Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry in a speech in New York Wednesday called for new U.S. approaches to preventing nuclear proliferation (AFP/Getty). Former U.S. Defense Secretary Calls for New Nonproliferation Approaches By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry Wednesday called for new approaches to combating the spread of nuclear weapons, warning that the possibility of terrorists obtaining such a weapon is “the gravest danger facing our nation today” (see GSN, Dec. 11)...Full Story

Bush Happy With Smallpox Preparation, Spokesman Says U.S. President George W. Bush is pleased with the nation’s smallpox defense efforts but wants to continue the national smallpox immunization program, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Dec. 4)...Full Story

Workers Dismantle Final U.S. Nuclear Artillery Shell Workers at the Pantex Plant in Texas have dismantled the last U.S. W79 nuclear artillery shell, plant officials said yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 8, 2002)...Full Story

	Friday, December 12, 2003

U.S. Intelligence Reform Efforts Stall Due to Prewar Iraq Intelligence Controversy Efforts to draft legislation to establish an intelligence “czar” to oversee the U.S. intelligence community have stalled because of the controversy over prewar U.S. intelligence on Iraq and the 2004 presidential election, United Press International reported today (see GSN, Dec. 9). The creation of an intelligence czar was one of 19 recommendations to improve U.S. intelligence made about a year ago by a joint House-Senate intelligence panel, according to UPI. Currently, the director of central intelligence, who also heads the CIA, manages the 14 agencies that make up the intelligence community. That role “hasn’t worked very well,” said Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.), co-chairman of the joint committee. The joint committee proposed establishing a director of national intelligence, who would be given “the full range of management, budgetary and personnel responsibilities” for the U.S. intelligence committee. Bills to establish such a position are being created in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to UPI. Graham said that Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) had promised him hearings on his bill. Members of the joint committee have blamed the delays on the controversy over the quality of prewar U.S. intelligence on Iraqi WMD efforts, UPI reported. “The whole question of ‘Did we get into the war based on bad intelligence and deception?’ emerged,” Graham said. “(It) took up the oxygen that might otherwise have been devoted to legislative consideration of our recommendations,” he said (Shaun Waterman, United Press International/Washington Times, Dec. 12). Back to top

British Troops Lacked WMD Protective Gear During Iraq War, Watchdog Office Says British troops involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom were sent into action lacking WMD protection gear, the British National Audit Office said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 30). According to a report from the government watchdog agency, the Defense Ministry did not provide enough WMD protection suits. In addition, the supply of residual vapor detector kits, which tells troops when it is safe to take off the protective equipment, was considered to be “unserviceable,” the office said. Many of the supply problems were caused by the failure of the Defense Ministry to stockpile the needed equipment in advance, the office said. The report countered the May testimony of British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon, who testified before a parliamentary committee that British troops had been well supplied during the invasion of Iraq, according to the London Telegraph. “There was sufficient clothing and protective equipment in theater to deal with a force of this size,” Hoon said (Andrew Sparrow, London Telegraph, Dec. 12). Back to top

