“Victims” of a simulated terrorist attack at the Pentagon joke around during a break. The GAO has found that the United States has underprotected the teams and equipment that would respond to a nuclear terror attack (Mark Wilson/Getty Images). U.S. Radiological Response Vulnerable to Attack, GAO Says By Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Energy Department’s radiological disaster response teams as well as specialized equipment are concentrated at two under-secured sites, and response capabilities could be devastated by a terrorist attack on either location, the Government Accountability Office warned in a report issued yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 7)...Full Story

Iran Keeps Door Open for Nuclear Resolution Iran hinted yesterday that it might be willing to halt its uranium enrichment program given the right conditions.  The United States and other leading industrial powers have so far been unsuccessful in persuading Iran to cease its sensitive nuclear activities (see GSN, Sept. 21)...Full Story

Russia Could Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons to Defeat U.S. Missile Defenses in Europe, Experts Say Moscow reserves the right to use tactical nuclear weapons to thwart potential U.S. missile defense sites in Eastern Europe that could threaten Russia’s strategic missile force, Russian defense analysts warned recently (see GSN, Sept. 21)...Full Story

	Friday, September 22, 2006

U.S.-India Nuclear Deal Could Make India More Vulnerable to Terrorists, Expert says A U.S. nuclear expert cautioned this week that the pending U.S.-Indian civilian nuclear agreement could increase the nuclear of Indian sites vulnerable to terrorist attack (see GSN, Sept. 15). In a commentary published in Tuesday’s Christian Science Monitor, Charles Ferguson, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote that “little or no attention has been paid to how the deal’s implementation might increase the threats of terrorism and military attack against Indian nuclear facilities.” As a result of the deal, threats could be amplified in three ways, Ferguson argued.  First, the deal could lead to a substantial increase in India’s plutonium stockpiles.  Plutonium, in the hands of a “skilled terrorist,” could fuel an improvised nuclear device with a devastating effect or a dirty bomb, he said. Additionally, the deal could spur the expansion of Indian civil nuclear facilities, increasing the number of targets for terrorists of military strikes (see GSN, Sept. 6). The pending deal — which its U.S. advocates have argued will pull India into closer alliance with the United States — has already aroused the ire of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Ferguson said. He argued that al-Qaeda operatives may have been behind the July 11 terrorist bombings in Mumbai.  Following the bombings, the U.S. embassy in India issued a warning against possible additional strikes, including attacks at nuclear sites, Ferguson wrote. “In response, New Delhi boosted security at its nuclear complex in early August,” he said. The concerns about terrorism should not derail the deal, “but the leadership of both countries can do more to protect Indian nuclear facilities in light of increased threats.” Enabling legislation for the deal — which will open up India for nuclear trade with the United States in return for permitting international inspections at some nuclear facilities — has already cleared the House of Representatives.  The Senate is expected to vote on the issue before the end of the year (Charles Ferguson, Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 19). Back to top       Congress Agrees on Regulations for Chemical Plants Congressional Republicans yesterday agreed to plans to permit the government to shut down chemical plants that fail to meet certain security standards in a move to tighten oversight of an industry seen as vulnerable to terrorist attacks, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Sept. 15). House and Senate negotiators hashed out a plan for the Homeland Security Department to require security measures at as many as 3,400 industrial facilities. The country’s 15,000 chemical plants would have the latitude to design their own security plans to be approved by the department.  In addition, the government would have the power to inspect and close facilities that fail to adequately secure themselves, the AP reported. The new regulations are expected to be included in a $33.7 appropriations bill to fund the Homeland Security Department in the coming fiscal year. “I think all parties realized that this effort was simply too important to fail,” said Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), head of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Representative Peter King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called the agreement “a historic step forward.” The deal did not include a Democrat-backed proposal to mandate that plants deemed high-risk use less-toxic materials that mitigate risks to the public if they were released (Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press/Washington Post, Sept. 21). Back to top

