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• Perspectives
  • Appeal on the Sixtieth Anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  • Lessons from Hiroshima, 60 Years Later by Walter Cronkite, July 2005
  • Declaration of the Jury of Conscience World Tribunal on Iraq – Istanbul
  • EU3-Iranian Negotiations: A New Approach by Anna Langenbach

• Take Action
  • No More Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis! August 6 and 9 National Days of Remembrance and Action 1945-2005

• Disarmament and Non Proliferation
  • China Reiterates No First-Use of Nuclear Weapons
  • G8 Misses Opportunity to Strengthen Non-Proliferation Efforts
  • Countries Strengthen Measures to Protect Nuclear Materials
  • UN Secretary General Welcomes New Seven-Nation Non-Proliferation Initiative
  • Belgian House of Representatives Asks for Withdrawal of US Nuclear Weapons from Europe
  • New Zealand Maintains Ban on Nuclear-Powered and Nuclear-Armed Warships Port Calls
  • EU Funds IAEA Safety Measures
  • Honduras Signs IAEA Additional Protocol
  • Expert Says W-76 Warhead Still Reliable

• Nuclear Insecurity
  • US Nuclear Plants to Review Terrorist, Environmental Security
  • Livermore Lab Placed Under Emergency During Fire

• Missiles and Missile Defense
  • Japan Developing Offensive Missile Defense?
  • US Missile Defense Tests to Resume in September
  • Annual Report to US Congress Highlights China’s Expanding Missile, Military Forces
  • India Disinterested in US Missile Defenses
  • Russia Replacing Missile Systems
  • US Successfully Tests ICBM

• Nuclear Legacy
  • French Atomic Veteran Receives Lifetime Invalidity Pension
  • NRC Judge Approves Uranium Mining Near Navajo Nation
  • Report Confirms Former French President Approved Destruction of Greenpeace Ship
  • Federal Report Says Savannah River Site Poses No Major Health Risks

• Nuclear Laboratories
  • DOE Advisory Board Urges Weapons Complex Consolidation
  • NNSA Receives Three Bids for LANL Management
  • Corporate Firms Vie to Manage SRS Facility
  • LANL Worker Contaminated by Radioactive Substance
  • University of Colorado Partnership with UT-Lockheed Remains Unclear
  • 50th Anniversary of Nuclear Power Celebrated at Idaho National Lab

• Foundation Activities
  • 11th Annual Sadako Peace Day
  • DC Office Director Honored by Marshallese Survivors of US Nuclear Testing

• Resources
  • Seeds of Change – No Nukes! No Wars! CD
  • Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats
  • CND – Now More Than Ever by Kate Hudson
  • A Citizen's Guide to Monitor Radioactivity
  • Reliable Replacement Warhead Fact Sheet
  • Arms Control Today - July/August 2005
  • A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003-2005

• Quotable
  • Leonard Spector, head of the Washington office of the Monterey Institute's Center for Nonproliferation Studies
  • Wolfgang Panofsky, former Manhattan Project scientist
  • Richard Mingus, Nevada Test Site worker
  • Val Fitch, Nobel Prize winning physicist and former Manhattan Project Scientist
  • Lance Armstrong, Cyclist
  • Douglas Feith, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
  • Arie Mizrachi, Chairman of Israel Aircraft Industries

• Editorial Team
  • Luke Brothers
  • David Krieger
  • Anna Langenbach
  • Carah Ong
  • Will Parrish

Appeal on the Sixtieth Anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki* | Top
August 6, 2005

The dreadful and destructive potential of the Nuclear Age was revealed to the world at Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and again at Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Ten years later, Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein issued an appeal warning that nuclear weapons confronted humanity with a choice: to renounce war or put an end to the human race.

In the 60th year of the Nuclear Age, our choice remains unchanged. Nuclear weapons remain a threat to all life. They should be made relics of the past.

The nuclear weapons states tempt disaster for all life by continuing to cling tenaciously to their nuclear weapons for a security that they cannot provide.

Nuclear disarmament and nuclear proliferation are inextricably linked. Without nuclear disarmament, nuclear proliferation will surely increase.

In the aftermath of the Cold War, there is no longer a deadly ideological standoff between rival blocs of nations. The way lies open to nuclear disarmament and an end to war.

We call upon the nuclear weapons states to put aside these weapons in the interests of a human future and fulfill their obligations to achieve nuclear disarmament.

We call upon people everywhere to demand the elimination of all nuclear weapons from the arsenals of all countries and, in the words of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto, “Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.”

Signatories

• Abhay Ashtekar, Director of the Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry, USA
• Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, UK
• Reiner Braun, Max Planck Institute for Science History, Germany
• Pierre Cannone, Former Head of TDB at the OPCW in The Hague and Pugwash Council, France
• Paul Crutzen, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 1955, Germany/ Netherlands
• Vitaly Ginzburg, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics 2003, Russia
• David Gross, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics 2004, USA
• Dudley R. Herschbach, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 1996, USA
• International Peace Bureau (IPB), Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1910, Switzerland
• International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1985, USA
• Jerome Karle, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 1985, USA
• Walter Kohn, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 1998, USA
• David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF); Deputy Chair of the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for global responsibility (INES), USA
• Felicia Langer, Alternative Nobel Prize Laureate 1990, Israel
• Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1976, Ireland
• Ron McCoy, Co-chair of IPPNW, Malaysia
• Rigoberta Menchu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1992, India
• Claus Montonen, President of the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for global responsibility (INES), Finland
• Valery Petrosyan, Director of the Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov University, Moscow, Russia
• John Polanyi, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 1986, Canada
• Hon. Douglas Roche, Chair of the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI), Canada
• Sir Joseph Rotblat, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1995, UK
• John Stachel, Director of the Boston University Center for Einstein Studies, USA
• Jack Steinberger, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics 1988, CERN, Switzerland
• Jakob von Uexküll, Founder of the Alternative Noble Prize/Right Livelihood Award, Sweden/Germany
• Alla Yaroshinskaya, Alternative Nobel Prize Laureate 1992, Russia
• Gunnar Westberg, Co-chair of IPPNW, Sweden
• Joseph Weizenbaum, Professor emeritus of computer science, MIT, USA
• Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1976, USA

Lessons from Hiroshima, 60 Years Later | Top
by Walter Cronkite, July 2005

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 60 years ago were stunning and sobering events. They brought World War II to an end, and everyone was thankful for that. Not too many of us stopped to think about the full implications of those bombs for our future. We were too busy celebrating the end of that terrible war.