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Calls for New Nonproliferation Approaches By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry Wednesday called for new approaches to combating the spread of nuclear weapons, warning that the possibility of terrorists obtaining such a weapon is “the gravest danger facing our nation today” (see GSN, Dec. 11). In a speech before the Asia Society in New York, Perry, who served as defense secretary in the Clinton administration, outlined several approaches to preventing rogue states and terrorist organizations from obtaining nuclear weapons. While offering tentative support for the Bush administration’s counterproliferation policy of pre-emptive military action, Perry said that such an approach was not fully effective. In his remarks, Perry warned that a terrorist group such as al-Qaeda would detonate a nuclear weapon within the United States if they were able to obtain one. He also predicted that unless more work was done to prevent nuclear proliferation, such weapons were likely to be used either in a regional conflict or against the United States “before this decade is over.” “This is a harsh judgment, but it is the most conclusive judgment I can make based on the evidence we have so far unless we can stop this tide of proliferation. The acid test of America’s national security programs should be, do they make that catastrophic outcome less likely? In my judgment, our current programs do not pass that test. They do not pass that test,” Perry said. According to Perry, approaches used during the Cold War to stem nuclear proliferation, such as the strategy of deterrence, are no longer effective. “Deterrence does not work against fanatics who are willing, even eager, to die for their cause,” he said. Perry also offered only tentative support for the Bush administration’s counterproliferation policy of pre-emptive military action, as demonstrated by Operation Iraqi Freedom (see GSN, Dec. 9). While saying such action “is and must be one of the options open to the United States,” he warned that such military action would entail casualties, political costs and could have unforeseen consequences.  In addition, Perry said that any decision to undertake a pre-emptive war must be based on “solid intelligence,” which is often difficult to obtain on WMD programs (see GSN, Dec. 5). He noted errors made by the U.S. intelligence community in assessing the WMD capabilities of prewar Iraq — assessments that so far have been largely unconfirmed by coalition forces searching for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The fault of U.S. intelligence to accurately assess rogue states’ WMD capabilities rests more on the nature of WMD programs themselves than with the intelligence community, Perry said. “The facilities involved in such programs can be small, decentralized and without a distinctive physical signature. A full-scale biological weapon program could fit into this room,” he told the gathered audience. “We may expect continuing difficulty in making a confident assessment of nuclear or biological programs in nations that are trying to keep those programs covert. As a consequence, when confronted with what we believe to be a covert nuclear program, we will generally not have the solid intelligence that is required and that will be rightly demanded by the American public before we take any conclusive action,” Perry said. In fact, the lack of success in finding evidence of large-scale Iraqi WMD efforts could result in the U.S. public failing to support pre-emptive military action even when it is necessary, he said. New Nonproliferation Approaches In his call for new nonproliferation strategies, Perry singled out for praise the U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction program, also known as the Nunn-Lugar program after its founders, former Senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.). Through the CTR program, the United States supports efforts to secure and dismantle WMD materials in the former Soviet Union. Calling the CTR program “the most important new tool” the United States has to prevent proliferation, Perry called for its acceleration and expansion. Last month, U.S. President George W. Bush signed the fiscal 2004 defense authorization bill, which included a provision to provide an initial $50 million for Nunn-Lugar projects conducted outside the former Soviet Union. In a Nov. 19 speech in Washington, Lugar called on Congress to provide additional funding for expanded Nunn-Lugar efforts and to provide the president with a permanent authority to waive funding certification requirements (see GSN, Nov. 20). “Senator Lugar’s proposal deserves our full support and, given the uphill battle it faces, is in desperate need of it,” Perry said Wednesday. In addition, Perry also called for the closure of a “loophole” in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that allows countries to potentially develop nuclear weapons under the cover of establishing a civilian nuclear power program. The nuclear weapon-states should be give the authority to control all nuclear fuel cycle activities to prevent non-nuclear states from obtaining weapon-grade materials under the pretext of creating civilian reactor fuel and then withdrawing from the NPT, Perry said. He also said that the International Atomic Energy Agency should be given expanded authority to conduct inspections, including challenge inspections, to verify compliance with such a system. Earlier this week, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei also restated his support for increased multilateral control over fuel cycle activities, such as through a new protocol to the NPT itself (see GSN, Dec. 8). “It is not enough that each country now has the so-called sovereign right to develop plutonium and sit on it ... and have highly enriched uranium,” ElBaradei was quoted by AP as having said in prepared remarks.  “What I’m looking (for) is a better multinational control over the sensitive parts of the fuel cycle,” he said. “None of this will be easy, just as it was not easy during the Cold War to formulate the strategy and provide the leadership that avoided a nuclear holocaust,” Perry said Wednesday. “But if we fail, and if terror groups are able to detonate nuclear bombs in our cities, we will forever after be asking ourselves why we did not take the timely action to avert the catastrophe. And if we succeed, our children and our grandchildren will thank us,” he added. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Sam Nunn is chief executive officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Richard Lugar serves on NTI’s Board of Directors. NTI is the sole sponsor of Global Security Newswire, which is published independently by National Journal Group.] Back to top       Workers Dismantle Final U.S. Nuclear Artillery Shell Workers at the Pantex Plant in Texas have dismantled the last U.S. W79 nuclear artillery shell, plant officials said yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 8, 2002). More than 100 plant workers and about 100 engineers from the U.S. national laboratories were involved in the dismantlement effort, which was completed without incident, said Pantex Site Office Manager Dan Glenn. “A whole weapons class is now gone,” Glenn said. “One of our goals that we try to do is reduce the global nuclear threat. By getting rid of the ones that aren’t necessary helps the whole world out,” he added (Jim McBride, Amarillo Globe-News, Dec. 12). Back to top       Next Round of North Korean Talks Probably Delayed Until January Six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis — once expected to convene next week — will probably be delayed for another month, Reuters reported today (see GSN, Dec. 11). “The trend is moving toward opening talks in mid-January,” a senior South Korean official said. Pyongyang is prepared to join talks immediately if their demands are met, according to an EU delegation that arrived in Seoul today after a three-day visit to North Korea. “They would answer that they’re willing to go right away, but of course the question would be on which terms,” according to Percy Westerlund, a senior European Commission official (Paul Eckert, Reuters, Dec. 12). The United States, however, reaffirmed its intention yesterday to hold the next round without meeting North Korean demands first. “We’re willing to go to talks this month without any preconditions. We’ve made clear, we think, [that] other parties, including North Korea, should be ready to do that as well, without preconditions,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday (U.S. State Department release, Dec. 11). The EU officials said North Korea would probably stick to its demands. “For national security reasons, they cannot possibly dismantle their program until they have all the assurances they need for their security. They see the nuclear weapons option as indispensable for their national security,” Westerlund said. “I didn’t detect any particular wavering,” he added (Hans Greimel, Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 12). Back to top       Pakistan Denies Arresting Nuclear Scientists Pakistani officials today denied reports that two nuclear scientists had been arrested, saying instead that the scientists were only being “debriefed” (see GSN, Dec. 11). According to Pakistani media reports, Farooq Muhammad and Yasin Chohan, senior directors at the Kahuta Research Laboratories, were taken into custody earlier this month. Pakistani officials said, however, that the move was not an arrest and that the two scientists were “undergoing debriefing sessions” by officials from “the sensitive organizations.” The term “sensitive organizations” is often used to refer to Pakistani intelligence services, according to Agence France-Presse. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan also denied that the two men were being interrogated or that foreign agents had been involved in the action, as had been reported. “There is no ‘interrogation’ going on. The word has implications of ‘wrongdoing.’ This is prejudgment,” Khan said (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 12). Former Pakistani army chief Gen. Aslam Beg criticized the reported detention of the two scientists Wednesday, saying the action was “an alarming signal for Pakistan’s security, as those associated with Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence capability are now being targeted under foreign pressure.” Beg has been an opponent of Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s ties to the United States, and has instead called for military ties with Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported (Zahid Hussain, Wall Street Journal, Dec. 12). Back to top       EU Foreign Policy Chief Will Visit Washington for Iran Talks European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana is scheduled to visit Washington next week to push U.S. officials toward Europe’s policy of engagement with Iran, the Financial Times reported today (see GSN, Dec. 10). Solana is expected to tell his U.S. counterparts that dialogue remains a vital tool in freezing Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons ambitions. The Bush administration is reportedly split over the Iranian nuclear issue. “The administration is divided over Iran,” said an EU diplomat involved in negotiations with Iran, “but we are not going to change our policy. We are waiting for the Iranians to deliver. But that does not mean just being passive.” Italy recently attempted to reopen trade negotiations with Tehran after Iranian officials agreed to sign the Additional Protocol to its nuclear safeguards agreement, which would allow international inspectors to conduct more intrusive monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities. France, Germany and the United Kingdom reportedly pressured Italy to hold off. “If we talk about resuming these (trade and cooperation) negotiations, what leverage is then left to us?” another EU diplomat asked (Judy Dempsey, Financial Times, Dec. 11). Meanwhile, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said yesterday that it would be a violation of the Islamic faith to develop a nuclear weapon. “I have argued that as Muslims, our religious faith should not allow us to seek nuclear weapons,” he said. “The Islam I know does not have a use for them,” he added (Reuters/CNN.com, Dec. 12). Back to top

