U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman testified yesterday before the Senate Armed Services Committee (AFP photo/Brendan Smialowski). Warhead Replacement Program Intends No New Weapons, U.S. Energy Department Head Says By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A new U.S. nuclear weapons research program is not intended to produce new atomic armaments, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said at a congressional budget hearing yesterday...Full Story

Washington Mayor Signs Chlorine-Train Ban By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Mayor Anthony Williams yesterday signed emergency legislation from the District of Columbia Council to bar rail operator CSX from routing trains carrying chlorine and other toxic materials over the city's rails (see GSN, Feb. 2)...Full Story

Al-Qaeda Still Seeking WMD, U.N. Report Says By Jim Wurst Global Security Newswire UNITED NATIONS — Al-Qaeda and the Taliban still retain “a keen interest” in acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction and therefore greater efforts are needed to control the “elements” of such weapons, according to a report issued yesterday by an expert panel monitoring U.N. Security Council sanctions against those two organizations (see GSN, Nov. 15, 2004)...Full Story

	Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Al-Qaeda Still Seeking WMD, U.N. Report Says By Jim Wurst Global Security Newswire UNITED NATIONS — Al-Qaeda and the Taliban still retain “a keen interest” in acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction and therefore greater efforts are needed to control the “elements” of such weapons, according to a report issued yesterday by an expert panel monitoring U.N. Security Council sanctions against those two organizations (see GSN, Nov. 15, 2004). While the arms embargo imposed on the two groups has succeeded in denying them conventional weapons such as assault rifles, the team found gaps in the embargo it believes need to be closed. Although al-Qaeda “operatives are most likely to use small arms and improvised explosives in their attacks,” the panel suggests the Security Council “look beyond the current measures” in the embargo in order to further restrict access to weapons of mass destruction, portable missile launchers and certain kinds of commercially available explosives. Another avenue open is to improve that panel’s cooperation with another Security Council monitoring team set up under Resolution 1540, which is designed to deny “nonstate actors” access to unconventional weapons. No specifics were offered yesterday on what that cooperation would involve. The team is convinced al-Qaeda “retains a keen interest in acquiring chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons, as demonstrated by its statements and doctrine.” Affiliated groups in the United Kingdom and Jordan “have come close to mounting such attacks. It seems only a matter of time before a successful CBRN attack occurs,” the report says (see GSN, Jan. 13, 2003; GSN, Dec. 15, 2004). The report refers to CBRN weapons rather than weapons of mass destruction. Panel coordinator Richard Barrett said the group made that distinction because the “large bomb” scenario suggested by the term WMD is not the most likely to occur. “I don’t think that the al-Qaeda are going to get hold of a large bomb or missile with a nuclear warhead, something we general think of as nuclear weapons,” he said at a news conference yesterday. “I think they are much more likely to get hold of some of the components that go to make up those weapons and release them in some way.”   Terrorists are more likely to explode “a highly toxic or radioactive” device in city or at a sports event, which was the goal of the attempts in United Kingdom and Jordan, Barrett said. “That’s why I talk about the elements … rather than the weapons themselves,” he said. Elements would include toxic agents and low-yield radioactive material that could be used in a “dirty bomb.” He also defended the panel’s opinion that such an attack is inevitable. All the experts “will tell you the same,” Barrett said. “It is clear that al-Qaeda has made statements in the past that they are interested in acquiring that sort of technology. They can’t have any interest for any sort of beneficial use, [so] I presume they intend to amount such an attack.” The Security Council adopted Resolution 1267 in 1999, imposing sanctions against Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the then rulers of Afghanistan, the Taliban. The analysis team was organized in January 2004 with the mandate to monitor the implementation of the sanctions and to recommend to the council how the restrictions might be improved. The sanctions include a travel ban, arms embargo and a freeze of financial assets of individuals and groups named on a list maintained by the 1267 sanctions committee. There are 433 names of individuals and entities on the current list; an increase of 41 since January 2004.  This week’s report was the team’s second submission. The first report, filed in July 2004, said the sanctions were losing some of their impact because al-Qaeda had transformed itself from a hierarchical organization to a network of loosely connected cells, making it harder to identify who and what are involved. The next report, due in June, is set to focus on cooperation with other agencies “on the issue of weapons likely to cause mass casualties,” the study says. Back to top       U.S. Senate Confirms New Homeland Security Secretary The U.S. Senate voted 98-0 yesterday to confirm federal appeals court Judge Michael Chertoff as the new homeland security secretary, according to the Los Angeles Times (see GSN, Feb. 8). “This is one of the most challenging and critical jobs in the entire federal government,” said Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). “Judge Chertoff is clearly the right person to take the helm.” “I think he is well qualified to be secretary,” said Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) (Mary Curtius, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 16). Back to top

