USAF Counterproliferation Center (CPC) Outreach Journal - Department of Defense
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
USAF Counterproliferation Center
(CPC) Outreach Journal
Issue No. 1098, 17 January 2014
Welcome to the CPC Outreach Journal! As part of the CPC’s mission to develop Air Force, DoD, and other USG
leaders to advance the state of knowledge, policy, and practices within strategic defense issues involving nuclear,
biological, and chemical weapons, we offer the government and civilian community a source of contemporary
discussions on unconventional weapons. These discussions include news articles, papers, and other information
sources that address issues pertinent to the U.S. national security community. It is our hope that this information
resources will help enhance the overall awareness of these important national security issues and lead to the
further discussion of options for dealing with the potential use of unconventional weapons.
The CPC is seeking submissions for its annual General Charles A. Horner award, which honors the best original
writing on issues relating to Air Force counter-WMD and nuclear enterprise operations. The deadline for
submissions is March 31, 2014. For more information, please visit our web-site.
The following news articles, papers, and other information sources do not necessarily reflect official endorsement
of the Air University, U.S. Air Force, or Department of Defense. Reproduction for private use or commercial gain is
subject to original copyright restrictions. All rights are reserved.
FEATURED ITEM: “Considering a Nuclear Gulf - Thinking about Nuclear Weapons in Saudi Arabia”
By Dr. Norman Cigar, USAF Counterproliferation Center, November 2013, 183 Pages.
http://cpc.au.af.mil/pdfs/books/nucleargulf.pdf
Saudi Arabia's concern that Iran may obtain a nuclear weapon has driven that country to examine its need for a
nuclear option. Dr. Cigar explores Saudi Arabia's decision calculus as that country struggles with balancing promises
of U.S. extended deterrence with the desire to seek its own nuclear weapons that would offer a direct deterrent to
an Iranian nuclear capability.
Outreach Journal Feedback or sign-up request: cpc.admin@maxwell.af.mil
U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS
1. Sandia Conducts First Impact Test in Years of Nonnuclear B61 Components
2. 34 Nuclear Launch Officers Involved in Air Force Cheating Scandal
HOMELAND SECURITY/THE AMERICAS
1. Progress Made in Safeguarding Nuclear Materials
2. Kansas Biodefense Facility Set for Huge Funding Surge
3. Pentagon Advisers Press for Nuclear-Monitoring Revamp
ASIA/PACIFIC
1. Premier Stresses Innovation at Top Science Awards
2. China Conducts First Test of New Ultra-High Speed Missile Vehicle
3. S. Korea, U.S. to Discuss Deterrence Plan against N. Korean Nuke
4. China Hails First Test of Hypersonic Nuclear Missile Carrier
5. Call to Revise Plans for Defense against Nuclear Rockets
6. ‘No Targets’ for Missiles
7. NK Proposes Halting all Cross-Border Slander
EUROPE/RUSSIA
1. Ministers Ignore Vote, JSF Jet Fighter Could Carry Nuclear Weapons
2. Gates: British Cuts Limiting Military Partnership with US
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
MIDDLE EAST
1. Iranian Nuclear Chief: Nuclear Bill Would Have Consequences
2. Deal Reached on Implementing Iranian Nuclear Agreement
3. Iran Nuke Deal Doesn't End Debate over Sanctions
4. New Iran Agreement Includes Secret Side Deal, Tehran Official Says
5. President Rouhani: East, West Bow to Iran’s Power, Resistance
6. Deputy FM: Iran, IAEA to Continue Talks on February 8
7. Iran, IAEA Talks Postponed amid Nuclear Deal Preparations
8. Hard-liners in Iran Oppose ‘Poisoned’ Nuclear Deal
9. Obama Administration Releases to Lawmakers Iran Nuclear Deal Text
INDIA/PAKISTAN
1. Change At Pakistan's Nuclear Strategic Plans Division: Cause For Concern?
COMMENTARY
1. US Nukes: Now It’s Our Turn to Catch Up to the Russians
2. Op-Ed: Morale Is High in Nuclear Force
3. The Nuclear Nightmare
4. The Smart Choice on the B61
5. With Cold War Long Over, it’s Time to Show some Fiscal and Nuclear Courage
6. Will China's New Supersonic Warhead Bust US Missile Shield?
7. Some Bombs Can Be Tossed
Business Journals.com
Sandia Conducts First Impact Test in Years of Nonnuclear B61
Components
By Dan Mayfield, Reporter, Albuquerque Business First
January 14, 2014
For the first time in seven years, Sandia National Laboratories has tested the nonnuclear components of its B61
nuclear bombs.
The U.S. is forbidden to test the nuclear components, but “one of the main purposes of the stockpile is deterrence,
so one important way to assure deterrence is to have a successful surveillance test that shows our systems work,”
senior manager Patrick Sena said in a news release.
Data from the test will be used to update the annual assessment of the nation’s stockpile for President Barack
Obama.
Sena said the preliminary data showed the test met the requirements of the worst-case conditions the B61 is
expected to meet with high reliability. The lab’s surveillance tests study the nonnuclear components under
different conditions.
Sandia researchers hoisted a B61-11 earth-penetrating weapon by hoisting it above a target and attaching it to a
rocket sled.
http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2014/01/14/sandia-first-impact-test-nonnuclear-B61.html
Return to Top
Stars and Stripes.com
34 Nuclear Launch Officers Involved in Air Force Cheating Scandal
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
2USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
By Jon Harper, Stars and Stripes
January 15, 2014
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the Air Force’s top civilian and military leaders revealed that 34 nuclear missile
launch officers were involved in a cheating scandal surrounding proficiency tests conducted last year at
Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. The 34 personnel constitute about 18 percent of the missile officers
stationed there.