One of the people who had it absolutely right at the very beginning about the meaning of Hiroshima was the great French writer Albert Camus. He wrote in a French resistance newspaper: “Our technological civilization has just reached its greatest level of savagery. We will have to choose, in the more or less near future, between collective suicide and the intelligent use of our scientific conquests.” We are still facing that choice.

Declaration of the Jury of Conscience - World Tribunal on Iraq - Istanbul | Top
June 23 - 27, 2005

EU3-Iranian Negotiations: A New Approach | Top
by Anna Langenbach*

Unless a new approach is pursued, chances that current negotiations between France, Germany, Great Britain (EU3) and Iran will soon see a breakthrough are slim. In May, after Iran again threatened to resume enrichment activities, the EU3 pledged to present Iran a detailed offer by the end of July or early August 2005. While recent developments of the past month are likely to complicate the bilateral negotiations, the seemingly entrenched positions of both parties are the main factor obstructing a successful resolution regarding the Iranian nuclear program.

The EU3 have engaged Iran in talks since December 2004, after Iran broke its earlier agreement of October 2003 to suspend enrichment activities. Negotiations have since proceeded at a slow pace, nonetheless withstanding pressure from the United States who has urged for Iran’s referral to the UN Security Council for its alleged nuclear weapons program. Iran claims its program serves peaceful purposes only. While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not found Iran in non-compliance with its safeguards agreement, neither has it verified the country’s compliance. The EU3 strategy to offer Iran economic incentives in turn for “objective assurances” of the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program has thus far remained unfruitful, even after the United States agreed to support Iran’s entry into the World Trade Organization in March 2005.

To read the full article, please visit: http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2005/07/00_langenbach_eu3-iran-approach.htm.

No More Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis!
August 6 and 9 National Days of Remembrance and Action
1945-2005 | Top

August 2005 marks the 60th anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. On 6 August, join with tens of thousands of people at four active US nuclear weapons sites to call for an end to the development and production of nuclear bombs. On 9 August, participate at an event in your community to remember Nagasaki.

Here is how you can get involved:

1. Attend a major action on August 6 at one of the core nuclear weapons sites in California, Nevada, New Mexico and Tennessee. Be sure to share the information and bring others with you!
2. Attend an event in your community commemorating the 60th anniversaries of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Click here to view a listing of community events across the US.
3. Download and print the August 6 and 9 National Days of Remembrance and Action Postcard to distribute to members of your organization and at community event.

For more information on what you can do, please visit: http://www.wagingpeace.org/august6and9.

China Reiterates No First-Use of Nuclear Weapons | Top

On 22 July 2005, China reiterated its policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing stated that China will not be the first to use nuclear weapons “at any time and under any condition.” This policy has been in place since 1964, when China first tested a nuclear weapon.

The policy reaffirmation came after a top Chinese military official stated on 14 July 2005 that China would resort to nuclear weapons if the United States interferes in Taiwan. General Zhu Chenghu stated, “If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China’s territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons.”

While the Chinese government made clear that these remarks were the personal opinion of General Zhu Chenghu, the Foreign Ministry also repeated that it will not allow Taiwan to separate from the mainland. According to a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, “We will never tolerate ‘Taiwan Independence,’ neither will we allow anybody with any means to separate Taiwan from the motherland.”

G8 Misses Opportunity to Strengthen Non-Proliferation Efforts | Top

On 8 July 2005, the Group of Eight (G8) summit at Gleneagles, Scotland ended without the adoption of non-proliferation measures. The G8 issued a joint statement that recognized support for a range of non-proliferation measures, but did not present any new initiatives.

The summit was cut short a day so that summit leader British Prime Minister Tony Blair could return to London after the terrorist attacks on the city’s transit system on 7 July.

The joint statement issued by the G8 at the end of the conference states, “The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means, together with international terrorism, remain the pre-eminent threats to international peace and security. The threat of the use of WMD by terrorists calls for redoubled efforts.”

The statement also expressed support for the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and endorsed the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), as well as the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540.

Countries Strengthen Measures to Protect Nuclear Materials | Top

On 8 July 2005, 89 countries convened at an international conference in Vienna, Austria to adopt new measures to strengthen the 1979 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM).

The CPPNM originally only covered materials in transit, but was amended to also protect materials in storage. The amendment also includes initiatives to increase security of nuclear sites and improve cooperation on stopping the trafficking of nuclear materials.

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said, "This new and stronger treaty is an important step toward greater nuclear security by combating, preventing, and ultimately punishing those who would engage in nuclear theft, sabotage or even terrorism."

UN Secretary General Welcomes New Seven-Nation Non-Proliferation Initiative | Top

On 26 July 2005, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed new multilateral non-proliferation efforts announced by the foreign ministers of Australia, Chile, Indonesia, Norway, Romania, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The initiative, spearheaded by Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen, takes a pro-active approach in the aftermath of the failed nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. It looks towards the World Millennium + 5 Summit that will be held at the UN in New York in September 2005 as an opportunity to take a strong stand on non-proliferation and disarmament issues.

The seven-nation statement on the new initiative reiterates the importance of the NPT and urges for full compliance with all its provisions. It welcomes the recent amendment of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, urges states to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540, and to ratify IAEA safeguards agreements, including the Additional Protocol.

On the issue of withdrawal from the NPT, the statement affirms, “Whilst recognizing the sovereign right of States Parties to withdraw from the NPT, we also reaffirm that a State remains liable for breaches of international obligations undertaken prior to withdrawal from a Treaty. Leaving the Treaty must not be considered a viable or consequence-free option. The obligations undertaken by NPT States Parties cannot be retrospectively forgotten; to ensure confidence in the Treaty, we must respond decisively to non-compliance.”

Source: “Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the Initiative on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament,” Secretary-General Office of the Spokesman, 26 July 2005.

Belgian House of Representatives Asks for Withdrawal of US Nuclear Weapons from Europe | Top

The Belgian House of Representatives has adopted a resolution on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, calling for the withdrawal of the US nuclear weapons based in Europe. They also ask to exclude nuclear weapons from the common EU security policy. This is the second time that a parliamentary assembly in Europe has demanded the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons. The Belgian Senate approved a similar resolution on 21 April 2005, just prior to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York which ended in failure. An estimated 480 US tactical nuclear weapons are suspected to be based in Belgium, Germany, England, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. The United States is currently the only country to have nuclear weapons stationed on the territory of other countries. 

The resolution of the Belgian House was passed just prior to the 60th anniversary of Trinity – the first nuclear device ever tested in the "Jornada del Muerto" valley in New Mexico on 16 July 1945.  Since that day, 2,053 nuclear weapons have been detonated, or on average 1 every 10 days since 1945.

