The United States tested its Ground-based Midcourse Defense system on Jan. 27, launching a simulated kill vehicle attached to a new rocket booster from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (DOD Photo). White House Budget Office Raises Concerns Over Bush Missile Defense Plan By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The White House budget raised concerns last month that President George W. Bush’s national missile defense plan might fail to meet its near- and long-term development and deployment objectives. The Office of Management and Budget, in a February report available on its Web site, said there is a high risk that cost increases for major systems and schedule delays could prevent the Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency from meeting its fiscal 2004 and 2005 technology development goals, as the agency plans to field its first missile interceptors this year...Full Story

United States to Aid IAEA Effort to Recover HEU Stockpiles From Civilian Sites, ElBaradei Says The United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed yesterday to continue cooperating to recover weapon-grade nuclear materials from civilian sites, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters (see GSN, Feb. 18)...Full Story

Committee Approves Homeland Security Grant Reforms By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Select Committee on Homeland Security yesterday approved legislation to reform the Homeland Security Department’s system for funding local and state WMD and terrorism response (see GSN, Dec. 19, 2003)...Full Story

	Friday, March 19, 2004

Committee Approves Homeland Security Grant Reforms By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Select Committee on Homeland Security yesterday approved legislation to reform the Homeland Security Department’s system for funding local and state WMD and terrorism response (see GSN, Dec. 19, 2003). The bipartisan bill, which must now go through three other House committees before reaching the full chamber, would require the department to create a new First Responder Grant Program, set equipment and training standards for agencies seeking funding and define “essential capabilities” based on assessments of the terrorist threat. It would create a task force of emergency responders to aid the department’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate in defining the essential capabilities. “The bill streamlines and speeds homeland security grant assistance to first responders and funds actual needs. … The legislation prioritizes terrorism preparedness funding for homeland security based on actual threat and vulnerability assessments, rather than political formulas,” committee Chairman Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) said. The approval came only two days after the department announced the formation of its own grant-related task force ― a panel of state and local officials created to seek ways to speed the flow of funds from the department’s Office for Domestic Preparedness to emergency responders (see GSN, March 16). The grant system has come under intense scrutiny in recent months as states and cities squared off over delays in the funding pipeline that Cox yesterday called a “$5.5 billion bottleneck” (see GSN, Feb. 23). In addition, the Office for Domestic Preparedness has been accused of distributing the funds without setting an overarching strategy or conveying goals and standards to recipients. The Bush administration recently signaled, particularly through its fiscal 2005 budget proposal, its intention to move away from a largely population-based formula for distributing the grants ― the “political formulas” referred to by Cox ― and to seek instead to distribute more of the money based on threat information. The House committee’s bill will now go to the Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Judiciary committees before reaching the House floor ― a lengthy process that could lead to the legislation’s being carried over into the next congressional session, according to Select Committee on Homeland Security Democratic spokeswoman Moira Whelan. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) and Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) yesterday pledged to make the legislation a high priority in their committees. “It’s definitely a priority, I think, for members. This is a broken system, and every member has an interest in this legislation,” Whelan said today. In related news, Office for Domestic Preparedness Director Suzanne Mencer yesterday came under blistering bipartisan criticism at the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Dissatisfaction with efforts to fund WMD- and terrorism-defense efforts was evident among panel members, several of whom cited frustration on the part of local officials in their districts. Subcommittee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) pressed Mencer on her office’s effort to carry out a December 2003 directive by President Bush requiring the establishment of national goals and standards for first responders. “What I want the department to do is to draw up a list of what we expect first responders to achieve. … I want us to say to them, ‘The money that we’re giving you for the antiterrorism aspect of what we’re trying to do, here’s what we expect of you,’” Rogers said. “I hear it all the time [from local officials] ― you know, ‘What do you all want us to do?’” he said. Mencer said her office has produced a draft articulating the goals but that several procedural steps remain before the goals can be communicated to potential funding recipients. Steps include briefing Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge next week, Mencer said. Representative Marion Berry (D-Ark.) questioned the competence of virtually the entire Homeland Security Department. Of the numerous department officials who have appeared before the subcommittee, Berry said, only Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin “really knew what he was doing.” “I think there should be a massive wake-up call in the whole department,” said Berry. Back to top

