U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, shown earlier this month, plans visit New Delhi this week to advance the U.S.-Indian nuclear trade deal (Leon Neal/Getty Images). U.S.-Indian Nuclear Talks to Resume Countering earlier reports, U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns plans to arrive in New Delhi Thursday for two days of talks on the U.S.-Indian nuclear trade deal, the Associated Press reported Sunday (see GSN, May 24). Anonymous officials recently said Burns would not visit Delhi as he announced he would earlier this month following a Washington visit by Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon (see GSN, May 2). The pending trade deal calls for the United States to drop many of its  nuclear nonproliferation rules to enable U.S. firms to export nuclear technology and material to India’s civilian nuclear sector...Full Story

EU, Iran to Meet Thursday European and Iranian officials have agreed to meet Thursday to discuss restoring negotiations to resolve international concerns over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, May 25)...Full Story

Russia Tests New Multiple-Warhead ICBM Russia flight-tested a new type of strategic missile today, announcing the arrival of a successor to the nation’s aging arsenal of multiple-warhead missiles, Tass reported (see GSN, May 9)...Full Story

	Tuesday, May 29, 2007

U.S. Continues Anti-WMD Supplies to Troops in Iraq By Bob Brewin Government Executive WASHINGTON — Despite not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq for the past four years, the U.S. Army still sends to the war zone — and later destroys — millions of dollars worth of antidotes that soldiers would take in case they are attacked by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, according to internal Army documents obtained by Government Executive. The policy is a leftover from when the Bush administration believed Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, which include chemical and biological agents. But no such weapons have been found since the war started in March 2003. The antidote kits — which contain treatments for nerve gas along with injectors, antibiotics to fight anthrax and drugs to reduce the effects of radiation exposure — are no longer given to soldiers when they arrive in Iraq. The Army stores the kits, called Individual Service Member Medical Chemical Defense Materiel, in locked military vans "without being issued to the individual soldier. In addition, millions of dollars worth of [the kits] are incinerated annually in Iraq," according to the briefing documents prepared by the Army Medical Department. "Current theater policy is to incinerate all [kits] prior to redeployment." The documents do not put an exact dollar value on the kits. The briefing was given to top commanders by the Task Force 3 Medical Command, the senior medical command operating in Iraq. Dave Foster, an Army spokesman, said the service's policy is "to issue the [kits] to each unit prior to deployment, and ensure all unused [kits are] turned in prior to the unit's redeployment for destruction." Foster declined to answer other questions because the briefing documents were stamped "For Official Use Only." Cynthia Vaughn, a spokeswoman with the Army Medical Department, declined to answer queries for the same reason. The U.S. Central Command, which sets overall policy for the Iraq theater, did not respond to questions about why the Army incinerates the kits. According to a supply bulletin issued by the Army Medical Materiel Agency, much of the materiel in the kits — including the atropine injectors and the antibiotics — should be stored in a controlled temperature setting between 59 and 86 degrees. Army spokesman Foster said the components "expire after 12 to 15 months in an uncontrolled temperature environment, such as the Southwest Asian desert," which includes Iraq, where temperatures routinely drop below 59 in winter and exceed 100 in summer. The supply bulletin directs the Army to return all kits that were stored correctly to stock, unless theater or command policy specifies otherwise. Assets that were maintained in central storage (not issued to individuals) and under unknown storage conditions or were outside prescribed storage temperatures must be destroyed, according to the bulletin. Philip Coyle, senior adviser with the Center for Defense Information, a security policy research organization in Washington, said he views the incineration as a waste of taxpayer dollars. At the very least, he said, the Army should take steps to store the kits correctly. Coyle, who served as assistant secretary of defense and director of its operational test and evaluation office from 1994 to 2001, believes the Army's decision to keep shipping the kits to Iraq is a direct result of assertions by the Bush administration that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and "insinuations since by Vice President [Dick] Cheney and others that WMD might still be found. Accordingly, it wouldn't be surprising if no one in the Army has wanted to raise the policy issue of why are we still sending these kits to Iraq," Coyle said. Ivan Oelrich, vice president for strategic security programs at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, said that continuing to ship the kits to Iraq is a rational policy just in case "some terrorist gets hold of 10 gallons of nerve gas." The political repercussions of a nerve gas attack against unprotected U.S. troops would be severe, he added. But, Oelrich said, if the Army continues to ship the kits to Iraq, "it has to be more than symbolic. . . . [They have] to be stored and managed correctly." Just storing the kits does not protect troops, Coyle argued. "If the insurgents actually disbursed chemical or biological agents, U.S. soldiers would die since they don't have the kits close by," he said. The Army, Coyle added, could argue that there is a "logistical advantage in lead time to have the kits in Iraq [instead of in the United States], even though the kits are not being distributed to the troops." But he said "this argument would not hold water unless the scenario assumed that a first insurgent attack with chemical or biological agents would be followed by other attacks. And in this scenario the Army would essentially be sacrificing the first to die, and then — only after they died — be distributing kits to other soldiers in anticipation of future attacks. I can't imagine the Army would operate this way if they really believed there was a credible threat." The Task Force 3 Medical Command briefing recommended the Army Medical Department conduct a threat analysis of the Iraq theater of operations to determine the requirements for current antidote kits and consider employing regional contingency stocks to meet those requirements. The specific antidotes and drugs contained in the kits include: —Atropine, an antinerve gas agent loaded in what the Army calls an antidote treatment nerve agent auto-injector; —500mg tablets of ciprofloxacin, the generic name for the drug developed by Bayer Pharmaceutical to treat individuals exposed to the inhalant form of anthrax bacteria; —5mg tablets of diazepam, the generic name for Valium, to counter convulsions caused by nerve gas; —30mg tablets of pyridostigmine bromide, which is used to treat soldiers exposed to nerve gas; and —Potassium iodide tablets, which can be used to treat troops exposed to radiation. Back to top