Pol D'Huyvetter, spokesperson for For Mother Earth, a member group of Friends of the Earth International declared: "This resolution is very good news for the many people who have participated in our disarmament campaign for many years. This resolution will help convince our government that they need to get rid of the NATO nuclear base at Kleine Brogel. This nuclear base is a dark spot on the world map as the base has a capacity to store up to 20 US B61 nuclear bombs, each of which has a lethal power that exceeds the power of the Hiroshima bomb by up to 14 times. We need to ban these genocidal weapons as soon as possible with a global treaty. Unfortunately the US is very strongly opposed to such a treaty. But even without the US we'll move forward as we prove again today, and as we are doing for the International Criminal Court, the Land Mine Treaty or the Kyoto Protocol. One day they'll have to join the global call for a world free of nuclear weapons." 

The text resolution in French and Dutch is available at: http://www.dekamer.be/FLWB/pdf/51/1545/51K1545007.pdf 

New Zealand Maintains Ban on Nuclear-Powered and Nuclear-Armed Warships Port Calls | Top

On 27 July 2005, the New Zealand parliament voted to maintain the country’s ban on allowing nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships from other nations to enter its ports.

A representative of a small right-wing party proposed a referendum on lifting the ban, arguing that it had cost New Zealand a free trade agreement with the United States. All the other parties represented in parliament, however, voted down the bill.

Source: “ New Zealand Maintains Prohibition on Port Calls by Nuclear-Powered Foreign Warships,” Global Security Newswire, 28 July 2005.

EU Funds IAEA Safety Measures | Top

On 18 July 2005, the European Union Council of Ministers approved a Joint Action which allocates nearly $4.8 million to support safety measures carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The money is intended to assist in IAEA efforts to protect nuclear and radioactive materials, and improve trafficking detection.

Source: “EU Gives Funds to Back IAEA Nonproliferation Efforts,” Global Security Newswire, 20 July 2005.

Honduras Signs IAEA Additional Protocol | Top

The Republic of Honduras signed the Additional Protocol to its International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards agreement, the IAEA announced last week.

Honduras is the 100th nation to sign the protocol, which allows for more intrusive on-site inspections.

Expert Says W-76 Warhead Still Reliable | Top

In the July issue of Jane’s Intelligence Review, Geoffrey E. Forden, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, offers an assessment of the reliability of the W-76 warhead.

The W-76 warhead in the US nuclear arsenal was designed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the early 1970s and is now deployed on nuclear submarines. The warhead initially came under scrutiny after national laboratories scientists argued its design was fundamentally flawed, decreasing its dependability and making it an ineffective combat weapon.

In his assessment, Forden predicts that in a worse case scenario, 70% of the W-76s will detonate as designed, and that 95% will detonate with at least 60% of its intended force. Forden concludes that this reliability “is great enough to retain confidence in this important component of the US nuclear deterrent.”

US Representative Threatens to “Take Out” Islamic Holy Sites | Top

On 19 July 2005, Representative Thomas G. Tancredo (R-Colorado) told a Los Angeles radio show that the United States could “take out” Islamic holy sites, including Mecca, if terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons.

Congressman Tancredo stated, “Well, what if you said something like – if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites.”

Chemical Lab Scolded by Regulators for U-235 Loss | Top

In July, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) admonished Ledoux & Co., a chemical laboratory in New Jersey, for losing 3.3 grams of Uranium-235. NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan says the quantity of uranium is too little to be used in a dirty bomb, and the substance isn’t radioactive enough to hurt people.

The uranium was shipped from a company in Virginia to Ledoux, which analyzes chemicals used in the nuclear industry. Investigators believe Ledoux & Co. employees accidentally overlooked the canister that contained the substance and threw it into the trash. It may now be located in a landfill in New York or Pennsylvania.

Nuke Olympic Site? | Top

London officials have discovered that a planned 2012 Olympic Park will be located on the site of a former nuclear reactor.

An environmental impact assessment conducted by the London Development Agency determined that there will be no health risks involved with the construction of the site in that location, although numerous politicians are calling for a new survey of the site, located in East London’s Lower Lea Valley.

Bob Blackman, spokesman for the Tory party’s economic development wing, stated, “During this process, officers at the bid team have been very blasé about the problems of contamination in the Lower Lea Valley, but they must take this matter seriously.”

The reactor, which was relatively small, belonged to the University of London's Queen Mary College department of nuclear engineering before being decommissioned in 1982.

US Nuclear Plants to Review Terrorist, Environmental Security | Top

Beginning in September 2005, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will begin a comprehensive review of the nation’s 103 spent nuclear fuel ponds. The decision comes after the National Academy of Sciences’ recommendation in April 2005 that such a review could identify necessary steps in order to prevent a catastrophic release of radioactivity during a terrorist attack. The security review will also study emergency preparedness and communications procedures.

The decision to review nuclear plant security was also made because of the recent string of coordinated terrorist bombings in London. The London attacks and the escalating level of violence around the world emphasize the need to protect nuclear materials against groups of organized attackers wishing to release deadly amounts of radioactivity into the environment.

Pacific Gas and Electricity Company (PG&E) is taking additional measures to secure its nuclear plants in California. According PG&E’s chief geoscientist, Lloyd Cluff, at least half a million dollars will be spent assessing how the Diablo Canyon and Humboldt Bay nuclear plants would be affected by a tsunami. Diablo Canyon, one of two commercial energy plants in California that provides about 10% of California’s electricity, is located on the Pacific coastline. San Onofre, California’s second nuclear plant is operated by Southern California Edison and also situated on the coastline. San Onofre officials have expressed confidence that the plant can withstand a tsunami similar to the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004.

The small Humboldt Bay nuclear plant was shut down in 1976 and has been non-operational since. Nevertheless, radioactive materials are still stored at the plant and PG&E officials want to study the effects a tsunami would have at that site.

Livermore Lab Placed Under Emergency During Fire | Top

Officials at Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Laboratory (LLNL) declared an operational emergency when a fire swept through Livermore in 20 July 2005. No damage was done to the lab, or to any nearby houses. However, the fire burned up to 10,250 acres of mostly wild grass prior to being contained. There have been multiple Livermore wildfires that nearly reached lab property over the years, raising serious concerns about safety at the lab.