Goss to Submit Plan on Increasing CIA Clandestine Operations Officers, Analysts Staffing by 50 Percent CIA Director Porter Goss is expected today to submit plans to increase the agency’s staff of clandestine officers and analysts by 50 percent, according to the Washington Post (see GSN, Feb. 2). Goss’ plan will focus on recruiting personnel who “look, sound and talk like” those who will be the focus of CIA intelligence efforts, a senior Bush administration official said. The director is also expected to call for an increase in both the number of clandestine agents and analysts who work overseas, the official said. The proposal is expected to be discussed during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing scheduled to be held today, the Post reported. Current and former clandestine agents have said that it could be years before there are large numbers of case officers capable of recruiting foreign agents who could obtain information on terrorists groups and weapons of mass destruction, according to the Post. “It is easy to say you are going to vastly increase the case officer output … but much harder to do in reality,” said a senior official (Walter Pincus, Washington Post, Feb. 16). Back to top       U.S. Provides Radiation Detectors to Uzbekistan The United States yesterday provided Uzbekistan with radiation detection equipment and other materials intended to deter WMD proliferation, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Dec. 20, 2004). The equipment was delivered to the Uzbek border service and its health and emergency ministries, the U.S Embassy in Tashkent said in a statement. Since 2000, the United States has provided the former Soviet state with more than $12 million worth of security equipment and training, and plans to provide an additional $8.2 million worth of equipment in the next two years, the embassy said (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Feb. 16). Back to top       Sandia Unveils Upgraded Explosive Destruction System The Explosive Destruction System developed by scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico has been upgraded to destroy chemical and biological weapons, the Contra Costa Times reported today (see GSN, March 9, 2004). The system is an 8-ton device that has the appearance of a front-loading washing machine and can be transported to destroy suspect containers or munitions on site. Sandia developed the units in 1998 for the U.S. Army and they have since been used to destroy 228 potentially deadly munitions or chemical weapons around the country, the Times reported. Further tests have shown that the system could use different “reagents” to eliminate biological agents such as anthrax. Items are loaded into a steel pipe that slides into a unit’s stainless steel chamber. The container is then opened by a charge. X-rays and a neutron spectrometer determine the contents of the object, and the proper chemical reagents are then fed into the spinning chamber to neutralize toxins. Any explosion is contained within the device, according to the Times. Large EDS units cost $5 million to construct, while smaller ones cost $3.5 million, said project spokesman John Didlake. The units are useful for destroying munitions near population centers. Previously, responders would use an open burn/open detonation method “which could blow the windows out of a town,” Didlake said (Linda Davis, Contra Costa Times, Feb. 16). Back to top