Bush Happy With Smallpox Preparation, Spokesman Says U.S. President George W. Bush is pleased with the nation’s smallpox defense efforts but wants to continue the national smallpox immunization program, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Dec. 4). Bush wants “more front-line workers to be vaccinated,” White House spokesman Trent Duffy said. U.S. officials once hoped to immunize millions of emergency workers with the smallpox vaccine, but fewer than 40,000 civilian medical personnel have so far been inoculated. Public health experts said that the low level of immunizations has left the United States vulnerable. “We are still underprepared to respond to even two cases of smallpox anywhere in the world,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. “You need a core group of vaccinated workers able to go out to the front lines, and we don’t have that,” he said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, said that a report released yesterday on states’ bioterrorism preparedness did not contain any surprises (see GSN, Dec. 11). The study — conducted by Trust for America’s Health — “tells us things we’ve already known. We know we have a lot of work to do,” said Joe Henderson, associated director for terrorism preparedness and emergency response at the CDC. The trust report assigned state-by-state grades for readiness and said that state health officials have not improved their bioterrorism defenses despite an influx of federal funding. The recent U.S. reaction to SARS and flu outbreaks “demonstrate we are definitely more prepared,” Henderson said. He added that the CDC could provide a state-specific breakdown but health officials do not want to provide terrorists with specific weak points in the public health system. “We don’t tell the public because we’re afraid it might reveal too many vulnerabilities,” Henderson said (Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, Dec. 12). Back to top       U.S. Army Scientists Report Positive Result With New Ebola Treatment U.S. Army scientists reported yesterday the first successful treatment of monkeys infected with Ebola, according to the New York Times (see GSN, Dec. 10). In a study published in The Lancet medical journal, scientists at the U.S Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases injected 12 rhesus macaque monkeys with the Ebola virus. Soon after, nine of the monkeys received a 14-day treatment of an experimental drug derived from hookworms called recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNAPC2). While Ebola usually kills all Ebola-infected monkeys, three of the nine who where given rNAPC2 survived and death was delayed in the other six, the Times reported. The new drug is currently undergoing human testing and appears to be safe, the authors of the study said. They also said, however, that additional testing would be needed before rNAPC2 became an acceptable treatment for Ebola. “Obviously, this work that got a highly significant decrease in death rates needs to be pursued,” said Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Altman/Miller, New York Times, Dec. 12). Doctors with the World Health Organization said they plan to use rNAPC2 on humans during the next natural Ebola outbreak, according to the Associated Press. “You take the patients from their families, they die in the ward, you bury them. Everybody is dying and you cannot do anything,” said WHO Ebola expert Pierre Formenty. “If you can save one or two, it will be nice to come back and try to save lives and not just control outbreaks by burying people,” he added (Emma Ross, Associated Press/Miami Herald, Dec. 12). Back to top

