FAS Roundup: August 25, 2014

Summer 2014 Public Interest Report Now Online Summer 2014 Public Interest Report Volume 67, No. 3 CONTENTS: The Fallacy of Proven and Adaptable Defenses PDF Version Current United States policy is to deploy missile defenses that are cost-effective, adaptable and proven. Yet, defenses in one context cannot immediately be trusted when they are adapted to another context. Missile defenses may offer some insurance against an attack, but they also come with new risks. By Rebecca Slayton.  President's Message: The Nuclear Guns of August PDF Version NATO allies have been concerned about the security implications of Russia’s incursion into Crimea and its influence over the continuing political and military crisis in Ukraine. In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, Brent Scowcroft, Stephen J. Hadley and Franklin Miller argue that there is a large need for the United States to keep providing nuclear deterrence to NATO by continuing to deploy nuclear weapons in other states’ territories (the U.S. is the only nuclear-armed state to do so). FAS president Charles Ferguson writes that the United States can still demonstrate its commitment to NATO allies by having its strategic nuclear weapons based on U.S. soil, not in European countries. By not doing so, it gives other nuclear states such as China, Russia and Pakistan the green light to deploy their weapons in others’ territories. JFK, One World or None and "A New Effort To Achieve World Law" PDF Version A genuine grassroots movement emerged during the Second World War, advocating the establishment of a federal and democratic world government in order to bring about the elimination of national armies and the abolition of war.  Its central contention was that humanity could no longer permit anarchy on the world level, and that the civil society, constitutions, and rule of law that prevailed within nations now had to be instituted among nations as well. In June 1949, Representative John F. Kennedy – along with more than 100 other sitting members of the House and the Senate – proposed the transformation of the United Nations into a world federation. By Harris Wofford and Tad Daley.  Feasibility of a Low-Yield-Gun Type Terrorist Fission Bomb PDF Version In the Spring 2014 PIR, Edward Friedman and Roger K. Lewis examined the possibility of a terrorist nuclear attack based on stolen highly-enriched uranium. This follow up article examines the feasibility of terrorists using an extremely crude gun-type U-235 device that could be configured to be transported in a pickup truck or similar light vehicle, and the potential results of this act of terrorism. By B. Cameron Reed.  UAV's: An (unexploited) Seller's Market PDF Version While intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance  and target acquisition are missions that frequently fall under the purview of basic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or “drones”), more advanced drones can be used for specialized tasks such as laser targeting, cargo transportation, and precision strike missions. The United States holds the technological edge in UAV production, but Israel is the world’s leading exporter of UAV systems. Why does the United States hesitate to export UAVs on the scale they export other types of military equipment? By Michael Bodner In Memoriam PDF Version The scientific community recently lost two innovative physicists who contributed greatly to the field and and served in leadership positions at FAS. A look at the careers of Dr. Andrew Sessler and Dr. George Stanford, and their work to make the world a safer and more secure place. By Robert J. Budnitz, Kwang-Je Kim, Herman Winick and Alexander DeVolpi.  The Need for a Comprehensive Approach to Reduce Nuclear Risks PDF Version There is broad international consensus about reduction of nuclear risks as one of the most relevant drivers to enhance global security. However, degrees of involvement, priorities and approaches adopted to deal with the issue differ from state to state. There is a lack of international trust due to lack of common global goals which puts traditional strategies for reducing nuclear risks at a crossroads.  By Irma Arguello.  More from FAS PDF Version News and Notes from FAS Headquarters.

From the Blogs WWII Atomic Bomb Project Had More Than 1500 "Leaks": The Manhattan Project was among the most highly classified and tightly secured programs ever undertaken by the U.S. government. Nevertheless, it generated more than 1,500 leak investigations involving unauthorized disclosures of classified Project information. This fact was disclosed in the latest declassified volume of the official Manhattan District History. Manufacturing Nuclear Weapon Pits and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as DoD's goal of producing 80 plutonium pits for nuclear weapons, threat of domestic terrorism and terrorism issues in Latin America.  Leaked Document to be Introduced in State Secrets Case: The plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the use of the “no fly list” to bar a U.S. citizen from boarding an aircraft said last week that he would introduce a leaked copy of the government’s Watchlisting Guidance “to show just how objectionable and evidence-free Defendants’ watch listing process is.” The government said it did not acknowledge the authenticity of the leaked document, and that the case should be dismissed since the Attorney General had invoked the state secrets privilege concerning core issues that it raised.

FAS in the News

• Aug 22: Science, "Science Group Asks U.S. Energy Secretary To Intervene In Case Of Fired Los Alamos Researcher" 
• Aug 22: Associated Press, "Group Urges Rehiring Of Los Alamos Lab Worker Who Says He Was Fired For Anti-Nuke Views"  
• Aug 22: Center for Public Integrity, "Fired Los Alamos Nuclear Expert Files Appeal"
• Aug 21: Santa Fe New Mexican, "Scientists Urge Energy Chief To Reverse LANL Actions Against Anti-Nuke Worker"
• Aug 21: Nextgov, "Entire Manhattan Project History Declassified And Now Online" 
• Aug 20: Defense One, "Top Six Strategic Threats To Worry About In Today's Global Headlines" 
• Aug 18: Daily Beast, "U.S. Intelligence Can't Stop The Next Snowden For Years" 
• Aug 17: World Science Festival, "Is This Bomb Big Enough?"
• Aug 12: Scientific American, "'Ambiguous' Warfare Buys Upgrade Time For Russia's Military"