Japan Developing Offensive Missile Defense? | Top

On 3 July 2005, Japanese Minister of Defense Yoshinori Ono confirmed that Japan will cooperate closely with the US in expanding Japan’s sea-based missile defenses. The announcement will likely heighten tensions between Japan, China and North Korea, as a missile defense system is widely perceived as an enabler of offensive military capabilities. Ono further raised concerns when he said on 14 July that missile defense technology developed in cooperation with the US could be sold or transferred to other nations, raising concerns that pacifist safeguards in the Japanese constitution are being overlooked.

Additionally, on 22 July, Japan’s upper house of Parliament approved legislation that gives the Minister of Defense authority to order the interception of incoming missiles without prior approval from the Prime Minister or the Cabinet. Because the lower house also approved the legislation on 14 June 2005, it will become law.

Critics of the new legislation argue it gives Japan’s military too much power and goes against the pacifist safeguards in the Japanese constitution. Proponents of the legislation say it is necessary to defend against missile threats. Streamlining the authority to intercept incoming missiles makes it more likely that defense officials can react and neutralize the incoming missile, instead of waiting on the bureaucratic process for authorization, proponents argue.

Also on 22 July, Ono revealed the Japanese and US governments concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that licenses the Japanese to produce Patriot Advanced Capabiltiy-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missiles. Although it is far less expensive in the short term to purchase the PAC-3 missiles from the US, the Japanese will develop the massive industrial and technological infrastructure needed to manufacture their own interceptor missiles because it is seen as more economical in the long term. Additionally, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pushed for an independent missile interceptor production capability because it will boost Japan’s technological and engineering industries. Lockheed Martin and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are expected to sign a production contract by March 2006.

US Missile Defense Tests to Resume in September | Top

In July, Lieutenant General Henry Trey Obering, Director of the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), said the agency plans four missile interceptor tests over the next year, beginning in September. Interceptor tests have been on hold since two failures in December 2004 and February 2005 when the interceptor missiles failed to launch from their silos.

According to Obering, the US has spent $92.5 billion on a missile defense system, which has a “better-than-zero chance of successfully intercepting…an inbound warhead.” Obering said that confidence in the system will improve over time. In the past Obering said he had grown “suspicious of some of the workmanship and quality control” in the system. He has said that many of the failures have been preventable.

In other US missile defense news, Obering announced the successful test of the integrated Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. During the test, THAAD X-band radar successfully acquired, tracked and classified two missile boosters and the re-entry vehicles of two Orion missiles that were fired as part of the test. The THAAD X-ban radar then successfully communicated interceptor data using the command, control and battle management communications system.

Annual Report to US Congress Highlights China’s Expanding Missile, Military Forces | Top

On 19 July 2005 the US Department of Defense released The Military Power of the People’s Republic of China, 2005, its annual report on Chinese military power to Congress. The report assesses the rapidly expanding military expenditures and capabilities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. According to the report, the Chinese defense sector could receive up to $90 billion this year, making China the world’s second largest defense spender after the US.

The report finds that the Chinese have deployed between 650 and 720 mobile short-range ballistic missiles. The Chinese are adding about 100 new missiles, with improved accuracy and distance, to this garrison each year. Additionally, China is modernizing its long-range ballistic missiles. In the next several years, China plans to bring the road-mobile, solid-propellant DF-31 and extended range DF-31A intercontinental ballistic missiles into service. These missiles, currently under development, have a range of 7,250 km (4,500 miles) and 11,270 km (7,000 miles) respectively.

Bush administration foreign policy makers perceive China’s overall military buildup as the most significant long-term challenge to America’s international security. China’s military spending has increased at double-digit rates over the last decade. What remains unclear is whether China will use its growing power as a strategic partner or as a strategic competitor.

US defense hawks argue that China’s military strength has outgrown its self-defense needs and represents a growing threat to the US and its allies in the region. The hawkish argument was given credence when Chinese General Zhu Chenghu, while speaking in a personal capacity at the main Chinese defense college, said to reporters that China would engage in a nuclear war with the US if it interferes in defense of Taiwan. “The Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds…of (their) cities will be destroyed by the Chinese,” Chenghu said.

The ominous tone set by the report and US defense hawks is seen by some experts as exaggeration and fear-mongering. China’s defense expenditures in 2004, estimated between $35 and $65 billion, cannot compare to US defense expenditures for the same year: $466 billion. Some analysts say the exaggerated threat is part of a China-threat-paranoia, arguing that it’s ludicrous to suggest China is a threat to the global military reach of the US. Nevertheless, in order to equalize the changing military balance in the region, it is likely the US will counter the Chinese buildup with advanced arms sales to Taiwan.

Sources: “ Beijing Expands Nuclear, Missile Arsenals, US Says,” Global Security Newswire, 20 July 2005; “Sizing up the Dragon,” The Economist, 23 July 2005; US Department of Defense.

India Disinterested in US Missile Defenses | Top

Despite a landmark defense cooperation agreement signed on 28 June 2005, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee asserted that India will develop its own missile and missile defense systems rather than purchase US systems. On 5 July, Mukherjee stated, "What we are interested in is developing our own missile program, which we are doing. There is no question of accepting a missile (defense) shield from anyone.”

Mukherjee’s statement has puzzled experts, especially since only one week earlier India and the US signed a 10-year agreement to cooperate in the production of weapons, missile defenses, military technology and energy resources. Leading up to the agreement, the US had cleared the way to sell the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile system to the Indian defense agency.

An indigenous missile defense system is under development in India. India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has been responsible for the research and development of a missile defense system based on the Akash missile and Rajendra radar platforms. Some weapons experts doubt the Akash is capable of intercepting an incoming missile, much less an enemy aircraft, and believe any Indian missile defense system is decades away from being fielded.

Sources: Gupta, Shishir, “US Clears Sale of Latest Patriot Anti-missile System to India,” The Indian Express, 14 June 2005; “India Rules Out Accepting US Missile Defence System,” Agence France-Presse, 5 July 2005; “ India Says Not to Accept Missile Defense Shield from Anyone,” Xinhuanet, 5 July 2005.

Russia Replacing Missile Systems | Top

The Russian Defense Ministry has been dismantling and destroying missile systems across the country over the past year. Most recently, the final train-mounted missile and launcher were dismantled and an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silo in the Ural Mountains was destroyed.

The train-mounted missile was the final such weapon to be dismantled from the combat railway train system of the Kostroma missile division. The train-mounted missile system will be replaced with the Topol-M (SS-27) type missile. The Topol-M is similar to the US Minuteman-3, with a range of 11,000 km (7,000 miles), and will likely become the standard delivery vehicle of choice for Russia’s strategic nuclear forces well into the 21st century.