Warhead Replacement Program Intends No New Weapons, U.S. Energy Department Head Says By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A new U.S. nuclear weapons research program is not intended to produce new atomic armaments, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said at a congressional budget hearing yesterday. The Reliable Replacement Warheads Program, which was created by Congress last year and received $9 million for fiscal 2005, is working toward ascertaining and improving how existing U.S. nuclear weapons age over decades, he said. “It’s a matter of maintaining what we have. I think some have suggested it’s creating something new. It’s maintaining what we have,” he said. Bodman appeared to support the understanding of a key congressional committee chairman, Representative Dave Hobson (R-Ohio), who in a speech this month said he believes the program is intended to study ways to extend the reliability and longevity of existing warheads and their components. In a printed version of his speech, the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee chairman said the program might someday lead to “refurbishing” weapons to make them “more robust,” but “without developing a new weapon that would require underground testing to verify the design” (see GSN, Feb. 4). The New York Times on Feb. 7 reported that the program is intended to develop a new generation of more reliable, longer-lasting nuclear weapons (see GSN, Feb. 7). The article said that while the program was reviewing data for clues on how to extend the reliability of nuclear weapons over time, it could grow and with the requisite approval develop new, larger warheads. “Now there seems to be significant uncertainty [about] what DOE will do with this program. There has been some suggestion that DOE will use this line for more nuclear weapons,” said Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) at the hearing yesterday prior to Bodman’s comments. Reed also questioned the administration’s request for $8.5 million in fiscal 2006 for a study of a new nuclear weapon, the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), after Congress killed the project’s funding last year. The administration has an “apparent obsession … with new nuclear weapons,” he said. A Defense Department statement released to Global Security Newswire today said that the Penetrator could improve U.S. nuclear deterrence. “Potential adversaries are increasingly using hard and deeply buried facilities to conceal and protect their leadership, command and control, weapons of mass destruction, and ballistic missiles.” “By penetrating only a few meters into hard geologies, an RNEP could provide about 30 times more crushing shock to an [hard and deeply buried target] than a weapon with similar explosive yield detonated on the surface above the target. Because of the increase in destructive power, it is possible to use significantly lower yields and still destroy the target,” it said. Back to top       No Evidence Iran Making Nuclear Arms, ElBaradei Says The International Atomic Energy Agency has found nothing over the last six months to support U.S. suspicion that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 15). “On Iran, there really hasn’t been much development, neither as a result of our inspections or as a result of intelligence,” he said. He praised France, Germany and the United Kingdom for reaching a temporary agreement for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, and for continuing talks with Tehran. “If I look at the big picture, there is no enrichment in Iran, and this is quite satisfactory, and I hope it keeps this way until we reach [a permanent] agreement,” he said. “I don’t think the Iranian issue will be resolved without the United States putting fully its weight behind the Europeans,” he added (Linzer/Kessler, Washington Post, Feb. 16). Meanwhile, Iranian Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi today acknowledged reports that Washington is flying unmanned surveillance aircraft over Iran, the Associated Press reported. “Most of the shining objects that our people see in Iran’s airspace are American spying equipment used to spy on Iran's nuclear and military facilities,” he said.  “Our nuclear activities are open and very transparent. Our military activities are all legal” (Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press/Billings Gazette, Feb. 16). Elsewhere, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi yesterday warned the European powers they must offer more economic and technological support to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, AP reported. “It needs more efforts, more seriousness, more confidence building to be evaluated as a fruitful and positive process,” he said after talks with the Luxembourg government, which holds the European Union presidency. Kharazi also called for more European openness on economic and political issues, according to AP (Raf Casert, Associated Press/PhillyBurbs.com, Feb. 16). Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani is scheduled to arrive in Russia tomorrow for a two-day visit, Agence France-Presse reported. “The purpose of Rohani’s visit is to conduct talks on Russian-Iranian relations and on problems of international security,” the Russian security council’s press service was quoted by Interfax as saying yesterday (Agence France-Presse, Feb. 15). Back to top       North Korea Claim Could Be Bluff, U.S. Official Says North Korea might have been bluffing when it announced last week that it has a nuclear arsenal, the Bush administration’s nominee for deputy secretary of state said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 15). “I would be careful about reading too much into the North Koreans’ most recent statement,” U.S. trade representative Robert Zoellick said during his Senate confirmation hearing, according to the New York Times. The announcement “could have been, as they have done in the past, sort of a demand to get additional compensation,” he said.  “It could have been related to the fact that the Chinese were scheduled to come, and they have played a key role in terms of economics and assistance,” he added (Joel Brinkley, New York Times, Feb. 16). U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker said today he believes North Korea’s claims that it has successfully developed nuclear weapons, the Associated Press reported. “I do believe them,” he said. “I don’t see any advantage to us not believing them. They have said more than once that they have nuclear weapons and are a nuclear state.” There is a chance Pyongyang would return to the six-party talks aimed at resolving the issue, said Baker, who is leaving his post after almost four years. “North Korea is a major problem and a dangerous problem, both to Japan and the region,” he said. “I think there is a continuing chance that North Korea will come back to the table.” “What worries me the most about North Korea, to tell you the truth, is not that they are going to bomb Tokyo, but that they have a demonstrated record of selling any military device they own,” he added (Eric Talmadge, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Feb. 16). Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said yesterday that North Korea is “the greatest security challenge” facing the world, the Washington Post reported. “I am very concerned about the North Korea dialogue right now. … The six-party talks never really took off,” he said, referring to the negotiations involving China, Japan, Russia, the United States, South Korea and North Korea. He said Pyongyang’s announcement that it has nuclear weapons was a cry for attention. “This is their trump card, and they will try to squeeze every drop of blood out of it,” he said.  He said other countries should persuade North Korea to accept IAEA inspections, “the sooner, the better” (Linzer/Kessler, Washington Post, Feb. 16). Back to top