“There was cheating that took place with respect to this particular test. Some officers did it. Others apparently
knew about it, and it appears that they did nothing, or at least not enough to stop it or to report it. Now this is
absolutely unacceptable behavior and it is completely contrary to our core values in the Air Force,” new Air Force
Secretary Deborah James told reporters at the Pentagon.
“Cheating or tolerating others who cheat runs counter to everything we believe in as a service. People at every
level will be held accountable if and where appropriate,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said.
Over the weekend, the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigation found evidence that a missile launch officer from
the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom texted answers to monthly missile launch officer proficiency tests to 16
other officers.
“We subsequently approached the entire missile crew force at Malmstrom and 17 other officers who self-admitted
to at least being aware of material that had been shared. We don’t yet know how or if each of those officers used
that material, but we do know that none of them reported the incident to their leadership,” Welsh said.
Welsh said he is not aware of a cheating scandal this large in the entire history of the missile force.
All 34 involved have been decertified as launch officers. They are restricted from missile crew duty and their
security clearances have been suspended. The OSI investigation into their individual involvement and the overall
cheating scandal will continue, Welsh said. The officers vary in rank from second lieutenant to captain.
The Malmstrom wing failed a nuclear security inspection last August due to “a problem in a security scenario,” but
the failure was not related to carrying out operational procedures, Welsh said.
On Wednesday, the commander of Global Strike Command, which oversees the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise,
ordered a proficiency test be administered to all missile crewmembers in all three of the nation’s nuclear missile
wings in the wake of the cheating at Malmstrom. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 20 percent of the entire
missile crew force had taken the test, and 97 percent of them passed. There were three failures. The 97 percent
pass rate matches historical averages, according to Welsh.
James said the testing of the entire force will be completed by the end of the day Thursday.
When asked about the motivation behind the cheating, Welsh said, “It’s hard to cover up incompetence cheating
one time on a test. When you’re going to have a monthly simulator with two instructors watching you actually
conduct the practical application of this knowledge in a simulator, you can’t hide that. And so whether it’s to get a
better score on a test or — I just — I’d be speculating as to what it is, but I don’t believe it’s incompetence.”
The cheating took place in August and September, according to officials.
“We have no indications or evidence that it has occurred since then; the investigation has just started,” Welsh said.
James and Welsh will now travel ahead of schedule to all of the ICBM bases next week. The other two are located
at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming and Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
“Secretary James and I will personally visit all of our missile bases … next week to ensure that our airmen have no
question about our expectations of those who perform this vital mission,” Welsh said.
Last week, Defense Secretary Hagel visited F.E. Warren to talk to ICBM launch officers following reports of low
morale and poor performance among the nation’s missile crews.
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
3USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
“I want to talk also about continuing to hone our skills — our personal skills, our institutional skills, on focusing on
our professionalism and how we handle our day-to-day responsibilities,” Hagel told the airmen Jan. 9. “You’ve …
chosen a profession where there’s no room for error. In what you do every day, there is no room for error. None.”
This cheating scandal comes on the heels of revelations in recent days that three missile launch officers at
Malmstrom and F.E. Warren were implicated in an illegal narcotics investigation. Eight personnel at other Air Force
bases have been implicated as well. The cheating at Malmstrom came to light during the course of the ongoing
narcotics investigation this past weekend, Welsh said. Two of the 34 launch officers involved in the cheating
scandal at Malmstrom are also involved in the drug scandal, Air Force officials said.
The narcotics scandal first came to light during Hagel’s visit to F.E. Warren.
James acknowledged that the missile force faces personnel problems.
“I’ve heard that we have quality concerns about people. I’m also hearing that there are top-notch people. And my
guess is the truth is somewhere in between, but this is a force that needs attention. It is a top priority,” she said.
But the Air Force leaders told reporters that the personnel issues don’t pose a threat to the nuclear enterprise.
“I have great confidence in the security and the effectiveness of our ICBM force,” James said. “This was a failure of
some of our airmen. It was not a failure of the nuclear mission.”
“This is not about the compromise of nuclear weapons. It’s about compromise of the integrity of some of our
airmen,” Welsh said.
Hagel was briefed on the cheating scandal Wednesday.
“Secretary Hagel was deeply troubled to learn of these allegations, and he strongly supports the aggressive steps
the Air Force is taking in response to them,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement
Wednesday.
Welsh suggested that punishment will continue to be meted out to those who violate standards of conduct.
“Our actions as we move forward will be about making sure that every member of our Air Force understands that
we will not accept or allow that type of behavior, that there is nothing more important to the nation than the
integrity and the trustworthiness of the people who defend it, and that anyone who doesn’t understand that
should find another line of work,” Welsh said.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/34-nuclear-launch-officers-involved-in-air-force-cheating-scandal-1.262223
Return to Top
Government Security News.com
Progress Made in Safeguarding Nuclear Materials
By John Wagley
Monday, January 13, 2014
Seven countries have eliminated weapons-grade nuclear material from their territory in the past few years,
according to a new report from the Washington-based nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Though the
elimination of such material represents significant progress in helping reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism, much
remains to be done, according to NTI. This includes creating an effective and accountable global system to improve
nuclear material security.