The ICBM silo, destroyed on 21 July 2005, was one of 20 SS-18 silos in the Chelyabinsk region. The unit of SS-18 silos is slated for destruction by December 2005 and is being destroyed in accordance with the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-1), which restricts the US and Russia to no more than 1,600 strategic ballistic missiles on each side.

In related news, on 28 July, Russia announced the destruction of the sixth and final SS-18 Satan missile launcher operated by a missile division based near Kartaly.

Sources: “ Russia Dismantles Train-Mounted Missile Launcher,” Global Security Newswire, 12 July 2005; “ Russia to Dismantle Strategic Missile Unit by December,” Agence France-Presse, 22 July 2005; “ Russia Destroys ICBM Silo,” Global Security Newswire, 22 July 2005; BBC Monitoring, 28 July 2005.

US Successfully Tests ICBM | Top

On 21 July 2005, the US successfully tested an unarmed Minuteman-3 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The missile was fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base, traveled 4,200 miles in 30 minutes, and struck a target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the western chain of the Marshall Islands.

The 21 July test comes after an unsuccessful 1 June 2005 test, during which the missile never left the silo. This series of test launches is part of a developmental program testing the ability to integrate a Safety Enhanced Re-entry Vehicle into the Minuteman-3 weapon system. The developmental program aims to extend the life of the Minuteman-3 missile and will eventually lead to converting the Minuteman-3 missile to use warheads from the Peacekeeper missile system.

Sources: “Minuteman-3 Missile Launched in Test at Vandenberg,” Associated Press, 21 July 2005; Scully, Janene, “Minuteman 3 Missile launched successfully,” The Lompoc Record, 21 July 2005.

Japanese Reactor Springs a Leak | Top

On 10 July 2005, about four liters of water used to regulate boric acid levels leaked through a corroded pipe in the number one reactor at the Ikata nuclear power plant in Japan. Shikoku Electric Power Company operates the plant and released a statement, which said, “The incident has no impact on the operation of the reactor and no impact on the environment as there is no leak of radiation.” Confidence in the Japanese nuclear industry is waning as this leak comes after a long string of accidents over the last year.

US Senators Announce Resolution of Liability Dispute on MOX Plants | Top

On 20 July 2005, US Senators Lyndsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) announced the resolution of a liability disagreement between Russia and the United States over the construction of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel plants.

MOX plants are intended for the downblending of weapons-grade plutonium into commercial nuclear fuel as part of a US-sponsored non-proliferation program. The disagreement was over the liability of US workers helping build plants in Russia.

Tom Clements of Greenpeace International said the liability issue is just one of several that need to be resolved. Russia's program still faces funding and safeguard concerns, and Clements questioned the timing of the senators’ statements. Clements stated, "I do think both Sen. Domenici and Sen. Graham are trying to play politics and influence the House-Senate conference committee funding on the MOX plant. That much is clear to me.“

The removal of the liability issues paves the way for the completion a MOX fuel plant in South Carolina, which would be the first of its kind in the US. The Senate recently authorized the President’s 2006 budget request of $339 million for the plant, but the House has provided just $35 million.

A House Energy and Water Appropriations report submitted by Representative David Hobson (R-Ohio) said the MOX program has a balance of more than $650 million and the 2006 budget request would increase that to more than $1 billion. However, according to the report, "No nuclear non-proliferation or national security benefits have been realized due to continued program delays. ... Faced with severe budget constraints, the committee cannot support the continued inefficient use of these non-proliferation funds.“ The report also called for a General Accounting Office review of project spending, which Clements echoed.

In April 2005, a shipment of nuclear power plant fuel made from weapons-grade plutonium arrived at the Catawba Nuclear Station in Lake Wylie for testing. The nuclear station is one of two in the United States that would use the mixed-oxide fuel.

US Representatives Question Logic of New Indian Deal | Top

On the same day that the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, addressed a joint session of the House and Senate, Members of the House of Representatives Energy Conference Committee approved a measure offered by Representative Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) to prevent the exportation of nuclear technology to countries, like India, that are not party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and who have detonated a nuclear device.  The House Energy Conference Committee provision addresses concerns raised over a US-India Joint statement announcing that the US will work to achieve full civil nuclear cooperation with India. 

"I hope the bi-partisan passage of this provision here in the Energy Conference Committee sends a clear message: we should not be sending nuclear materials to India," said Representative Markey. " India is not a member state of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and lacks full-scope safeguards required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for non-nuclear weapons states to receive nuclear supply materials.   We are playing with fire by picking and choosing when to pay attention to the existing non-proliferation treaties."

Although the measure received broad support from both Republican and Democratic Members of the House Energy Bill Conference Committee, the measure was rejected by Senate Conference Conferees during a voice vote.

The Chairman of the Conference Committee, Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas), stated, "Unlike our friends on the Senate side, we don't have any ability to advise and consent on treaties. This is a way for the House to send a signal on this particular treaty." Barton urged a “yes” vote on the Markey amendment.

Members of the House of Representatives vowed to continue pressing for action to address their concerns over the exportation of nuclear materials to non-nuclear states.

Russia’s Nuclear Programs Moving in Multiple Directions | Top

On 1 July 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a Russo-Italian cooperation agreement. Under the agreement, Italy will finance and provide technical assistance to help dismantle Russian nuclear submarines and provide for environmental cleanup of nuclear sites in Northwestern Russia.

Under a similar agreement financed by the United Kingdom and Norway, nuclear engineers successfully unloaded spent nuclear fuel from two Russian Victor-3 nuclear powered attack submarines on 7 July. The work was carried out in the Nerpa shipyard, Snezhnogorsk, Murmansk Region. The dismantlement of old submarines is seen as making room for more advanced replacements. The Russian navy is moving forward with plans to construct a new fleet of fourth-generation diesel electric submarines. The first Lada class diesel-electric torpedo submarine will be operational in 2006 and will replace the Kilo class type 636 as an anti-surface and anti-submarine warship.

In other news, the Netherlands pledged $1 million towards the US National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Elimination of Weapons Grade Plutonium Program to assist in shutting down Russia’s three remaining plutonium producing nuclear reactors. The UK and Canada have already made pledges of $20 million and $7.4 million respectively. Since the plutonium producing reactors provide electricity for two Russian cities, the US will construct replacement fossil-fuel energy facilities. Paul Longsworth, Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the NNSA, said that bringing the Dutch into the program “is a positive step in the effort to address non-proliferation and nuclear safety concerns shared by both Dutch and Americans.”

On 12 July, the number two reactor at the Sosnovy Bor plant near Saint Petersburg was closed for renovations. The plant has been in operation for 30 years, the standard service period. However, Russian officials are modernizing the reactor to extend the service period by as many as 15 years. The number one reactor at Sosnovy Bor was renovated last year and its service period was extended three years.