Washington Mayor Signs Chlorine-Train Ban By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Mayor Anthony Williams yesterday signed emergency legislation from the District of Columbia Council to bar rail operator CSX from routing trains carrying chlorine and other toxic materials over the city's rails (see GSN, Feb. 2). Briefing the press today on the bill, which the council passed Feb. 1, the mayor vowed to defend the law against a challenge already filed by the rail company. “The protection of your people, your property and your city is of paramount importance,” he said. The mayor's signature follows more than a year of debate among city leaders about how best to prevent the transport of gases such as chlorine, which has a history of use as a chemical weapon, through the city of 500,000 people and within blocks of highly sensitive federal buildings seen as top terrorist targets. Williams said the city Transportation Department would take “the next few days” to develop rules implementing the legislation. The department's associate director, Lars Etzkorn, said a system of permits under the law, which is designed to effectively ban the shipments by requiring permits that can be obtained only in rare circumstances, is expected to be published in the city register by March 4. The emergency law is to remain in effect for 90 days. Ban sponsors have also initiated a permanent version of the legislation, as well as a temporary version of the permanent bill. The latter, which the council will next take up in the coming weeks, could add 225 days to the 90-day emergency ban. It remains unclear whether federal power to pre-empt the city's laws will come into play. Also unclear is the eventual effect of a CSX petition filed last week with the U.S. Transportation Department's Surface Transportation Board seeking to eliminate the ban (see GSN, Feb. 10). The company alleges the ban would violate the constitutional guarantee of interstate commerce and would endanger "the comprehensive scheme of federal regulation of hazardous materials." Washington Attorney General Robert Spagnoletti is gearing up to fend off such challenges, Williams said today. “The attorney general is prepared to defend the law in court as well as may become necessary,” the mayor said. Council members have said CSX told the panel at a closed-door meeting Nov. 4 that it was voluntarily rerouting the trains to avoid the city. Ban backers nevertheless insisted on a formal legal measure requiring such measures and now say the company’s regulatory challenge indicates it may have continued bringing the trains through Washington after all. According to a footnote in the CSX petition, the company last year “instituted a voluntary reroute of loaded cars carrying” toxic-by-inhalation substances “that would have traversed its [Interstate] 95 line through the District of Columbia.” Ban sponsor Kathy Patterson said today that the footnote, along with related statements, could indicate CSX stopped transporting the materials on the north-south line through Washington but maintained transports using an east-west line that passes through other parts of the city. “That’s the kind of sleight-of-hand that underscores the need for the law,” Patterson said in an interview. U.S. Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) today said he plans to reintroduce federal legislation from last year that would route hazardous materials shipments away from sensitive areas, require that tanker cars be strengthened against punctures and organize training for personnel who would response to an incident involving a training carrying toxic substances. “D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams signed the first local measure aimed at addressing the Bush administration's failure to secure our cities and towns from terrorist attacks on shipments of extremely hazardous materials,” Markey said in a statement.  “The D.C. Council bill is the first, but it will not be the last, legislation of its kind” (U.S. Representative Edward Markey press release, Feb. 16). Back to top       VX Destruction to Begin in Spring at Newport Senior U.S. Army officials Monday approved beginning destruction of the VX nerve agent stockpile at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana this spring, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 26). Chemical neutralization of the 1,269 tons of VX is expected to take 2 1/2 years and create 4 million gallons of a byproduct called hydrolysate, project manager Jeff Brubaker said yesterday. The hydrolysate would require additional treatment before disposal and would be stored at Newport until officials decide how to handle the process, he said (Associated Press/Washington Post, Feb. 16). Back to top       UAE Purchases Chemical Defense System The United Arab Emirates has purchased a $209 million chemical defense system, the Al-Hayat newspaper reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 15). The purchase does not indicate there are threats of a chemical attack on the nation, sources said (Al-Hayat/BBC Monitoring, Feb. 15). Back to top

U.S. Military Commander Describes Progress Being Made in Installing Missile Defense System in Alaska Military officials detailed for state lawmakers yesterday progress being made in installing missile defense components in Alaska (see GSN, Feb. 14). A total of 16 missile interceptors are set to be installed by the end of the year at Fort Greely; the seventh recently arrived at the base, Air Force Lt. Gen. Howie Chandler told the Joint Armed Services Committee. An early warning radar system is also set to be installed in the state this year, said Chandler, the top military officer in Alaska. Chandler said that the next missile defense test would be conducted in the near future (Matt Volz, Associated Press, Feb. 15).     Back to top

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