Newport Depot False Alarm Reveals Safety Lapses A false alarm Wednesday at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana sent local residents scrambling and revealed major flaws in the area’s emergency system, the Terre Haute Tribune Star reported (see GSN, Nov. 14). Alarms in houses and schools reported an emergency at the chemical weapons storage facility, but the same alarm did not sound at the Parke County sheriff’s office. The Newport facility stores VX nerve agent. “We don’t know why the alarm was set off but we do know there is some type [of] a glitch in the system when the sheriff’s department is the last to know,” said Parke County Sheriff Charles Bollinger. Some local schools reacted to the alarm by sealing doors and windows while others called to investigate if the alarm was legitimate. Public officials worried that false alarms could cause complacency and slow the reaction time in the event of an actual chemical weapons accident. Tim Wilson, president of the Vermillion County Board of Commissioners, activated a local emergency operations center. The message sent to citizens’ alert radios, however, was not consistent, he said. “Not everyone is getting the same message,” Wilson said. “Some got the verbal message and others just got a tone. Some people were terrified and sheltered in place. There is a very high level of excitement that goes with an alarm like this,” he added (Patricia Pastore, Terre Haute Tribune Star, Dec. 11). Back to top       Umatilla Sarin Reading Probably Came From Inspectors The detection of sarin vapor outside of a secure chemical weapons storage area at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon was probably not the result of a leak, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Dec. 11). The low reading of sarin gas probably came from inspectors who had recently left the storage igloo, depot spokeswoman Mary Binder said. Another test conducted shortly after the positive reading did not detect any sarin, AP reported. About 25 minutes after the incident depot workers were told that it was safe to return to work (Associated Press/KGW.com, Dec. 12). Back to top

Afghan Militia Transfers Scud Missiles to National Military An Afghan militia group this week transferred a stockpile of ballistic missiles and other heavy weapons to the Afghan military, according to the Washington Post (see GSN, Sept. 26). A convoy of missile launchers loaded with Soviet-era Scud missiles, tanks and artillery pieces left the city of Panjshir Wednesday to travel to an Afghan army base in the capital of Kabul, the Post reported. The weapons were captured 15 years ago by ethnic Tajik rebels from the Afghan government during fighting against Soviet occupation forces (Pamela Constable, Washington Post, Dec. 11). Back to top

Sea-Based Missile Defense Test Successfully Downs Target A U.S. Standard Missile 3 successfully intercepted a target warhead over the Pacific Ocean yesterday during a test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said (see GSN, Dec. 11). The target missile was launched from Hawaii yesterday morning and was detected by the USS Russell, an Aegis destroyer. The Russell transmitted the information to the USS Lake Erie, which acquired the missile with its own Aegis equipment. About four minutes after it was launched, the target missile was intercepted by an SM-3 launched from the Lake Erie. Yesterday’s test marked the fourth successful intercept for the Aegis and SM-3 systems, according to the U.S. Defense Department (U.S. Defense Department release, Dec. 11).   Back to top

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