The countries that removed material from their territory included Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico,
Sweden, Ukraine and Vietnam, according to the 2014 NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index. That brings the number
of nations with weapons usable material to 25, from 32 in 2012.
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
4USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
“In terms of national security -- in terms of global security -- this is great progress,” said NTI Co-Chairman Sam
Nunn. “By deciding to get rid of their weapons-usable nuclear material, these seven countries have taken one of
the most important steps toward ensuring that terrorists can’t get access to the materials needed to build a
nuclear bomb.”
The report, a follow-up to the first index released in 2012, assessed 25 countries with one kilogram or more of
weapons-usable nuclear material in addition to 151 countries that have less than one kilogram or no materials but
could be used as safe havens, staging grounds, or transit points for illicit materials.
Nearly 2,000 metric tons of weapons-usable nuclear materials -- highly enriched uranium or plutonium -- are
spread across hundreds of sites in the 25 countries, according to NTI, and some of that material is poorly secured.
“All it takes to build a bomb is enough highly enriched uranium to fill a five-pound bag of sugar or a quantity of
plutonium the size of a grapefruit.”
As in 2012, Australia ranks first among the 25 states with usable material. Australia also improved its score from
2012 by reducing quantities of materials and ratifying a key international legal agreement that commits states to
criminalize acts of nuclear terrorism. The next four countries are Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Norway.
Among states with nuclear arms, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States scored highest, with France
tied for seventh place and the United Kingdom and the United States tied for 11th. Among countries with less than
one kilogram or no weapons-usable nuclear materials, the top five are Denmark, Finland and Sweden (tied for
second), Spain, and Slovenia.
Among countries with more than one kilogram of material, North Korea ranked last, right below Pakistan, India,
and Iran.
Despite the removal of material, NTI says much more remains to be done to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism.
One recommendation is for nations to reach a consensus on principles for a global system. “While individual state
actions are necessary, they are not sufficient, and leaders should work together to reach consensus on the key
principles of an effective global system that covers all weapons-usable nuclear materials.”
The report also noted that about 85 percent of global weapons-usable nuclear material is outside of civilian
programs, in many cases because it is part of a military program. It is therefore not covered by guidelines from the
International Atomic Energy Agency or the major international legal agreement for securing nuclear materials, the
Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material protection treaty, according to the report. NTI suggests
that governments work to secure non-civilian material equally or better than civilian material.
NTI also recommends that countries build confidence in the effectiveness of security practices by taking steps such
as participating in international peer reviews, publishing relevant regulations, and declaring inventories. It also
recommends that more countries participate in treaties governing nuclear terrorism and physical security.
NTI produced the report with the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit and drew on the expertise of technical
advisors and international experts from nuclear and non-nuclear weapons states.
http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/39926?c=military_force_protection
Return to Top
Global Security Newswire
Kansas Biodefense Facility Set for Huge Funding Surge
By Diane Barnes, Global Security Newswire
January 15, 2014
A newly released omnibus appropriations bill includes a mammoth funding boost for a planned Kansas biodefense
laboratory -- to more than 13 times last year's spending.
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
5USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
The legislation described on Monday by the House and Senate appropriations committees would provide $404
million in fiscal 2014 funding for the unfinished National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The project received $30.7
million in fiscal 2013, according to a staffer for Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee
Chairwoman Mary Landrieu (D-La.). Construction of the site's main laboratory area was slated to begin this year.
Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said the new appropriations bill would put an end to doubts about the future of the
facility, following debate over its its necessity and location.
"For those who have questioned whether NBAF will be built in Kansas, the passage of this funding bill will provide a
clear answer: yes,” Moran said in a Tuesday statement.
The 574,000-square-foot complex near Kansas State University in Manhattan would develop treatments for animal
diseases that could pose threats to human health and the food supply, according to a Homeland Security
Department fact sheet. Roughly one-tenth of the site would be devoted to Biosafety Level 4 space designated for
handling fatal, air-transmissible pathogens that have no known cure, the DHS document says.
The project previously faced delays to its funding. Last year, Landrieu expressed concern that the site's estimated
$1 billion cost could threaten other funding priorities.
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/kansas-biodefense-funds-budget-bill/
Return to Top
Global Security Newswire
Pentagon Advisers Press for Nuclear-Monitoring Revamp
By Diane Barnes, Global Security Newswire
January 16, 2014
A Pentagon task force is pressing Washington to close critical "gaps" in how it tracks nuclear-arms efforts by
countries around the world.
The United States is "is not yet organized or fully equipped" to adequately monitor threats of nuclear-weapon
capabilities spreading to additional countries, or growing in nations where they already exist, states a new report
by a special panel convened by the Defense Science Board.
"Too many factors have changed, and are changing from our historic basis and experience
developed throughout the Cold War," according to the task force comprising nearly 50 members and chaired by
independent consultants Miriam John and Donald Kerr. Former Defense acquisition czar Paul Kaminski heads the
Defense Science Board, which advises the Pentagon on an array of technical matters.
The 104-page document urges the White House and Cabinet-level agencies to address perceived shortcomings
through a multitude of steps. Those would include adapting emerging surveillance technologies to track potential
nuclear-arms assets and collaborating with other governments on a set of increasingly ambitious, atomic-
transparency initiatives.
In one broad area of focus area termed "International Cooperation and Transparency," the report calls first for an
interagency plan to pursue new monitoring initiatives with the four other recognized global nuclear powers: China,
France, Russia and the United Kingdom. The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency could assume new duties in
supporting implementation, the document suggests.
