Nuclear weapons

U.S. Army considers blimps as anti-missile defense
The U.S. Army is testing blimps for detecting, tracking, and shooting down cruise missiles; the radar-equipped aerostats are tethered balloons resembling blimps
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U.S. treasury targets North Korea's missile proliferation network
U.S. Treasury invokes Executive Order 13382 to freeze the assets of Hong Kong Electronics; since 2007, the company has transferred million so f dollars worth of missile equipment to North Korea
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U.S. designates North Korea's NCG as a nuclear-proliferation violator
NCG is a North Korean nuclear-related company in Pyongyang; today, the U.S. Department of State froze the assets of the and took other measures to isolate it from the U.S. financial and commercial systems
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Trust but verify, II
British and Norwegian scientists ran the first field trials of a device that could solve the problem of reliable verification: a gamma ray detector linked to a hand-held “information barrier”
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U.S. bolsters Hawaii's missile defense
North Korea is expected to fire a missile toward Hawaii around 4 July; the Pentagon places additional interceptors, and radar is prepared
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Mystery surrounds detection of North Korea's nuclear test
Detecting radionuclide evidence in the form of radioactive gas is the “smoking gun” — proving that a nuclear explosion has occurred; seismologists say they are comfortable that explosion in North Korea two weeks ago was a nuclear test — but sensors have not been able to pick up radionuclide evidence
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What's past is prologue: Israel's covert campaign against Iran's nuclear program
During the past four-and-a-half decades, Israel has used a combination of ruthless covert operations and overt military means to prevent three Arab countries — Egypt, Iraq, and Syria — from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons; as Iran approaches the home stretch of its nuclear weapons program, it may want to reflect on this history
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Israel unhappy with IAEA
Israel wants IAEA to condemn Syria over uranium findings; Israel also accuses the IAEA of not using all of the agency’s investigative tools to investigate Syria’s nuclear activities
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Iran increases number of centrifuges to 5,000
Iran’s march toward the bomb accelerates; IAEA released a report on Friday saying that Iran has increased the efficiency of its production of low-enriched uranium, boosting its stockpile by 500 kg to 1,339 kg in the past six months
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IAEA reports more undeclared uranium discovered in Syria
On 7 September 2007 Israel destroyed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor; the IAEA later found uranium particles at the remote desert site, contradicting Syrian claims that the destroyed site was a non-nuclear facility; on Friday, the IAEA reported that “anthropogenic natural uranium particles” were found in a facility in Damascus
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Seismographs accurately detected North Korea's nuclear test
In 1998 the U.S. Senate rejected the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) partly owing to fears that countries could cheat by claiming that small covert weapons tests were earthquakes; the quick and accurate detection of the North Korean test shows that the currently deployed system of sensors works
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The security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal // by Dinshaw Mistry
Pakistan has significantly strengthened its nuclear command and control mechanisms; still, under some situations, its nuclear arsenal may be vulnerable to takeover by extremists
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Radioactive spills in Scotland
U.K. Ministry of Defense reveals a series of serious radioactive leaks in 2004, 2007, and 2008 into the Firth of Clyde
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DHS seeks nuclear detection research
DHS is looking to award $3 million this summer for nuclear detection technology exploratory research that could lead to a dramatic improvement in the U.S. nuclear detection capabilities
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Iran makes a major step toward the bomb
Iran inaugurated its the country’s first nuclear fuel production plant, allowing it to produce enough plutonium for two bombs a year; at the same time it is increasing the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges; Iran already has enough enriched uranium for one bomb
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