In other news, the Russians are preparing a major partnership with Iran to build as many as 20 nuclear plants over the next few years in the Islamic Republic. While in Russia, Kazem Jalai, head of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, made the announcement that 20 new plants were being considered. Jalai also urged the Russians to provide fuel for the Bushehr nuclear plant. Alexander Rumyantsev, the head of Russia’s atomic energy agency, assuaged fears that Iran would use the commercial nuclear energy technology to develop a military program in promising that spent fuel will be returned to Russia for reprocessing or storage.

Sources: “Putin Signs Law on Ratifying Russia-Italy Agreement on Nuclear Submarine Disposal,” Ria Novosti, 1 July 2005; “Russian Shipyard Unloads Nuclear Fuel From Two Submarines,” Rednova News, 7 July 2005; “Dutch Pledge $1 Million to Close Russian Reactors,” Global Security Newswire, 7 July 2005; “Iran Plans for 20 New Nuclear Plants,” Global Security Newswire, 8 July 2005; “Russia to Start Producing New Generation Submarines,” Ria Novosti, 27 July 2005.

Global Push for Nuclear Energy Reaching New Heights | Top

On 13 July 2005, Yuri Sokolov, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Deputy Director General and head of the Nuclear Energy Department, said as many as 130 new nuclear power plants may be built over the next 15 years. Sokolov commented on the global push for new nuclear power plants at an international conference in Moscow titled “Multilateral Technical and Organizational Approaches to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle to Strengthen the Non-Proliferation Regime.” The conference was organized by Russia's Federal Agency for Nuclear Power and over 200 nuclear experts convened to discuss peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the long term evolution of international nuclear energy structures that support non-proliferation efforts and address developmental needs around the world.

French Atomic Veteran Receives Lifetime Invalidity Pension | Top

In a historic landmark ruling, a French military pension court ruled in favor of a 64-year old military veteran to receive life pension for invalidity.

André Mézières, a corporal in the French military, was exposed to four nuclear tests conducted by the French government in Algeria in the 1960s. According to Mézières, "We were just wearing shorts, open sleeveless shirt and sandals, no gloves, no mask, no radiation meter, no protection whatsoever. We were twenty years old and they lied to us."

The court acknowledged that Mézières’ current illness of poliomyelitis, which paralyzed his nervous system and muscles, is a direct result of his military service during the nuclear tests.

NRC Judge Approves Uranium Mining Near Navajo Nation | Top

On 26 July 2005, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) judge endorsed a plan to extract uranium from the sole source of drinking water for 15,000 members of the Navajo Nation. The water aquifer is located near Crowpoint and Church Rock, located on the southeastern edge of the Navajo Nation in northern New Mexico.

Hydro Resources, Inc. (HRI) proposed the mining operation. The technique utilized by HRI is called “in-situ leaching,” which involves injecting chemicals underground to release uranium from the surrounding earth so it can be pumped to the surface. The technique has never previously been employed in a drinking-water aquifer.

Doug Meiklejohn, a lawyer for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, which represents Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining, stated, “If that water gets polluted, and our experts tell us that it will, then it’s not at all clear how these communities will continue to exist.”

In the last fifty years, the Navajo have been the victims of a total of 303 federal leases encumbering a quarter-million acres of their land for uranium mining and milling purposes, resulting in significantly elevated cancer rates, birth defects among children, and monetary destitution for virtually the entire nation. The Navajo instituted a ban on uranium mining earlier this year.

“Could this happen in a rich, white community? The answer to that is no, it could not,” Meiklejohn said.

Interest in the uranium market has increased significantly among specialists in the field in recent years, corresponding to a uranium market price increase of $7.50 a pound five years ago to about $30 a pound today.

Eric Jantz, also a lawyer for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, said he plans to appeal the judge’s decision and, if necessary, will take the matter to court.

HRI President Craig Bartels claims the company won’t pollute the groundwater and accused the New Mexico Environmental Law Center of capitalizing on the issue for fundraising purposes. Bartels says in-situ leaching has proven to be safe based on the track record it has established in other operations.

According to Bartels, “Any reasonable technical person who looks at this finds in our favor. So any reasonable person who looks at this has to say that what they’re presenting is not correct.”

Barring a successful appeal by the Eastern Navajo legal team, the mining operation will likely begin in a few years, once Hydro Resources has obtained its proper permits and constructed the appropriate mining infrastructure.

For more information on the Navajo struggle against uranium mining, visit http://www.sric.org/uranium/

Report Confirms Former French President Approved Destruction of Greenpeace Ship | Top

On 9 July 2005, the 20 th anniversary of the bombing of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, the French newspaper Le Monde confirmed that former Socialist French President Francois Mitterand gave approval to the French secret service to sink the ship.

In 1985, two French agents attached mines to the ship’s hull as it lay anchored in a New Zealand harbor waiting to set sail to protest French nuclear tests in the Pacific. The explosions ripped large holes in the boat and killed Portugese Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira.

The public outcry concerning the sabotage of the ship provoked such embarrassment in France at the time that numerous top officials resigned their posts.

Confirmation of Mitterand’s approval of the operation came in the way of a 23-page handwritten report by French Admiral Lacoste, which had remained secret until it was excerpted in Le Monde.

As further confirmation of the report, Lacoste said in a corresponding interview with Le Monde, “He (Mitterand) gave me his agreement while stressing the importance he attached to the nuclear tests. I did not go into greater detail on the plan because the authorization was sufficiently explicit.”

Federal Report Says Savannah River Site Poses No Major Health Risks | Top

On 15 July 2005, a new 13-year federal study of the effects of the Savannah River Site (SRS) was released. The report determines that nearby residents were not exposed to high levels of radiation. It concludes that people living near SRS did not have an appreciably higher cancer risk from pollution between the 1950s and 1992.

The government utilized 50,000 boxes of records in researching the report, some of which had been classified for decades, to reconstruct chemical and radiation releases during the Cold War.

The 310 square mile site is located close to several major cities, including Augusta and Savannah, Georgia, as well as Columbia, Greenville, and Charleston, South Carolina. Many experts, including the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, have found the report to be inconclusive. IEER has been critical of the radioactive waste storage program at SRS, which it says has allowed significant quantities of the waste to seep into the drinking water of nearby populations.