U.S. Radiological Response Vulnerable to Attack, GAO Says By Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Energy Department’s radiological disaster response teams as well as specialized equipment are concentrated at two under-secured sites, and response capabilities could be devastated by a terrorist attack on either location, the Government Accountability Office warned in a report issued yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 7). Specialized Energy Department teams trained to locate and deactivate a nuclear or radiological device and assist in the aftermath of a nuclear event are housed at two air force bases.  Dubbed the Remote Sensing Laboratories, they are found at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Andrews Air Force Base just outside Washington, D.C., in Maryland. In addition to personnel trained to conduct radiological searches and surveys, the facilities house special planes and helicopters outfitted with detection devices.  If a nuclear device were to be set off in a U.S. city, response teams could survey the area from the air to measure and map ground radiation levels. Such detection and response capabilities have taken on a greater significance in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, given a heightened concern that terrorists may attempt to employ radioactive materials in a dirty bomb attack or detonate a nuclear device, the GAO report says. However, the nation’s ability to respond to such a situation would be seriously jeopardized by an attack on either of the two air force sites, the GAO found.  Energy Department officials “told us the loss of the capabilities and assets that are unique to the Remote Sensing Laboratories would devastate the department’s ability to respond to a nuclear or radiological attack,” the report says. The flow of information about the extent and level of contamination to state and local governments would be seriously slowed, the report finds.  If either site were attacked, no contingency plan exists to ensure that a radiological response teams can still be fielded. Since 2001, the Energy Department has expanded its radiological search capability beyond the two labs to eight sites spread across the country as part of a Radiological Assistance Program.  Still, the department has failed to designate which of these so-called RAP teams would take the lead if the consequence management squad from Nevada were unable to, the report says. An April 2006 report by the Energy Department’s oversight branch found that RAP teams, during performance tests, could not quickly provide local governments with advice on what actions to take to reduce the public’s exposure to radiation or whether to evacuate areas.  In addition, department officials told the report’s authors that responding to two simultaneous events would strain the department’s capabilities. Despite being located at military sites, the report warns that the two laboratories are not adequately protected.  Anyone possessing a government identity badge can gain access, according to the report, and the sites are required to have only a minimum of physical security measures. While the facility at Nellis exceeds security requirements with a fence and vehicle barrier at the front entrance, the lab at Andrews Air Force Base does not — something the GAO labeled as a problem. Located along the route the president and visiting dignitaries travel after landing at Andrews Air Force Base, the building must meet certain aesthetic requirements which prohibit the installation of a fence, the report says. The report also identifies a level of interagency mission confusion that has prevented nearly all U.S. cities from conducting baseline background radiation surveys that would be useful in the event of a radiological attack.  Only New York City has asked the Energy Department to conduct a radiation survey. Over four weeks in the summer of 2005, a department team spent 100 flight hours over the city mapping radiation levels.  The study — which was funded with a portion of a $30 million homeland security grant — identified more than 80 locations with levels of radiation. While most of them were facilities with medical isotopes, one site was a public park contaminated with radium, a radioactive material associated with bone cancer. Such surveys would be immensely beneficial if investigators were ordered to find a suspected radiological device, the GAO report says.  Existing sites with radiation signatures would already identified and could be eliminated from the search. However, the Energy Department officials said they are reluctant to conduct more of these aerial surveys due to a limited number of planes and helicopters, the report says.  In addition, they said they had insufficient funding for such studies and were concerned about wear and tear on the equipment. The Energy Department claimed the surveys are within the Homeland Security Department’s realm of antiterrorism responsibility, according to the report.  Homeland Security officials said such aerial studies were, in fact, not part of their responsibilities. A third agency, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, which is in charge of detecting nuclear materials at the country’s ports of entry also told the GAO that such surveys are also not their responsibility. “In the absence of clear mission responsibility, there are no plans to conduct additional surveys, and no other city has requested one, in part because DOE and DHS are not informing cities about the benefits,” the report says. The Energy Department categorically rejected the GAO contention that the labs at the two military sites are underprotected, and Homeland Security officials accepted the GAO recommendations to improve security and consider grants for more radiological surveys. Back to top       Iran Keeps Door Open for Nuclear Resolution Iran hinted yesterday that it might be willing to halt its uranium enrichment program given the right conditions.  The United States and other leading industrial powers have so far been unsuccessful in persuading Iran to cease its sensitive nuclear activities (see GSN, Sept. 21). “Our position is very clear,” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a U.N. press conference yesterday.  “We have said that under fair conditions and just conditions, we will negotiate about it — under fair and just conditions, I repeat.” He did not, however, elaborate on what conditions would be required, the Washington Post reported (Colum Lynch, Washington Post, Sept. 22). Ahmadinejad again denied that Iran aspires to develop nuclear weapons. “The bottom line is we do not need the bomb.  Some think that bombs can be effective in international relations, but we know that these nuclear arsenals will not benefit anyone,” he said. Meanwhile, U.S. officials have stepped back from seeking support for imposing U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran.  A July council resolution set an August 31 deadline for Iran to suspend its nuclear work, but Iran has not acceded to the demand. Weak support for sanctions among other council members led the United States to agree to set a new and secret deadline for Iran to comply with the resolution.  Diplomats told the New York Times that the new deadline was in the first week of October (Helene Cooper, New York Times, Sept. 22). The United States has so far failed to persuade other permanent members of the council to support sanctions at this time, Agence France-Presse reported. “Like in other areas, the obsession with sanctions applied without calculating their consequences might bring unpredictable results,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the U.N. General Assembly yesterday. “It is absolutely necessary to eliminate the loopholes in the nonproliferation regimes, but this should be done through clear and nondiscriminatory approaches without creating grounds for suspicions regarding the existence of some hidden agenda,” he added (Agence France-Presse I, Sept. 22). Back in Tehran, Iran’s vice president used the occasion of a military parade today to warn other countries against attacking his nation (see related GSN story, today). “We want peace but we warn the expansionists not to think of an aggression against Iran, as we can defend the fatherland and Islam,” said Parviz Davoodi.  “Our lions are so powerful that they can strike the enemy like lightning and destroy him” (Farhoud Pouladi, Agence France-Presse II/South Africa Sunday Times, Sept. 22) Back to top       Russia Could Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons to Defeat U.S. Missile Defenses in Europe, Experts Say Moscow reserves the right to use tactical nuclear weapons to thwart potential U.S. missile defense sites in Eastern Europe that could threaten Russia’s strategic missile force, Russian defense analysts warned recently (see GSN, Sept. 21). “According to our military doctrine, Russia reserves the right to deliver preventive strikes at any targets that pose a threat to us, with tactical nuclear weapons being an option in such strikes,” said Alexander Pikayev, a department head at the Russian Institute for World Economy and International Affairs (IMEMO). The United States has said it is seeking to erect missile defense sites in Eastern Europe — possibly in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland — to defend against ballistic missiles launched from Iran. Institute analysts, however, have argued that the systems are actually intended to shoot down Russian long-range missiles and to undermine Russia’s nuclear deterrent, Izvestiya reported. “By approaching Russia’s borders, the Americans are seeking to achieve their main objective: intercepting our strategic missiles at the early stage of their trajectory, when they are most vulnerable,” said retired Maj. Gen. Vladimir Belous, a senior research fellow at the Institute. Russia would probably seek other measures to protect its missiles as well, Izvestiya reported, including moving their silos farther east and arming them with multiple warheads to make them more difficult to intercept (Dmitri Litovkin, Izvestiya, Sept. 22). Back to top       Egypt’s President Urges Nuclear Energy Debate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called yesterday for a national debate on nuclear power, calling it a cheap, clean energy source, Reuters reported (see GSN, Sept. 21) Earlier this week, Gamal Mubarak, the president’s son and a high-ranking official in the ruling National Democratic Party, said Egypt should consider alternative means of producing electricity, including nuclear power. “We must take more advantage of new and renewable energy sources, including peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and I call for a serious dialogue which takes into account the clean and cheap sources of energy available through nuclear technologies,” the president said at the closing session of the ruling party’s annual conference. Egypt has explored nuclear energy in the past but abandoned plans for power reactors decades ago, Reuters reported.  It continues, however, to maintain a small research reactor and still has a nuclear department within the Ministry of Electricity. “We do not start from a vacuum, and we possess a knowledge of these techniques which enables us to proceed,” Mubarak said. A member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Egypt is subject to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.  Last year the agency raised some questions about activities at the Egyptian reactor. Inspectors uncovered unreported research that involved the irradiation of natural uranium and some plutonium reprocessing experiments.  Egypt had also failed to disclose inventories of small amounts of enriched uranium and had produced 3 kilograms of uranium metal. Egypt, however, avoided a formal IAEA rebuke (see GSN, March 2, 2005). The country currently depends almost entirely on fossil fuels for its electricity production (Reuters/New York Times, Sept 21). Back to top       U.S. Seeks Broader Support in North Korean Crisis Seeking to demonstrate international backing for its North Korean policies, the United States met yesterday with seven other nations to discuss Northeast Asian security issues (see GSN, Sept. 21). Because six-party negotiations to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis have been stalled for one year, U.S. officials assembled a new group, named the “Five Plus Five,” to continue discussions.  Joining U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the New York meeting were diplomats from Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea. Notably absent, however, were North Korea, China and Russia, the Washington Post reported. The group is not intended “to change the six-party talks,” said Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill.  “It’s not to have an immediate sort of actionable outcome or something.  It’s simply to have information exchange.” The incomplete roster meant the session “turned out to be the Six Minus One Plus Two Plus Three Minus Two,” joked Hill. Broadening the discussion to include other parties is part of a Bush administration bid to spur progress on the impasse since North Korea agreed in principle one year ago to abandon its nuclear weapon ambitions, according to the Post. The administration is seeking to pressure China to play a more active role (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, Sept. 22). “I won’t name them, but several participants commented [during yesterday’s meeting] that they thought China should be doing more,” Hill told reporters (Yonhap I, Sept. 22). In addition, the United States is trying to persuade other nations to impose economic sanctions against North Korea in the wake of Pyongyang’s ballistic missile tests in July (see GSN, July 5).  The Bush administration is hoping to levy its own sanctions but prefers to wait for other nations to go first, according to the Post.  Australia and Japan announced new sanctions this week (see GSN, Sept 19). Also, some of Rice’s policy aides have been interested in crafting a new Northeast Asian security framework, similar to European institutions, the Post reported. “I’m not going to make predictions at this point whether this is the protoplasm of a new OSCE,” said Hill, referring to the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe which serves a multinational forum to debate security issues.  “I just at this point can’t speculate that far ahead.” The “Five Plus Five” format was initiated in July during the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to the Post, and Hill said the United States hoped for a third meeting in November, when Asian-Pacific heads of state meet in Hanoi (Kessler, Washington Post). Test Expected Soon Meanwhile, a former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said he expected North Korea to conduct a nuclear test before the end of this year (see GSN, Sept. 6). Armitage, expressing his private views, said such a development could force the United States and South Korea to re-examine their plans to transfer operational military control of South Korean military forces to Seoul.  Currently, the United States commands all allied forces in South Korea, Yonhap reported (Yonhap II, Sept. 22). North Korea has dug a 700-meter-deep tunnel into the side of mountain to conduct a nuclear test, according a South Korean lawmaker. Opposition party member Chung Hyung-keun said information from South Korea’s intelligence service has indicated that the shaft has been burrowed from Mount Mantap in North Hamkyong province on North Korea’s northeast coast, the English language newspaper JoongAng Daily reported (Associated Press/Khaleej Times, Sept. 22). Back to top