The report advises expanding those transparency activities subsequently -- first to nuclear-armed nations outside
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and then to other "major states" with atomic-energy programs.
The emerging verification system would culminate, in the panel's vision, with the completion of "a future
Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT 'X') to bring in all nuclear-weapon
and material programs into a cooperative, multilateral regime."
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
6USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
The panel acknowledged that it pushed beyond its mandate to assess technological needs for enforcing "future
treaties and agreements." It argued that such a strict focus would "miss" a broader concern that governments
around the world have a growing array of rationales for potentially pursuing new nuclear-arms capacities, and face
fewer obstacles to doing so.
The authors wrote that emerging threats demand a "paradigm shift" that would lower barriers between national
and multilateral monitoring mechanisms, and between disparate institutions for preventing proliferation and for
enforcing limits under existing nuclear pacts.
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/pentagon-advisers-press-nuclear-monitoring-revamp/
Return to Top
Global Times – China
Premier Stresses Innovation at Top Science Awards
Xinhua, January 11, 2014
By Xinhua
Chinese physical chemist Zhang Cunhao and nuclear weapons expert Cheng Kaijia won China's top science award
on Friday for their outstanding contribution to scientific and technological innovation.
The two academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were presented with certificates by Chinese President
Xi Jinping.
Winners are each awarded 5 million yuan ($826,276).
Zhang, the chemist, was born in 1928. During his 60 years of scientific research, Zhang focused on pioneering
technologies including water gas technology, rocket propellant and lasers.
Zhang was in charge of the National Natural Science Foundation for eight years, during which funds for natural
sciences were increased eight-fold.
Nuclear weapons expert Cheng, 96, has participated in more than 30 of China's nuclear experiments, including the
country's first atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb, and the combination of the two bombs.
His team established China's nuclear explosion theory, the research field of nuclear explosion effects, and technical
safety standards.
Premier Li Keqiang said at the ceremony that China must rely on scientific and technological innovation to improve
the overall quality of its economy, move upward in the industrial value chain, and overcome restraints in
resources.
China's traditional growth mode, which was mainly driven by factor input, is difficult to sustain and is gradually
losing its competitive edge in medium and low-end products, Li said.
The government should free innovative scientific activities from administrative intervention and "let the market
speak" in terms of research orientation, resource allocation and use of funds, he urged.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/836851.shtml#.UtNV23-9KSM
Return to Top
The Washington Free Beacon – Washington, D.C.
China Conducts First Test of New Ultra-High Speed Missile Vehicle
Test is part of a new arms race for super fast weaponry
By Bill Gertz
January 13, 2014
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
7USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
China’s military last week conducted the first flight test of a new ultra-high speed missile vehicle aimed at
delivering warheads through U.S. missile defenses, Pentagon officials said.
The test of the new hypersonic glide vehicle was carried out Jan. 9 and the experimental weapon is being dubbed
the WU-14 by the Pentagon, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The hypersonic vehicle represents a major step forward in China’s secretive strategic nuclear and conventional
military and missile programs.
The new hypersonic vehicle was detected traveling at extremely high speeds during the flight test over China, said
officials who discussed some details of the test.
The hypersonic craft appears designed to be launched atop one of China’s intercontinental ballistic missiles, and
then glides and maneuvers at speeds of up to 10 times the speed of sound from near space en route to its target,
the officials said.
A Pentagon spokesman confirmed the test but declined to provide details.
“We routinely monitor foreign defense activities and we are aware of this test,” Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool,
the spokesman, told the Washington Free Beacon.
“However, we don’t comment on our intelligence or assessments of foreign weapon systems,” Pool said in a
statement. “We encourage greater transparency [by the People’s Republic of China] regarding their defense
investments and objectives to avoid miscalculation,” he added.
The United States, Russia, and China are all engaged in a hypersonic arms race. All three nations are developing
high-speed aerospace vehicles. India is also developing a hypersonic variant of its BrahMos cruise missile.
Hypersonic weapons use cutting edge technology for flying and maneuvering at ultra-high speeds in space and air.
Future weapons will include powered and unpowered hypersonic vehicles fired from the last stages of ICBMs and
submarine missiles, and from the bomb-bays of strategic bombers. Hypersonic cruise missiles and surveillance
drones also are expected.
The military advantages of hypersonic craft include precise targeting, very rapid delivery of weapons, and greater
survivability against missile and space defenses.
Hypersonic speed is between 3,840 miles per hour and 7,680 miles per hour, also known as Mach 5 to Mach 10.
China military affairs specialists said the hypersonic vehicle test is a significant milestone and appears to be part of
China’s development of asymmetric warfare weaponry that Beijing calls “assassin’s mace” weapons—high-
technology arms that would assist China’s overall weaker military forces to defeat the more technologically
advanced U.S. military.
Mark Stokes, a former U.S. Air Force officer and specialist on China’s strategic weapons systems, said China is
working on two hypersonic flight vehicle programs that are long-range strategic arms. Last week’s test appears to
be a new post-boost vehicle designed to launch from a missile.
China is also developing a hypersonic, scramjet-powered vehicle that can take off independently or be launched
from a bomber.
The hypersonic glide vehicle is likely missile-launched after the rocket’s initial boost phase that then takes off
toward its target from near space, or less than 62 miles from earth, Stokes said.
“A boost glide missile theoretically would be intended to counter existing mid-course missile defenses,” he said,
noting that Chinese technical studies have shown the vehicle would use penetrating radar for its high-altitude
targeting.
