A U.S. missile interceptor being installed last year at Fort Greely in Alaska. The capability of the U.S. anti-ICBM program could improve with the addition of fielded interceptors and more powerful sensors for tracking enemy missiles, an Army official said (U.S. Missile Defense Agency photograph). Missile Defense Capability Could Improve Next Year By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The capability of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s flagship anti-ICBM program could improve over the next year with the addition of fielded interceptors and new, more powerful sensors for tracking enemy missiles through space, a senior Army official said here yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 8). Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen, who commands the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, reiterated previous official statements that the multibillion-dollar Ground-based Midcourse Defense system that launches interceptors into space is believed now to have only a “thin line” of capability. He said, though, that the capability could be improved with the planned fielding of more powerful X-band radars “in the next four or five months” (see GSN, Aug. 2). ..Full Story

U.S. Urges Freeze on Iran Nuclear Assistance The United States yesterday called for an international freeze on nuclear cooperation with Iran in light of the International Atomic Energy Agency governing board’s finding that Tehran was not in compliance with nonproliferation safeguards, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 3)...Full Story

Kazakhstan to Begin Down-Blending HEU Kazakhstan is preparing to begin processing weapon-grade highly enriched uranium into low-enriched uranium at its Ulbinsk Metallurgic Factory, Astana announced in a press statement today (see GSN, Aug. 12)...Full Story