House Committee Passes Biological Defense Measure By Kristen A. Lee, CongressDaily WASHINGTON — The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday passed legislation to promote countermeasures to bioterrorism and other public health threats (see GSN, Sept. 12). The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2006, expands on Project BioShield, which was signed into law two years ago. The bill establishes a point of authority in the federal government — the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority — to coordinate and facilitate efforts to develop countermeasures for bioterrorism or pandemic infectious diseases. The legislation, which passed on voice vote, also authorizes $160 million in fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2008 for advanced research and development. Representative Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), who cosponsored the legislation with Representative Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), cited the threat of avian influenza or another anthrax attack as reasons for the bill's passage. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) offered a substitute amendment that made technical changes to the bill. The manager's amendment also passed by voice vote. Back to top

Iran Shows Off Ballistic Missile Iran displayed two intermediate-range ballistic missiles in a military parade yesterday in Tehran (see GSN, May 24).  The Shahab 3 missiles, reportedly with a range of 2,000 kilometers, were part of a procession marking the eight-year Iran-Iraq War. Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoodi oversaw the parade, standing in for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was in New York to address the U.N. General Assembly this week (see related GSN story, today; Xinhua, Sept. 22) Back to top

Pentagon Considers Another Early Warning Satellite The U.S. Air Force has issued two design contracts for a new generation of missile-launch detection satellites that could replace a long-troubled system still under development, Inside the Pentagon reported yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 29, 2005). Science Applications International Corp. received this week a $26 million contract to design the Alternative Infrared Satellite System, and Raytheon was granted a $54 million development contract earlier this month, according to Inside the Pentagon. If pursued fully, the Pentagon would deploy the new system after it launches two Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites.  The high-orbit satellites are designed to spot and track the rocket plumes of missile launched anyway in the world. Lockheed Martin has been contracted to build the first two SBIRS satellites, which are intended to replace the current constellation of early warning satellites (see GSN, May 26, 2005), but the system has faced technical difficulties throughout its development (see GSN, March 14, 2002). A decision to pursue the alternative satellite or buy a third SBIRS satellite is expected in fiscal 2008, Inside the Pentagon reported (Inside the Pentagon, Sept. 22). Back to top

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