The vehicle is part of China’s aerospace weaponry designed to blend the characteristics of space-transiting ballistic
missiles with ground-hugging cruise missiles, Stokes said.
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
8USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
“Hypersonic aerospace flight vehicles exemplify the merging of the air and space domains from both operational
and industrial perspectives,” Stokes said.
Stokes, an analyst with the Project 2049 Institute, said Chinese military reports indicate that its hypersonic glide
vehicles will travel from the edge of space at speeds ranging between Mach 8 and Mach 12, or between 6,084
miles per hour and 9,127 miles per hour.
Such speeds would challenge the current system of U.S. missile defenses. Those defenses include a combination of
long-range interceptors, medium-range sea and land-based interceptors, and interceptors designed to hit
incoming missiles closer to targets.
Lora Saalman, a specialist on Chinese strategic systems with the Carnegie Endowment, said China’s hypersonic
arms are part of a program to develop precision-guided missiles and other advanced weapons capabilities.
Saalman, who spent years in China studying Chinese military and other writings, said writings on Chinese
hypersonic arms indicate Beijing may be seeking high-speed weapons that are more limited in range and
conventionally armed, although with strategic nuclear potential.
The U.S. Prompt Global Strike program seeks hypersonic and other conventional and nuclear weapons capable of
attacking any location on earth within an hour. Elements of the U.S. system are expected to be fielded in the next
10 to 15 years.
China’s hypersonic capabilities also appear to be an outgrowth of precision strike missiles, like the DF-21D anti-ship
ballistic missile, and China’s own version of missile defenses, which use high-speed hit-to-kill capabilities, Saalman
said, noting that China has been streamlining its weapons development process.
“With the integration of strategic analysis and planning into technical research, China’s pursuit of hypersonic and
high-precision weaponry promises to be faster and more focused than that associated with its previous [anti-
satellite] and [ballistic missile defense] related research and programs,” Saalman said in an email. “This recent test
is a manifestation of this trend.”
Hypersonics and precision guidance “are growth areas within China in terms of what they are intending to do with
their military,” she said in a recent speech.
Rick Fisher, another China military affairs expert, said the Chinese hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) test represents a
significant military advance for Beijing.
“The beauty of the HGV is that it can perform hypersonic precision strikes while maintaining a relatively low
altitude and flat trajectory, making it far less vulnerable to missile defenses,” said Fisher, an analyst at the
International Assessment and Strategy Center.
Fisher said arms control advocates often view the U.S. Prompt Global Strike and similar Chinese hypersonic
weapons as part of an isolated competition caused by misperceptions that can be resolved through arms talks.
“I’m not against that, but the lessons of recent history are pretty stark: a paranoid Communist dictatorship is going
to seek maximum power to sustain its position no matter how friendly you try to treat it,” Fisher said.
Fisher said that in addition to China’s hypersonic weapons and other weaponry similar to the arms in the U.S.
Prompt Global Strike program, China is also building its strategic military capabilities to support its global power
projection.
The Chinese are “actively seeking global military power to challenge the United States, and it is not yet in any
mood to talk, or engage in arms control, about it,” he said.
Instead of seeking military and other hot line communications, the U.S. government should build on select military
superiorities in order to deter China into the 2020s and beyond, Fisher said. “I don’t see this administration being
seized with this real challenge,” he added.
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
9USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
The Pentagon’s most recent annual report on the Chinese military said that in May 2012 China opened a new JF12
shockwave hypersonic wind tunnel—the largest of its kind in the world—that replicates flying conditions between
Mach 5 and Mach 9.
A Chinese technical paper from December 2012 revealed that China plans to use on-board precision guidance
systems that would be corrected in-flight using both satellite and celestial navigation.
A second paper from April concluded that hypersonic weapons pose “a new aerospace threat.” It reveals that
China has studied the U.S. Air Force’s experimental X-37B Space Plane in order to “effectively track and intercept”
hypersonic vehicles.
“Hypersonic aircraft in aerospace usually have the following unique characteristics: high, fast, and small,” the
paper states. “Their motion is highly variable. As a result, this type of target is very difficult to track.”
Both the United States and Russia are also developing hypersonic weapons.
Current U.S. hypersonic research is being carried out by the Pentagon and Air Force through the Force Application
and Launch from Continental United States, known as the FALCON program.
Several vehicles are being studied, including the Lockheed HTV-2 or Hypersonic Technology Vehicle, an unmanned,
missile-launched maneuverable aircraft that glides to earth at speeds up to Mach 20, or 13,000 miles per hour.
Boeing is also working on the X-51 WaveRider, an aircraft-launched, scramjet-powered vehicle that is being
designed for hypersonic attack, reconnaissance, and commercial transport.
Another vehicle is the U.S. Air Force experimental X-37B Space Plane that has been orbiting earth since December
2012.
Russia also is making advances in hypersonic weaponry, including technologies for both offensive high-speed
attacks and defending against hypersonic strikes.
The Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center said in its annual report on missiles last year that Russia is
building “a new class of hypersonic vehicle” that would “allow Russian strategic missiles to penetrate missile
defense systems.”
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin recently compared the development of hypersonic weapons to the
emergence of atomic weapons in the 1950s. He said the first nation to master hypersonic weapons would launch a
new revolution in military affairs.
Rogozin denied Moscow was engaged in a new arms race with the United States in June. However, he has
confirmed that Russia is working on hypersonic weapons.