	Tuesday, October 4, 2005

U.S. Urges Freeze on Iran Nuclear Assistance The United States yesterday called for an international freeze on nuclear cooperation with Iran in light of the International Atomic Energy Agency governing board’s finding that Tehran was not in compliance with nonproliferation safeguards, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 3). “We hope that all governments will take note of the board’s finding of noncompliance and adjust their national policies accordingly,” acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Stephen Rademaker told a disarmament committee of the U.N. General Assembly. “We think it self-evident that, in the face of such a finding, no government should permit new nuclear transfers to Iran, and all ongoing nuclear projects should be frozen,” Rademaker said. He added, however, that Washington was “not prepared to name any country.” “We hope, and I think other members of the (IAEA) Board of Governors hope, that Iran will use this opportunity that’s been extended to them to reconsider what they are doing, and to change course, to suspend, to resuspend uranium conversion and re-engage in the diplomatic process with the EU-3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom),” Rademaker said. “If they don’t, the Board of Governors was very clear in the resolution ... it will take up the question of fulfilling the obligation that it now has under the IAEA to report the Iran matter to the Security Council and to the General Assembly,” he said (Agence France-Presse I/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 3). Although Rademaker did not name Russia in his statement, diplomats in Moscow inferred that he was referring to the Bushehr nuclear energy reactor, which Russia is helping Iran to build, ITAR-Tass reported today. Nuclear cooperation between the two countries “is no secret to anyone, it is transparent and enjoys international support,” said Anatoliy Antonov, security and disarmament director at the Russian Foreign Ministry. “We believe it is now essential to cool emotions, and for all those involved in the negotiating process to think about joint steps with the aim of reaching specific agreements which would enable us, on the one hand, to dispel any possible doubts regarding the direction of the nuclear program, and on the other, to secure in full Iran’s legitimate needs in the nuclear field,” Antonov said (ITAR-Tass, Oct. 4). Russian officials have also objected to what they see as pressure tactics on Iran by the European Union, the Associated Press reported today. Moscow is against Iran becoming a nuclear power, but sanctions could produce “unpredictable sentiments” and “the radicalization of sentiment in Iran,” said a Kremlin official (Judith Ingram, Associated Press/Khaleej Times, Oct. 4). Iran will seek to hurt U.S. interests if Washington increases pressure over its nuclear program, a senior Iranian official said yesterday. “The Americans should know that if they put more pressure on our country, Iran will be obliged to use all means to disrupt the situation and endanger its interests,” top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told the Siassat Rouz newspaper (Agence France-Presse II/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 3). Iran is unlikely to move on threats to produce nuclear fuel or otherwise escalate the confrontation over its nuclear program before next month’s IAEA Board of Governors meeting, analysts and diplomats said yesterday. “Iran is likely to be cautious. They want to get through the Nov. 24 board” meeting, MacArthur Foundation nonproliferation expert Gary Samore told AFP. Iran has threatened to resume uranium enrichment and to cut crude oil exports, AFP reported. Diplomats said such moves were likely to prompt a hasty board meeting and possibly Iran’s referral to the U.N. Security Council. “Iran has a good chance of blocking referral and they are close to getting away with [uranium] conversion,” Samore said. “They have no interest now to escalate the situation,” he said. “Both the West and Iran had backed themselves into a corner over this issue and are looking for a face-saving solution,” said a Western diplomat close to the agency (Agence France-Presse III/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 3). Iran said today it was willing to resume nuclear negotiations with the European Union, Reuters reported. “Iran has no problem with resuming talks. But it will not accept conditional talks under pressure,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi. “Instead of sending mixed signals, the EU should practically show it is interested in talks,” he said (Reuters/Yahoo!News, Oct. 4). Back to top       Kazakhstan to Begin Down-Blending HEU Kazakhstan is preparing to begin processing weapon-grade highly enriched uranium into low-enriched uranium at its Ulbinsk Metallurgic Factory, Astana announced in a press statement today (see GSN, Aug. 12). President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Ted Turner, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Pierre Lellouche, and International Atomic Energy Agency representatives are expected to attend a ceremony Saturday marking the opening of the effort, according to the statement (Government of Kazakhstan release/Yahoo!News, Oct. 4). Back to top       North Korea Must Dismantle Alleged Uranium-Based Nuclear Weapons Program, U.S. Says The United States yesterday reiterated its demand that North Korea eliminate its alleged uranium nuclear weapons, the Yonhap news agency reported (see GSN, Oct. 3). “In the case of North Korea, our goal is to preserve the [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty] by insisting on the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of both the plutonium and the uranium nuclear weapons programs in that country, as well as the dismantlement of all nuclear weapons,” acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Stephen Rademaker told a U.N. General Assembly disarmament committee. The suspected uranium program is not included in the disarmament agreement produced in the last round of six-party talks in Beijing, according to Yonhap (Yonhap, Oct. 4). Rademaker also reaffirmed the Bush administration belief that an international consortium whose mission was to provide two light-water nuclear reactors to North Korea under the defunct 1994 Agreed Framework is no longer needed, the Kyodo news agency reported. “We believe the time has come to shut down KEDO (the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization),” he said. North Korea has demanded light-water reactors for electricity generation in return for nuclear disarmament, though not necessarily under the KEDO framework (Kyodo, Oct. 4). Back to top       Former Russian Official Could Be Tried in U.S. Former Russian Nuclear Energy Minister Yevgeny Adamov is to be extradited from Switzerland to the United States, where he is accused of embezzling $9 million in U.S. nuclear safety aid to Russia, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Sept. 7). Adamov and a U.S. partner are charged with conspiracy to transfer stolen money and securities, conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering and tax evasion, according to a federal indictment. The Swiss decision to extradite Adamov to the United States was “a serious blow to our country’s prestige,” Viktor Ilyukhin, the deputy head of a Russian parliamentary committee on security issues, told Interfax yesterday. “The U.S. needs Adamov as a source of information,” Ilyukhin said. “Parliament believes that the U.S. will be interested in having an ex-Russian minister at its disposal as a source of secret information of great interest for U.S. intelligence services.” The Russian general prosecutor had charged Adamov with fraud and abuse of office, requesting that he be extradited to Russia, the Post reported.  If Adamov were turned over to Moscow, he could no longer be extradited to the United States due to his Russian citizenship. However, he could be sent to Russia after facing the U.S. charges, the Swiss Justice Ministry said yesterday in a statement explaining its decision (Peter Finn, Washington Post, Oct. 4). Back to top