DOE Advisory Board Urges Weapons Complex Consolidation | Top

According to a new report published on 13 July 2005 by the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Infrastructure Task Force, the US nuclear weapons plants and radioactive design components at Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia nuclear laboratories should be consolidated to a single site. The report, entitled “Recommendations for the Nuclear Weapons Complex of the Future,” argues that this arrangement would increase security and reduce targets for terrorists.

While the labs have been modernized, the report states that the respective production facilities are “World War II era … lacking in modern-day production technology and striving to optimize performance with antiquated equipment and facilities.” Consolidating the facilities would be a means of modernizing their production capabilities.

The document criticizes the “broad distribution” of “sensitive materials” at the labs, for example materials susceptible to a terrorist attack. For instance, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory currently houses over 1,600 tons of weapons-grade plutonium, a quantity that is scheduled to increase to over 3,300 tons by next year, making it particularly liable to terrorist machinations.

The report also urges development of “sturdier, more reliable” nuclear warheads that can be maintained more easily and last longer. This program is in the early design stages.

The report is likely to be approved or amended by the full Secretary of Energy Advisory Board next month.

No location was recommended in the report, but the site selection process is scheduled to begin soon.

To read the full report, please visit: http://www.ananuclear.org/NWCITFRept-7-11-05.pdf.

NNSA Receives Three Bids for LANL Management | Top

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) received three bids for the Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) management contract by its 19 July 2005 deadline. Three different bidding teams submitted proposals – University of California-Bechtel, University of Texas-Lockheed Martin, and Nuclear Watch of New Mexico (NWNM)-Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (CAREs).

The three sides are competing for a $79 million annual contract that will run for up to 20 years. The UT-Lockheed Martin consortium includes engineering firms CH2m Hill and Fluor Corporation, as well as 22 other universities, which it has dubbed the "Alliance Academic Network." The UC-Bechtel consortium includes nuclear waste clean-up specialist Washington Group International, nuclear manufacturing specialist BWXT Technologies, and the three major New Mexico university systems.

Both major bidding teams described the proposal process as extremely arduous. Over 50 people on both the UC-Bechtel and UT-Lockheed sides helped prepare the reports.

C. Paul Robinson, head of the UT-Lockheed Martin bidding team said, “We have somewhere between 30 and 40 boxes we’re dropping off. It can only be said that it’s a Herculean effort to write one of these things.”

Some of the notable members of the “Alliance Academic Network” are John Hopkins University, the University of Colorado, University of Arizona, University of Michigan, and Georgia Tech. The alliance is also courting MIT and Cal Tech.

The Nuke Watch of New Mexico and Tri-Valley CAREs proposal emphasizes the need for disarmament, environmental clean-up, and worker safety to replace the current lab commitments to upgrading the US’ existing nuclear weapons arsenal and designing new weapons.

The NWNM-Tri-Valley CAREs proposal would make sweeping changes to the management structure of the lab, including the creation of a Chief Officer for Whistleblower Protection as part of the Lab Director’s office. The team would also transform the Threat Reduction office into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation office, making Nuclear Weapons Programs, Weapons Physics, and Weapons Remanufacturing branches of the office.

NWNM-Tri-Valley CAREs would also create a new Associate Directorship for Dismantlement and would institute a new Environmental Restoration Director and a Science Director.

Jay Coghlan, NWNM executive director stated, “In some cases we’ll probably not see eye-to-eye with the NNSA, particularly on nuclear weapons programs. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that the agency will see the soundness of our basic approach of truly discouraging by concrete example the grave threat of nuclear weapons proliferation,”

Among the other major elements of the proposal, NWNM-TVC would voluntarily pay an estimated $80 million in New Mexico gross receipt taxes, nearly half of which goes to public education. The UC has never paid taxes to New Mexico.

Unlike the UC-Bechtel and UT-Lockheed Martin consortiums, Nuke Watch-TVC has made their bid public by posting it on their respective websites at www.nukewatch.org and www.trivalleycares.org .

Sources: Vorenberg, Sue, “Los Alamos Bidders Tout Their Strenghts,” The Albuquerque Tribune, 19 July 2005; “Watchdog Groups Submit Bid for LANL Contract; Propose Radical Mgt. Changes to Reflect New National Security Priorities,” Tri-Valley CARES/Nuke Watch Press Release, 19 July 2005.

Corporate Firms Vie to Manage SRS Facility | Top

As the high-stakes competition to win the next Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) management contract continues to intensify, competition is also underway for management of the Savannah River Site (SRS) nuclear facility in South Carolina.

Westinghouse Savannah River Co., a subsidiary of Washington Group International (also part of the UC-Bechtel LANL bidding consortium), has managed the facility since 1989 under a $125 million annual contract with the Department of Energy (DOE). The current contract expires on 30 September 2006.

Rather than one manager exclusively overseeing the facility, the next contract might be granted to one prime contractor that would take on multiple partners in managing the facility, much like the next LANL management partnership. Another possibility is that multiple smaller contracts will be awarded to various companies that would oversee specific aspects of SRS operations.

Over 70 firms were present at a recent information session in Aiken, South Carolina, regarding the upcoming bid, about half of which have registered for face-to-face interviews with DOE officials in Washington DC in late July regarding the facility.

Once a nuclear weapons fuel factory, SRS is now a storage facility for nuclear material. Tritium used to maintain and upgrade the US nuclear weapons stockpile is also processed at the site. SRS also hosts the Savannah River National Laboratory, a research center for nuclear waste treatment and storage technology.

California-based Fluor Daniel Inc., which recently opened an office near SRS, is considered a leading contender to become a SRS manager.

Federal officials say they are staging the SRS bidding process to “maximize competition,” and not because they are dissatisfied with Westinghouse Savannah River’s management practices.

SRS currently costs $1.3 billion a year to operate. It will cost as much as $2 billion a year to operate by 2011. The plant is also notable because it could become the site of one of the first two nuclear power plants built in the US since 1977.

LANL Worker Contaminated by Radioactive Substance | Top

On 27 July 2005, the radioactive contamination of a Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) worker’s workspace, clothing, car, and home was confirmed following an investigation.

The contamination came in the form of americium 241, which is created when plutonium atoms absorb neutrons during a nuclear reaction.

Investigators are working to determine the source of the contamination and whether safety procedures were followed.

Lab Director Robert Kuckuck said, "Our first concern is to ensure that every employee is safe and that the general public is protected. We believe that this has been accomplished.''

Workers in the facility where the contamination occurred were sent home on 26 July afternoon so experts could complete radiological surveys of the area and clean up any residual contamination.

University of Colorado Partnership with UT-Lockheed Remains Unclear

University of Colorado (CU), University of Texas, and Lockheed Martin officials have declined thus far to specify the nature of CU’s involvement in the UT-Lockheed consortium that is bidding to manage Los Alamos.