“Today, we are experiencing a revolution in military science,” Rogozin told Russian television June 23. “This
revolution is connected with the rapid development of highly accurate means of destruction. These are cruise
missiles and high-speed rocket weapons. In the future, there will be hypersonic weapons.”
Rogozin described Moscow’s test of an advanced road-mobile ICBM, called the RS-26, as a “missile defense killer.”
Russian news reports said the missile flight test involved three dummy warheads that are hypersonic arms
designed to defeat missile defenses.
Russian military experts have written about combining hypersonics with precision guidance and some have
suggested including U.S. hypersonic weapons in future arms control talks, following Moscow’s past pattern of
using arms agreements to constrain U.S. high-tech weapons.
Russia also is developing an air and space defense system called the S-500 with interceptors capable of shooting
down hypersonic vehicles.
Ian Easton, in a report published by the Project 2049 Institute, said China’s hypersonic weapons are part of what
he called “the Great Game in space.”
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
10USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
“If there is a great power war in this century, it will not begin with the sound of explosions on the ground and in
the sky, but rather with the bursting of kinetic energy and the flashing of laser light in the silence of outer space,”
Easton said.
http://freebeacon.com/china-conducts-first-test-of-new-ultra-high-speed-missile-vehicle/
Return to Top
Yonhap News Agency – South Korea
S. Korea, U.S. to Discuss Deterrence Plan against N. Korean Nuke
January 14, 2014
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will hold a senior-level defense meeting to discuss
ways to counter threats posed by North Korea's nuclear program and weapons of mass destruction, Seoul's
defense ministry said Tuesday.
The Extended Deterrence Policy Committee will hold its third table-top exercise for two days from Tuesday at the
U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii to discuss how to apply a bilateral strategy for tailored deterrence against North
Korean weapons program.
The move comes after defense ministers of the allies last year signed the tailored deterrence strategy to
strengthen the American nuclear umbrella on the Korean Peninsula in light of Pyongyang's third nuclear test in
February 2013.
South Korea's Deputy Defense Minister Ryu Se-seung will meet with his American counterparts, including Elaine
Bunn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy, and David Helvey, deputy
assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, to enhance interoperability, the ministry said.
"At this exercise, the allies will discuss the tailored deterrence strategy and how to apply extended deterrence
policy to handle threat posed by North Korea's nuclear program and weapons of mass destruction," the ministry
said in a statement.
Seoul believes Pyongyang has made considerable progress in developing a fairly robust nuclear program in the past
three years and is capable of developing atomic weapons at any time.
During the bilateral summit in November, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel pledged to support deterrence
capabilities with the full range of its military capabilities, including its nuclear umbrella and conventional strike
missiles.
South Korea's nuclear program was brought to a halt in 1992 when it signed a denuclearization treaty. The U.S.,
which stations 28,500 troops in the country, provides a nuclear umbrella to deter North Korean nuclear threat
under a bilateral security alliance.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2014/01/14/16/0401000000AEN20140114003200315F.html
Return to Top
South China Morning Post – Hong Kong, China
China Hails First Test of Hypersonic Nuclear Missile Carrier
US no longer only one with Mach 10 glider that can outfox defences and deliver nuclear warhead
By Stephen Chen
Wednesday, 15 January, 2014
China has flight-tested a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle capable of penetrating any existing defence system
with nuclear warheads, according to the Pentagon.
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
11USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
The hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), dubbed the "Wu-14" by the United States, was detected flying at 10 times the
speed of sound during a test flight over China on Thursday, a Pentagon official told the Washington Free Beacon,
an online newspaper. A Pentagon spokesman later confirmed the report but declined to provide details.
"We routinely monitor foreign defence activities and we are aware of the test," Marine Corps spokesman
Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Pool told the Beacon.
Chinese military experts yesterday hailed the test as a breakthrough.
It makes China the second country after the US to have successfully tested a hypersonic delivery vehicle capable of
carrying nuclear warheads at a speed above Mach 10.
Such a weapon has long been seen as a game-changer by security experts as it can hit a target before any of the
existing missile defence systems can react. Once deployed, it could significantly boost China's strategic and
conventional missile force.
It is designed to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile. Once it reaches an undisclosed sub-orbital
altitude, the vehicle jettisons from the rocket and nose-dives towards the target at a speed of Mach 10, or
12,359km/h.
Russia and India are also known to be working on such a weapon.
In 2010, the US tested the Lockheed HTV-2 - a similar delivery vehicle capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 20.
Last week's test shows that China has managed to close the gaps with the US. Chinese scientists said China had put
"enormous investment" into the project.
More than 100 teams from leading research institutes and universities have been involved in the project.
Purpose-built facilities test various parts of the weapons system. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, for instance,
has recently built one of the world's largest and most advanced hypersonic wind tunnels to simulate flights at up
to Mach 15 at the Institute of Mechanics in Beijing.
Professor Wang Yuhui, a researcher on hypersonic flight control at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, said she was not surprised by the test last week because China was technologically ready.
The objective of hypersonic vehicles was to out manoeuvre and penetrate a missile defence system, she said.
"With a speed of Mach 10 or higher, it cannot be caught or tracked because defence systems don't have enough
time to respond," Wang said.
She said the US remained the indisputable leader in the field but no country was ready to deploy the first practical
hypersonic missile as many technological challenges remained. One outstanding issue was how to achieve precise
flight control at such high speeds.
Scientists are also trying to develop a better "super material" that can withstand the high temperatures during
hypersonic flights.
"I am sure many tests will be carried out after last week's flight to solve the problems," Wang said. "It's just the
beginning."
Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, said hypersonic weapons were of strategic and tactical importance to China.
"Many technical issues have not been solved and no country has made it ready for use in the field," he said.
"But it is a challenge we must surmount, and we are throwing everything we have at it."
Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based naval expert, said China might still need some time to catch up with the US but the
day could arrive sooner than many expect. "Missiles will play a dominant role in warfare and China has a very clear
idea of what is important."
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1405784/china-hails-first-test-hypersonic-nuclear-missile-carrier
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
12USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Return to Top
The Chosun Ilbo – South Korea
January 16, 2014
Call to Revise Plans for Defense against Nuclear Rockets
Experts are calling for South Korea to improve its missile defenses given the growing threat that North Korea will
one day be able to make a nuclear warhead small enough to be carried by a rocket.
Prof. Choi Bong-wan of Hannam University said he carried out a computer simulation where North Korea fires a
medium-range ballistic missile tipped with a nuclear warhead. The aim was to see what types of interceptor
missiles would allow South Korea to deal most effectively with the threat.
Choi was speaking at a seminar hosted by the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Wednesday.
In one simulation, the North Korean Rodong missile with a range of 1,000 km carrying a 1-ton nuclear warhead
reached Seoul within 11 minutes and 25 seconds, he said.
A Rodong missile with a shortened range of 300 km fired at a high angle toward Seoul would give a PAC-3 missile, a
strong candidate for South Korea's missile defense, only one second to intercept at an altitude of 12-15 km.
A THAAD missile, which is another option for South Korea, would have a window of opportunity of 45 seconds to
intercept an incoming missile at an altitude of 40-150 km.
And an SM-3 missile, another possible candidate, would have 288 seconds to intercept the potential nuclear
missile at an altitude between 70 and 500 km, he added.
Currently, South Korea has only PAC-2 missiles, whose capability is much poorer than the PAC-3's, and is now
seeking to purchase PAC-3 missiles. But Choi suggested that upgrade would offer little defense against a
determined North Korean attack.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/01/16/2014011601265.html
Return to Top
Global Times – China
‘No Targets’ for Missiles
Global Times, January 16, 2014
By Global Times
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday responded to recent reports from some foreign media
that China has tested supersonic missile weapons, saying it is "normal" and has "no specific targets."
Recent media reports said that China conducted its first flight test of a new supersonic missile weapon on January
9 in a bid to gain the ability to break through US missile defenses.
"It is normal to conduct scientific research tests within the Chinese territory according to the plan, and it does not
target any specific countries or objectives," the Ministry of National Defense told the Global Times on Wednesday.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/837740.shtml#.Utcu7a-x5Dw
Return to Top
The Korea Times – South Korea
January 17, 2014
NK Proposes Halting all Cross-Border Slander
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
13USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
North Korea on Thursday formally proposed halting all cross-border slander starting Jan. 30 and called for mutual
action to prevent a nuclear calamity on the Korean Peninsula.
The North's powerful National Defense Commission (NDC) claimed that its "important proposal" clearly showed
how Pyongyang wished to improve the frayed inter-Korean relations.
The message came a day after the communist country warned of an "unimaginable holocaust" if Seoul carried out
the annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises from late February through April as scheduled.
"We call for realistic action to be taken to halt all slanderous exchanges to mark the Lunar New Year," the message
carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. It suggested that Seoul's policymakers should refrain from
making inflammatory comments and the South Korean media should take the lead in creating an atmosphere
conducive to harmonious cross-border ties.
Lunar New Year's Day, celebrated by both Koreas, falls on Jan. 31 this year.
It also said that the North is proposing that all hostile military actions by both sides be stopped and urged the
South Korean government to make a decision to call off the joint annual military exercises with the United States.
As a sign of good faith, the NDC said it will take the first step to stop raising tensions near the Seohae islands, or
South Korean border islands in the Yellow Sea that have seen numerous military clashes in recent years. It did not
elaborate on what concrete actions it will take.
The five islands lie astride the sea demarcation line between the two Koreas, which Pyongyang has refused to
recognize.
It said all sides must desist from carrying out land, sea and air military maneuvers that are hostile in nature.
On the critical denuclearization issue, the North said it wants to propose measures that all interested parties can
take to prevent a nuclear catastrophe from taking place.
"Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains the ultimate goal of the DPRK's military and people," the NDC
argued. The DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
It said the North Korean nuclear arsenal is nothing more than a deterrent against U.S. nuclear weapons and that it
is not intended to threaten or harm other Koreans. The North tested three nuclear devices since 2006 and has
claimed that it is a nuclear power.
It then said Seoul should not engage in activities that can raise nuclear tensions on the peninsula.
The committee, moreover, said that if its plan is accepted, headway can be made in hosting reunions of families
separated by the Korean War (1950-53), as well as progress in other outstanding issues.
The North has been lukewarm about the family reunions, and it called off scheduled family reunions last year at
the last minute citing unfavorable conditions.
The NDC, meanwhile, said that the important statement is being made because it has been given the mandate by
the government, the ruling political party and other various organizations.
Related to the statement, sources in Seoul said the North may be trying to gain an upper hand in inter-Korean
negotiations after it rejected this month's call by the South to hold family reunions. Pyongyang's rejection of the
reunion proposal was seen as a contrast to leader Kim Jong-un's earlier call for better cross-border relations in his
New Year's address.
They pointed out that in the latest statement that the DPRK's stance of simultaneously pursuing economic growth
while building up its nuclear force is a legitimate policy goal.
