.

--BBC has the story of Pasquini, his view of the nuclear explosion, and his struggle with 7 bouts of cancer as nuclear veteran. http://bbc.in/T9gIs3