U.S. Grants Money for Bio Labs, Tularemia Vaccine The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases yesterday announced $87 million in grants for the construction of Biosafety Level 3 laboratories (see GSN, Sept. 9). The agency has also issued two five-year contracts totaling approximately $60 million for development of a tularemia vaccine, according to a press release. “Devising medical countermeasures against biological threats, whether they arise naturally or are the result of deliberate human action, is a top priority for NIAID,” said Director Anthony Fauci in the release. “These new awards support research needed to better understand and defend against disease-causing microbes and provide funds to construct facilities where such research can be performed safely.” The four laboratories will join nine others in the NIAID-funded Regional Biocontainment Laboratory Program. Grants are being distributed between George Mason University in Virginia, Tufts University in Massachusetts, the University of Louisville in Kentucky and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The tularemia contracts were awarded to the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and DVC, LLC in Frederick, Md. While the bacteria can usually be treated with antibiotics, experts fear that if aerosolized, tularemia could cause widespread illnesses and possibly death, according to the release (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases release, Oct. 3).  Back to top       U.S. Awards Grants to Develop New Anthrax Vaccine The U.S. National Institutes of Health yesterday awarded a $4.6 million grant to LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals to continue development of a new anthrax vaccine, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 22). The Montana company plans to use the funding to prepare the vaccine for testing on humans, said Robert Goodwin, LigoCyte chief operating officer and executive vice president. “We've developed the product candidate and the NIH has come on board and said ‘this is something we would like to see get qualified for human trials,’” he said. These trials usually take five to 10 years. “But because this deals with biodefense, there may be ways to shorten that,” Goodwin added. Goodwin said the grant is “fairly large by NIH standards” and shows the government’s interests in improving on existing vaccines. Unlike existing vaccines that must be injected, LigoCyte is working on a dry powder vaccine that would be inhaled and pass through nasal membranes, according to AP. Initial animal tests have shown effectiveness after only one dose, the company said. The vaccine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration requires six shots (Associated Press/Billings Gazette, Oct. 3). Meanwhile, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department has awarded Canadian biotech company Cangene a contract worth $400,000 to provide samples of its inhalation anthrax treatment, the Washington Post reported today. The treatment will be tested for possible use in the national stockpile The Cangene contract was in addition to a $1.8 million contract awarded yesterday to Human Genome Sciences for its proposed anthrax drug. Both contracts contain an option to purchase up to 100,000 doses under Project Bioshield, the Post reported (see GSN, Oct. 3; Washington Post, Oct. 4). Elsewhere, Elusys Therapeutics is expected to begin clinical trials of its new anthrax drug in the coming weeks, according to a report on DrugResearcher.com. The drug, called Anthim, targets the protective antigen of anthrax, stunting the agent’s ability to form toxins. Early studies have shown that the drug is effective in lower doses than other drugs being developed. A single dose has shown to be 100-percent effective if given before exposure to the agent and increases survival rates if given within two days of exposure. This low dose will allow the drug to be administered intramuscularly, the most effective route in emergencies, according to DrugResearcher.com (Wai Lang Chu, DrugResearcher.com, Oct. 4). Back to top       Government Drug Procurement Under Bioshield Seen as Insufficient to Sustain Industry Interest The U.S. Health and Human Services Department announced Friday that it planned to buy up to 200,000 doses of a radiation sickness drug under Project Bioshield — not nearly enough to make the medication’s development by a small California company financially feasible, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Sept. 28). Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals has spent more than $100 million in developing the drug. Observers had expected Health and Human Services to request up to 10 million doses.  “For several years now, I would say we’ve been the poster child for Bioshield — the small company that had a product the government wanted and that was willing to develop it through the capital markets,” said Hollis-Eden CEO Richard Hollis. “Bioshield was supposed to make sure we had a market so we could continue to raise the money to do our work,” he said. “Given what we saw on Friday, we feel very let down that Bioshield is not being implemented like it was designed and passed.” “Other companies looking at our experience can’t be very encouraged,” Hollis said. A U.S. lawmaker also expressed concern. “We want Bioshield to work, and that means creating market incentives to produce new classes of drugs,” said Robert White, spokesman for Representative Tom Davis (R-Va.). “I think there are legitimate reasons here to worry that this request is not enough to sustain new development and keep private industry interested.” However, Friday’s request was an interim step and “it may not be the amount we end up getting,” HHS spokesman Marc Wolfson said yesterday (Marc Kaufman, Washington Post, Oct. 4). Back to top       Acambis Submits Proposal to Make Smallpox Vaccine The U.S. government has received a plan from British drug maker Acambis for production of a weakened smallpox vaccine, AFX News reported today (see GSN, Aug. 16). The Health and Human Services Department in August began taking bids for the vaccine, which would be produced for the U.S. national stockpile. Acambis, which is developing the vaccine with Baxter Healthcare, is competing with Bavarian Nordic for the $1.9 billion contract, according to AFX. The U.S. government said the contract would likely be awarded in February. The weaker vaccine, known as MVA3000, is being developed for people who cannot take the full-strength shot due to suppressed immune systems or skin diseases such as eczema. The vaccine must be clinically tested up to and including licensure for the treatment, which has not yet received regulatory approval. The United States has an option to purchase another 60 million doses of the vaccine (AFX News/Forbes.com, Oct. 4). Back to top