U.S. Lawmakers Should Strengthen PSI, Report Says U.S. leaders should seek to improve the Proliferation Security Initiative, the U.S.-led effort to interdict shipments of WMD-related cargo, by undertaking initiatives such as creating similar programs to focus on WMD dismantlement and nonproliferation verification, according to a report released yesterday by the Heritage Foundation (see GSN, Feb. 2). The report, written by Baker Spring, outlines several recommendations that Congress should urge the Bush administration to implement to strengthen the initiative. The report calls on lawmakers to avoid, though, “enshrining” the program in U.S. law to avoid weakening the effort and says that any recommendations should be made in private meetings with administration officials or through public hearings. Among the report’s recommendations is a call to create separate, but similar, efforts to handle the dismantlement of WMD programs and verification of nonproliferation obligations. In a Weapons Program Dismantlement Initiative, the report says, members would agree to contribute teams of experts to aid in international dismantlement efforts, such as the one currently being conducted in Libya (see GSN, March 17).  In a Nonproliferation Verification Initiative, members would create teams to verify the WMD program dismantlement process and to certify that countries are not creating new WMD programs, the report says. The report also calls on lawmakers to recommend that the Bush administration work to crack down on WMD proliferation sources within the PSI membership that are revealed through the investigation into nuclear transfers conducted by top Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan (see related GSN story, today). In addition, lawmakers should call on the administration to press for a declaration from PSI members that the initiative itself will not hire a separate staff, which will help prevent the effort from turning into “an international bureaucracy,” the report says.  U.S. lawmakers should also seek that the initiative include a principle that would commit members to not supply countries of proliferation concern with dual-use items that could “reasonably be assumed” to provide WMD production capabilities, even if the items themselves are “ostensibly for peaceful purposes,” the report says. It adds that the Bush administration should be called upon to encourage PSI members to conduct regional efforts with the aim of expanding membership (Heritage Foundation release, March 18). Back to top       France Seeks U.N. “Disarmament Corps” The United Nations should develop a team to find weapons of mass destruction in troubled areas, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said yesterday (see GSN, March 17). “In learning the lessons of the situation in Iraq, we propose the creation of a true disarmament corps, that, in a crisis situation, can operate on the ground to inform the Security Council,’ de Villepin said on Radio France Internationale (Agence France-Presse, March 18). Back to top