According to Jeff Cheek, CU's vice president of research, "Until certain dominoes fall into place, we don't know exactly what this could bring."

CU officials have assured that the university’s role will not be management or nuclear weapons-related production, but rather nuclear science and research. CU spokesman Mike Hesse said, “The operations we will be involved with will not be on the weapons side of things. That’s not what we’re looking for.”

Fifty CU professors conduct research currently at Los Alamos lab. CU-Boulder’s Ph.D. program in atomic and molecular physics has consistently ranked among the best in the nation, based on the annual “U.S. News and World Report” rankings of university achievements.

50th Anniversary of Nuclear Power Celebrated at Idaho National Lab

17 July 2005 marked the 50th anniversary of the age of nuclear power. Arco, Idaho was the site of the first experimental nuclear power plant, a 2,000-kilowatt facility called Borax (short for Boiling Reactor Experiment) that briefly lit the 1,000-person town in 1955.

Today, Borax is displayed as a museum within the larger Idaho National Laboratory complex, the only place within the massive compound that is open to the public. Some 8,000 tourists visit the site annually.

11th Annual Sadako Peace Day | Top

On 9 August 2005, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will hold its 11th Annual Sadako Peace Day, a day to remember and pay tribute to the victims of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as all victims of war. The event will include music, poetry and reflection at Sadako Peace Garden at La Casa de Maria Retreat Center in Montecito, CA. For more information, contact the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at (805) 965-3443.

DC Office Director Honored by Marshallese Survivors of US Nuclear Testing | Top

On 19 July 2005, following a US Senate hearing on the Republic of the Marshall Islands Changed Circumstance Petition, Mojen eo an Iroijlaplap Jeimata and Iroijlaplap Loeak presented Carah Ong, the Foundation’s Washington DC Office Director, with letters from the Ralik Chain expressing gratitude for focusing public attention on the lingering problems and untold sufferings caused to the Marshallese people by the US nuclear and missile testing programs in the Marshall Islands. The letter also expressed thanks for giving Tony deBrum the opportunity to articulate the plight of the Marshallese before the UN General Assembly on 11 May 2005. Mojen eo an Iroijlaplap Jeimata and Iroijlaplap Loeak also presented Carah with a “kili bag” as a token of gratitude on behalf of Ralik Chain. Lijon Elkineang Ralpho, a survivor of BRAVO, made an additional presentation to Carah of a handmade purse and earrings on behalf of the women of Rongelap. She was asked by Iroijlaplap Imata Kabua to make the presentation.

At the ceremony, Carah expressed her sincerest gratitude for the letters and the gifts. She said she would continue to find ways to share the stories of the Marshallese with non-governmental organizations and concerned citizens in the US and throughout the world. Carah believes that the Marshallese have paid a disproportionate price for the US to become the superpower it is today. When people hear the stories of the Marshallese they are reminded of the human suffering that has been caused by the legacy of the Nuclear Age. She hopes the stories of the Marshallese will move people to take action to redress the social, health and environmental costs of US nuclear and missile testing in the Marshall Islands and throughout the world.

Seeds of Change – No Nukes! No Wars! CD | Top

The Seeds of Change CD project documents some of the voices, music and poetry of six decades of resistance to nuclear weapons. From folk to hip hop, rock to spoken word, these artists weave a fabric of alternative possibilities. Seeds of Change can be ordered from Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment at www.trivalleycares.org .

Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats | Top

Deadly Arsenals by Joseph Cirincione, Jon Wolfsthal, and Miriam Rajkumar provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive assessment available on global proliferation dangers. The revised and expanded second edition includes developments following the US invasion of Iraq and subsequent realization that Iraq did have active nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs. The new edition also addresses the recent developments in Iran, Libya, North Korea, and the nuclear black market. Deadly Arsenals can be purchased directly from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=16650&prog=zgp&proj=znpp .

CND – Now More Than Ever by Kate Hudson | Top

Published to mark the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, CND – Now More Than Ever is a fascinating and timely look at an archetypal campaigning organization in the United Kingdom. Spawning an iconic symbol of peace and shaping two generations, CND has become a byword for protest and radicalism.

Founded in 1958 at the height of the Cold War, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) gave expression to a growing concern about the dangers of nuclear weapons. Interviewing key figures and grassroots activists, CND Chair Kate Hudson narrates the highs and lows of five decades of CND – from the mass protests at Aldermaston and Greenham Common to years when it had just a ‘shoebox-full’ of members.

With first hand accounts from Hiroshima victims, Hudson explores the origin of our nuclear world and outlines the nuclear problems that still face us today. Illegal wars, NATO expansion and America’s ‘Son of Star Wars’ all add up to one fact: CND is needed now more than ever. http://www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk/bookList.php

A Citizen's Guide to Monitor Radioactivity | Top

A Citizen's Guide to Monitor Radioactivity is a how-to guide for people who live near US Department of Energy facilities. The Guide is for people who want to monitor the levels of radioactivity in their environment, including step-by-step instructions on how to use inexpensive equipment to measure radiological conditions in your community. The Guide can be downloaded for free, as a PDF document from: http://www.radioactivist.org/ISAR%20final%20guide.pdf

Reliable Replacement Warhead Fact Sheet | Top

Nuclear Watch of New Mexico has released a fact sheet called The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program which explores the US National Nuclear Security Administration’s $9 billion program. The fact sheet can be downloaded as a PDF document from: http://www.nukewatch.org/facts/nwd/RRWFS071205.pdf

Arms Control Today - July/August 2005 | Top

The July/August 2005 issue of Arms Control Today, from the Arms Control Association, is a special issue printed for the 60th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The July/August issue contains articles by Mikhail Gorbachev, Ambassador Henrik Salander of Sweden, General William Burns (USAF ret.); John Holdren; former National Security Council official, Frank Miller; and C. G. Weeranmantry, a former vice president of the International Court of Justice. The complete issue can be viewed online at: http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2005_07-08/default.asp

A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003-2005 | Top

Iraq Body Count, in association with Oxford Research Group released A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003-2005, the first detailed study of non-combatant deaths in Iraq since the US invasion. The report finds nearly 25,000 Iraqi civilians were killed between 20 March 2003 and 18 March 2005. Of those fatalities, almost 10,000 were killed by US forces. The complete report is available as a PDF download:
http://reports.iraqbodycount.org/a_dossier_of_civilian_casualties_2003-2005.pdf.

“Seeing the television images today brought home to me how this episode could have been much worse if these others