Kentucky Gives Green Light to CW Destruction Plant The Kentucky Waste Management Division last week gave the Blue Grass Army Depot a permit to build a facility to destroy chemical weapons, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported (see GSN, Sept. 29). The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant will use neutralization technology to destroy the nerve agent sarin and the waste produced during processing. The permit, which is valid beginning Oct. 30, allows the U.S. Defense Department to build the $2 billion facility to destroy 523 tons of chemical weapons, according to the Herald-Leader (Lexington Herald-Leader, Oct. 1). Back to top       Tooele Facility Completes Wastewater Processing The Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Utah yesterday finished destroying wastewater that had been stored at the Deseret Chemical Depot, according to a U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release (see GSN, Sept. 22). The wastewater was produced from 1999 to 2001 during testing of chemical neutralization of VX nerve agent. It was stored in 12 bulk containers, each holding about 1,500 to 1,700 pounds of hydrolysate. Also destroyed were 43 sample bottles containing up to 2 1/2 pounds each of wastewater, according to the release. Tooele’s metal parts furnace and two liquid incinerators were used beginning in mid-August to destroy the wastewater and to decontaminate the bulk containers. The containers, and the 5-gallon cans used to hold the wastewater during disposal, were shipped to a hazardous waste landfill in the Utah desert, the release said. The Tooele facility is now preparing for destruction of mustard gas munitions stored at Deseret. Work on these weapons is expected to begin in fall 2006 (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Oct. 3). Back to top

Missile Defense Capability Could Improve Next Year By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The capability of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s flagship anti-ICBM program could improve over the next year with the addition of fielded interceptors and new, more powerful sensors for tracking enemy missiles through space, a senior Army official said here yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 8). Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen, who commands the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, reiterated previous official statements that the multibillion-dollar Ground-based Midcourse Defense system that launches interceptors into space is believed now to have only a “thin line” of capability. He said, though, that the capability could be improved with the planned fielding of more powerful X-band radars “in the next four or five months” (see GSN, Aug. 2). The Missile Defense Agency said earlier this year it aimed to have by the end of the year a sea-based X-band stationed off Alaska and a smaller forward-deployed X-band stationed in East Asia. The military currently operates “sensors that were designed for other functions but have utility in the ballistic missile defense fight,” Dodgen said at the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army. By adding the new sensors, “you will begin to be not so dependent upon the other sensors and that will add a greater discrimination … because they were designed as very powerful radars to do this mission,” he said. The system’s capability also could be improved by the scheduled fielding of additional missile interceptors in silos, he said, so “we can begin to not … look at a firing doctrine from an inventory standpoint, but to look at our firing doctrine from what we want to achieve against any particular threat that may come our way.” There were as of August six interceptors fielded in Alaska and two in California, with another six planned for Alaska by the end of the year. Up to 20 more are expected through 2007. Dodgen said a reassessment of the GMD system’s capability could occur in 2006, following an intercept test reportedly scheduled for next summer.  “At some point when we finish off the testing that’s planned next year and get as close as we can to an end-to-end intercept, then I think we’ll know a lot about this system. We’ll have a robust inventory, and we’ll have great sensors out there, and at some point our nation may decide that we have more than a thin line,” he said. MDA Still ‘Owns’ Systems Dodgen said Defense Department debate continues over whether and when the military services might take ownership of the growing ballistic missile defense infrastructure that is being purchased annually by the Missile Defense Agency. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget over the past two years has criticized the Pentagon for not transferring future costly missile defense procurement plans to the services. It warned that increasing costs for purchasing interceptor missiles, radar and other equipment threatened Missile Defense Agency technology investment and deployments (see GSN, April 7). “That’s probably going to be debated in this next POM, exactly how we’ll look at the transition of systems,” he said, referring to the Program Objectives Memorandum process for determining the services’ multiyear budget plans that will occur in the coming months. Dodgen said he does not favor transferring ownership to the services, noting the systems are still under development by the Missile Defense Agency. “I’m not for that model, because I think we’ll lose some of the synergies that we have with the integration of everything in the Missile Defense Agency.   We ought to man the systems and operate the systems, but allow the Missile Defense Agency to continue to make those programmatic improvement decisions as we go forward and not separate the systems from a truly integrated developmental base,” he said. Back to top       Aegis Completes Successful Tracking Exercise The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System succeeded in detecting and tracking an unarmed U.S. ICBM during an exercise, Lockheed Martin announced yesterday in a press statement (see GSN, July 22). “Today’s successful exercise demonstrates yet again the importance of the Aegis BMD Weapon System to the nation’s ballistic missile defense system,” Fred Moosally, president of Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors, said in the release.  Fifteen U.S. Aegis destroyers and three Aegis cruisers are expected to be equipped with the system and Standard Missile 3 interceptors to detect and destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. Eight destroyers and two cruisers have been upgraded thus far, according to the statement (Lockheed Martin release/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 3).   Back to top

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