United States to Aid IAEA Effort to Recover HEU Stockpiles From Civilian Sites, ElBaradei Says The United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed yesterday to continue cooperating to recover weapon-grade nuclear materials from civilian sites, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters (see GSN, Feb. 18). ElBaradei met yesterday with U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham near the end of ElBaradei’s visit to Washington this week (see GSN, March 18). The agency supports a plan to convert 100 research reactors around the world that now use highly enriched uranium to use low-enriched uranium, according to Reuters. The weapon-grade material would then be transported to another location, possibly the United States or Russia. While the United States and Russia have both supplied research reactors that use highly enriched uranium to other countries, the threat posed by such loose supplies of weapon-grade material is matter for international concern, according to ElBaradei. “Irrespective of whether it’s Russian, irrespective of whether it’s American, we need to clean up the mess, if you like, clean up the potential threat,” ElBaradei said (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters/Environmental News Network, March 19). Meanwhile, U.S. officials said yesterday that the Bush administration is considering who might replace ElBaradei when his first term as IAEA chief ends next year. “I don’t think he would be the first choice of this administration,” an official said (Carol Giacomo, Reuters/Planet Ark, March 19). Back to top       Pakistan Has Provided Information on Relationship With Khan, Powell Says Discussions yesterday between U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf revealed new information about the Pakistani government’s interaction with top Pakistani nuclear scientist and reported proliferator Abdul Qadeer Khan, according to the Washington Post (see GSN, March 18). During a press conference in Islamabad, Powell said yesterday he would wait before providing details on the information Musharraf gave him concerning the connections between the Pakistani government and Khan. “What I want to do is reflect on what he said to me and discuss it with some of my other colleagues back in Washington before I comment on the specifics of it,” Powell said. He also denied that the United States awarded Pakistan with the status of “major non-NATO ally” in exchange for Musharraf’s actions against Khan. “It is not a reward for A.Q. Khan. It’s part of a continuing relationship,” Powell said (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, March 19). In his remarks yesterday, Powell said that Musharraf effectively shut down the network headed by Khan, who has confessed to providing Iran, Libya and North Korea with nuclear technology. “Khan is not giving anything to anybody any more,” Powell said. “He is essentially secluded in his home,” he added. While Pakistan is sharing information learned from Khan, the United States has not been given direct access to the scientist, Powell said. “We’re getting a ‘fill’ at the moment,” he said. “I don’t think there’s been any direct access. But we’re getting information,” Powell added (Barbara Slavin, USA Today, March 19). Back to top       Iran, Russia to Reach Agreement on Bushehr Spent Fuel Return by Summer, Expert Says Before this summer, Russia and Iran are expected to sign a final agreement on the return of spent fuel from a nuclear power plant Russia is building in Iran, a Russian expert said this week (see GSN, Feb. 13). The long-delayed agreement was scheduled to be signed on Feb. 15, but was again postponed after Moscow and Tehran failed to agree on price policies, said Radzhab Safarov, head of the Russian Center for Modern Iran Studies. Safarov also said that Russia should seek to increase its nuclear cooperation with Iran in light of Tehran’s plans to build an additional six nuclear reactors over the next 20 years. The delay in reaching a final agreement over the Bushehr reactor, however, soured Iran on pursuing increased nuclear cooperation with Russia, Safarov said (RosBusinessConsulting, March 17). Back to top       United States Revives Nuclear Fallout Analysis Over the past five years, the United States has worked to revive expertise in nuclear fallout analysis, which would be used following an act of nuclear or radiological terrorism to determine the origin of the material used in the weapon and who might have conducted the attack, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Jan. 13). The efforts have included a drill this year in which fallout analysis experts met at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico and were given radiological data from two past U.S. nuclear tests to attempt to identify them, according to Reid Worlton, a retired scientist from the Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico. Some experts succeeded in identifying the tests, he said. In addition, Sandia is developing a robot that could travel up to 10 miles to sample radioactive fallout and return it for human analysis, said Charles Richardson, project leader for the nuclear identification research at the facility. The robots, which are expected to be ready within a few years, could also radio back some sample results if they became stuck, according to Richardson. The United States is also working to develop new aircraft for use in atmospheric sampling of radioactive fallout, experts said. “Certainly, there’s a frightening aspect in all of this,” Richardson said. “But we’re putting all these things together with the hope that they’ll never have to be used,” he added (William Broad, New York Times, March 19). Back to top       Sandia Works to Improve Large-Scale Test Capabilities Construction of new facilities began last month at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico as part of a five-year, $110 million program to restore the facility’s large-scale testing capabilities (see GSN, Aug. 11, 2003). Construction has begun on the Thermal Test Complex, which will allow for full-scale weapons testing indoors, according to a Sandia press release. Work is also under way at the Aerial Cable Test site to help improve capabilities for pull-down and gravity drop tests, the release states. “TCR is an important investment in meeting the mission of the stockpile stewardship program,” said Kevin Greenaugh, director of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Stockpile Assessments and Certification. “Modern testing and simulation … will inject vigor into the engineering sciences capabilities at Sandia and give new life to the stockpile,” he said (Sandia National Laboratories release, March 18). Back to top       Russia, Japan Work on Developing Peaceful Uses for Plutonium Left From Nuclear Weapons Russia and Japan are close to an agreement on a joint program to develop programs to scrap weapon-grade plutonium from dismantled Russian nuclear weapons, ITAR-Tass reported today (see GSN, Jan. 14, 2003). Testing is finished, and this year the two countries plan to begin full experiments, according to the Japanese Ministry of Education and Science. Researchers from the two countries in 2003 were able to scrap about 20 kilograms of plutonium using a new process that is less costly and dangerous than the present procedure of mixing plutonium with natural uranium for burning in reactors (ITAR-Tass, March 19). Back to top       U.S. Lawmakers Receive Briefing on Damaged Missile U.S. Representatives Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) and Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) yesterday received a classified briefing on an accident last year in which a nuclear missile was damaged while being removed from a submarine at the Naval Submarine Base Bangor (see GSN, March 11). Inslee said he learned that lives were not at risk nor were toxic materials released when the accident occurred at the Washington base. He added, though, that he found the incident “troubling” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 19). Back to top       U.S. Firm Helping Secure Russian Nuclear Facilities A Pennsylvania company has received $6 million to safeguard Russian nuclear facilities and materials, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported Monday (see GSN, March 11). Gregg Protection Services of East Pittsburgh has been awarded several contracts through the 1991 Defense Threat Reduction Act. Under the act, the United States agreed to use its money and expertise to help secure nuclear submarines, missiles, reactors and materials from theft, sabotage or release in the former Soviet Union. On nuclear security contracts, Gregg tests alarm systems and vault security at nuclear facilities, studies potential sabotage sites and works with military and police personnel guarding nuclear materials, said firm Vice President Robert Keib (Christopher Davis, Pittsburgh Business Times, March 15). Back to top       Russia Begins Building Missile Submarine Russia began work today on the Alexander Nevski, the second of a planned six Borei-type submarines that would be armed with long-range ballistic missiles, Defense and Security reported (see GSN, Aug. 7, 2003). The first Borei class boat, the Yuri Dolgoruki,  is expected to be completed by next year and added to the Russian navy in 2006 (Defense and Security, March 19). Back to top