"This shows that they have not really given up their nuclear program," one Pyongyang watcher said.
Yang Moo-jin, political science professor at the University of North Korean Studies, warned against the sudden
statement, which he said may be a ploy to justify its future military actions against the South.
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
14USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Others such as Chang Yong-seok, senior researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul
National University, said by mentioning it desire to prevent military confrontation, Pyongyang may be trying to end
the stalemate in inter-Korean relations.
He said there is a need to see want preemptive measures it will take to ease tensions.
Regarding the latest proposal to halt calumny, experts said defense ministries of the sides had agreed in 2004 to
end propaganda activities along the military demarcation line, as well as to prevent military clashes in the Yellow
Sea, off the west coast.
But war rhetoric from the North continued even after the agreement, with many verbal attacks lodged directly
against South Korean presidents. Furthermore, there have been several bloody clashes along the maritime border.
Meanwhile, South Korea's defense ministry said the North's latest proposal is nothing more than an attempt to
justify their belligerent actions.
The ministry also made clear that the two joint military exercises will go on as planned.
"The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle are not offensive exercises, "Defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told the
Yonhap News Agency.
He also said that it is always the North that slanders the South and that Seoul does not engage in such actions.
Kim added that the North's proposal is something that the South will not accept and pointed out that Pyongyang is
currently conducting winter military exercises of its own so it makes no sense for the South to call off its drills.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/01/116_149953.html
Return to Top
Dutch News.nl – Netherlands
Ministers Ignore Vote, JSF Jet Fighter Could Carry Nuclear Weapons
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
The Joint Strike Fighter may be used to carry nuclear weapons in the future, according to defence minister Jeanine
Hennis-Plasschaert and foreign affairs minister Frans Timmermans.
Last year a majority of MPs supported a motion stating the F-35 jet fighter should have no nuclear role. However,
Hennis and Timmermans have now decided to set the motion aside because of the Netherlands' role within Nato.
The minister say they will continue to support nuclear disarmament but say the Netherlands does have a nuclear
role for the time being. 'We do not want to be tied to the standpoint set out in the motion,' they said in a briefing
to parliament.
Socialist MP Jasper van Dijk said this was a 'weak response' from the cabinet. 'Of course the Netherlands can make
its own decision about nuclear weapons,' he said.
The government made its decision to go ahead with the purchase of the controversial JSF fighters last September.
They will replace the ageing fleet of F-16s. The decision brought to an end 18 years of political dithering.
The Netherlands will buy 37 FSF jets to keep the cost within the €4.5bn special budget. They will cost an additional
€270m a year to keep in the air.
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/01/jsf_jet_fighter_could_carry_nu.php
Return to Top
Defense News.com
Gates: British Cuts Limiting Military Partnership with US
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
15USAF Counterproliferation Center
CPC Outreach Journal
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
By Agence France-Presse (AFP)
January 16, 2014
LONDON — Britain’s military cuts mean it will no longer be able to be a full partner alongside United States forces,
former US defense secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
Gates, who served under US presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, said Britain no longer had the
complete spectrum of capabilities, meaning its relationship with the US military was shifting.
The comments suggest Britain’s military downsizing could have a negative impact on the “special relationship”
between Washington and London.
Gates, speaking to BBC radio, highlighted the Royal Navy’s lack of an aircraft carrier able to launch strike jets.
“What we have always been able to count on, on this side of the Atlantic, were British forces that had full
spectrum capabilities very much along the lines of our own forces, that they could perform a variety of different
missions,” Gates said.
“With the fairly substantial reductions in defense spending in Great Britain what we are finding is they won’t have
full spectrum capabilities and the ability to be a full partner as they have been in the past.
“I also lament that reality.”
Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government announced heavy defense cuts in 2010 as part of its bid to
rein in Britain’s massive deficit.
The defense budget is being slashed by eight percent over four years.
Between 2010 and 2020, Britain is reducing the size of its regular military from 178,000 to 147,000, while boosting
the number of reservists.
Britain has three helicopter landing craft: HMS Illustrious, Ocean and Bulwark.
However, it will not have carrier strike capability until the new aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth — which will be
Britain’s biggest-ever ship on the seas — enters service in 2020 with F35 fighter jets.
Gates said of the lack of carrier strike capability: “Those kinds of things, I think, at the end of the day matter.”
This century, Britain has been the United States’ closest partner in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Our primary partner for many decades now has been the United Kingdom.
“I would a lot rather, in a port in the Middle East, have a British-flagged ship and an American-flagged warship than
just an American-flagged warship by itself.”
He also urged Britain to renew its nuclear deterrent.
The coalition has deferred a decision on replacing Britain’s nuclear weapons program — the Trident missile-based
system on board its submarines — until after the 2015 general election.
“As we reduce the size of our nuclear arsenal we potentially get down to numbers that having allies who have their
own capability could be very helpful,” he said.
“I think it’s important for the UK not to deny itself this military capability altogether.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “Like the United States, the UK has had to take tough decisions on defense
spending, but we still have the fourth largest defense budget in the world and the best-trained and best-equipped
armed forces outside the United States.”
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140116/DEFREG01/301160028/Gates-British-cuts-limiting-military-
partnership-US
Return to Top
Issue No.1098, 17 January 2014
United States Air Force Counterproliferation Center| Maxwell AFB, Alabama
http://cpc.au.af.mil \ https://twitter.com/USAF_CPC
Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7226
16You can also read