U.S. Amends Chemical and Biological Export Controls The U.S. Commerce Department yesterday amended U.S. export control regulations to reflect decisions made last year by the Australia Group, a network of 33 countries that coordinates export controls on dual-use items that could be used to create biological or chemical weapons (see GSN, June 11, 2003). In June 2003, the Australia Group agreed to add 14 human and animal pathogens to the group’s biological control list. The U.S. Commerce Department announced yesterday in the Federal Register that the U.S. Commerce Control List has been modified to reflect the changes made last year to the Australia Group’s biological control list (Federal Register, March 18).  Back to top

India Tests Nuclear-Capable Prithvi Missile India today successfully tested its short-range, nuclear-capable Prithvi ballistic missile, an Indian defense official said (see GSN, Jan. 23) The missile, which has a range of up to 300 kilometers, was tested at the Chandipur-on-Sea test site in eastern India, the official said. The test involved the launch of the Prithvi from a mobile launcher to “fine-tune” its accuracy, the official said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, March 19). Back to top

White House Budget Office Raises Concerns Over Bush Missile Defense Plan By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The White House budget raised concerns last month that President George W. Bush’s national missile defense plan might fail to meet its near- and long-term development and deployment objectives. The Office of Management and Budget, in a February report available on its Web site, said there is a high risk that cost increases for major systems and schedule delays could prevent the Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency from meeting its fiscal 2004 and 2005 technology development goals, as the agency plans to field its first missile interceptors this year. That conclusion appears to generally affirm previous independent criticisms, including recent reports by Congress’s General Accounting Office (see GSN, Sept. 24, 2003) and the Pentagon’s top testing official (see GSN, March 12). The budget office analysis also raises a fresh criticism, repeatedly warning that an unusual Missile Defense Agency budgeting approach — of avoiding cost projections for buying and operating systems — could undermine the success of the program and possibly harm future funding for missile defense or other defense programs. The approach is categorized as a “major flaw” that could limit the effectiveness or efficiency of the program. In addition, the report says there is “friction” within the Pentagon over persuading the armed services to fund the program’s procurement and support costs, which it says raises questions about the services’ commitments to the current goals. The report, released with the administration’s other fiscal 2005 budget materials, is an analytical budget management tool intended to help the government assess the fiscal and management health of programs to inform budgeting decisions. Undisclosed Future Spending Citing a preference for “program flexibility,” the Missile Defense Agency has refused to project out over the standard six years the costs of procuring and operating the system, according to the analysis, as is done with other major military systems in development.  Such projections are intended to help the government avoid surprises by anticipating the total cost of a particular system. The process allows agencies to make sometimes tough decisions about supporting programs in a competitive funding environment. The budget office assessment says the Missile Defense Agency’s practice might jeopardize future funding of missile defense procurement and operations, or of other military programs. “Given that block deployments can require multiple billions of dollars, failing to program these funds in advance will result in major budget turbulence following a block deployment decision — turbulence that will result in cutbacks or terminations of other DOD activities, potentially including missile defense itself,” it says. Congress and the administration have faced such turmoil this year, as the administration’s fiscal 2005 missile defense budget for the first time disclosed plans and costs for fielding additional systems in 2006 and 2007. The announcement added $4.7 billion to the program through 2007, helping increase the annual Missile Defense Agency budget by about $1.5 billion to $9.2 billion in fiscal 2005 (see GSN, Feb. 26). Furthermore, the budget office analysis said the Missile Defense Agency has not budgeted for operations and support costs beyond fiscal 2005, nor for additional equipment and operations beyond fiscal 2007, suggesting additional costs increases would need to be announced in the future. That could affect operation of the fielded U.S. system as soon as October 2005, the beginning of fiscal 2006, said Philip Coyle, the Pentagon’s former top testing official. “Almost as soon as the president declares success, he’ll have to declare failure, because money isn’t budgeted beyond 2005 to operate the system he is trying to deploy. To be operational, the system won’t have the basic elements in 2004 or 2005, and there’s no money for deployment and operations after 2005,” he said. The Missile Defense Agency did not respond to requests for comment. Transfer of Ownership Usually for the Pentagon, operations and support costs are not funded by research and development agencies such as the Missile Defense Agency — they are paid by the armed service that operates a system. The Army would mainly handle the ground-based systems, while the Navy would fund sea-based systems. However, the budget office’s analysis says the Pentagon is having trouble persuading the services to take budgetary ownership of the operations and support costs of the missile system. “DOD has not adequately refined the MDA-to-service transfer of missile defense programs. There continues to be friction in the implementation of this process,” it says. The lack of a resolution, the report says, also raises uncertainty about meeting current missile defense objectives. “Without hard choices on funding it is not clear how committed the services are to long-range missile defense goals,” it said. 2004-2005 Goals at Risk The budget office report also says the Missile Defense Agency is challenged in meeting its fiscal 2004 and 2005 (called Block 2004) technology development goals. “Development of Block ’04 remains challenging. Cost increases in” airborne laser, and ground- and sea-based defense programs “are a concern, as are schedule delays,” it says. Noting the president’s plans for fielding initial missile systems later this year, the office called cost, schedule and performance goals for fiscal 2004 and 2005 “very ambitious” and said they “potentially carry a high degree of development risk.” That conclusion follows recent indications that the administration might not fully achieve its deployment goals. In December 2002, Bush ordered the agency to deploy an initial capability by the end of 2004 and the Pentagon declared a goal of fielding 10 interceptor missiles in Alaska and California by Sept. 30. However, the Missile Defense Agency disclosed last month that it might have on alert only a few of those missiles by the fall and will potentially have ready only half of the 20 sea-based interceptors that were scheduled to be deployed by the end of fiscal 2005. The agency said, though, it planned to put a small number of the ground-based interceptors on alert before the fall (see GSN, Feb. 3). Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish said also in testimony last week that “we may not have as much equipment available as we thought on a specific date, but by-and-large most everything is going to be in place.”  The agency also has acknowledged that key elements of the system, including a new radar and space sensors, would not be sufficiently developed and fielded for some time after the September goal. The absence of such systems, Kadish acknowledged last week, has forced the agency so far to put navigational transmitters on targets to track them during its intercept tests. Back to top       U.S. Army to Test PAC-3 Interceptor This Summer The U.S Army plans to conduct two tests this summer of the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile interceptor, Aerospace Daily reported today (see GSN, March 4). In one test set to be held in June, PAC-3s will be fired against a short-range ballistic missile target and a cruise missile surrogate target, according to Col. John Vaughn, Patriot project manager for the Army’s Lower Tier Project Office. In August, the interceptor will be tested against a short-range ballistic missile target and a longer-range ballistic missile target equipped with a detachable re-entry vehicle, according to Aerospace Daily. Vaughn said yesterday that the tests would help the Army in making future decisions on buying PAC-3 missiles (Marc Selinger, Aerospace Daily, March 19).   Back to top

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