U.S.-Indian Nuclear Talks to Resume Countering earlier reports, U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns plans to arrive in New Delhi Thursday for two days of talks on the U.S.-Indian nuclear trade deal, the Associated Press reported Sunday (see GSN, May 24). Anonymous officials recently said Burns would not visit Delhi as he announced he would earlier this month following a Washington visit by Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon (see GSN, May 2). The pending trade deal calls for the United States to drop many of its  nuclear nonproliferation rules to enable U.S. firms to export nuclear technology and material to India’s civilian nuclear sector. Indian officials, however, have balked at the remaining nonproliferation measures the U.S. Congress voted to maintain last year. Experts from both nations met in London last week to discuss the impasse and may have shaken the discussion free to enable Burns to visit New Delhi, according to AP (see GSN, May 23; Matthew Rosenberg, Associated Press, May 27). “The big stuff has been done,” U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford told the Wall Street Journal today.  “The devil is in the details.” Those details include some “deeply political issues,” he added (Wonacott/Bussey, Wall Street Journal, May 29). Back to top       EU, Iran to Meet Thursday European and Iranian officials have agreed to meet Thursday to discuss restoring negotiations to resolve international concerns over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, May 25). EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and lead Iranian nuclear envoy Ali Larijani are scheduled to meet in Madrid, an Iranian source told Iran’s official news agency.  The talks would pick up from the previous meeting of the two officials late last month (see GSN, April 26). The talks would follow a U.S.-Iranian meeting yesterday in Baghdad, where officials discussed ways to ease violence in Iraq (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 29). “Yes, everything is on course,” Solana confirmed with reporters today.  “I hope that we will be able to relaunch the dialogue” (Reuters, May 29). With U.S. backing, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have spearheaded efforts to negotiate with Iran, but ultimately Washington would need to become directly involved, one nonproliferation expert said. “Eventually the U.S. and Iran will have to engage across the board on a whole range of issues if they are to make progress,” said Robert Einhorn of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  “The Iraq issue is one on which many people have assumed some commonality of interest because at a certain level the Iranians want stability [there]” (Anne Gearan, Associated Press/Houston Chronicle, May 27). Back to top       Russia Tests New Multiple-Warhead ICBM Russia flight-tested a new type of strategic missile today, announcing the arrival of a successor to the nation’s aging arsenal of multiple-warhead missiles, Tass reported (see GSN, May 9). Russia has elected to replace its SS-18 and SS-19 ICBMs with the new system, dubbed the RS-24.  Yesterday’s test was conducted from a mobile launcher, according to Tass. “In 2008, together with the single-warhead RS-12 M “Topol M,” [the] RS-24 will make up the backbone” of Russia’s strategic rocket forces, according to a Russian release.  “It will be capable of providing reliable security of the country and its allies until the middle of the 21st century” (Tass, May 29). The new multiple-warhead missile would also enable Russia to surmount any U.S. missile defenses, said a statement from the rocket forces. Russia has objected strenuously to U.S. plans to deploy 10 missile interceptors and a guidance radar in Eastern Europe (see GSN, May 14). “We consider it harmful and dangerous to turn Europe into a powder keg,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said today (Jim Heintz, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, May 29). Defense experts said the test demonstrated a significant new Russian capability. “The main advantage is that this is a Russian rocket,” said Ivan Safranchuk, head of the Center for Defense Information’s Moscow office.  “The other multiple-warhead missiles were built in Ukraine.  Before, there [were] no Russian-built multiple-warhead missiles” (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 29). Back to top       U.S. to Test New Ideas North Korean Funds U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill is scheduled to visit China today to discuss new ideas on resolving a banking dispute with North Korea, the Associated Press reported.  The dispute has stalled North Korea’s implementation of a promise to freeze its nuclear activities (see GSN, May 23). Pyongyang has demanded the return of $25 million once frozen in a Macau-based bank before it shuts down plutonium production at its Yongbyon nuclear site.  The bank has received U.S. clearance to release the funds, but so far no bank in the world has been willing to accept the funds for North Korea, fearing U.S. retribution. “I am looking forward to talks in Beijing, we have come up with some ideas,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill.  “But I don't want to go into them, until we see that they are actually a way out of this, rather than a way into another dead end.” Hill departed Indonesia today, where Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said he offered up an Indonesian bank to accept the funds that U.S. officials have alleged are tainted by counterfeiting and money laundering (Chris Brummit, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, May 29). Back to top       Bombings Mark Anniversary of Pakistani Nuclear Tests Pakistani insurgents bombed about a dozen pipeline and railway sites yesterday to protest the ninth anniversary of the nation’s first nuclear tests, Agence France-Presse reported. “May 28 was a black day in the Baluch history when the nuclear tests were conducted on Baluchi soil,” said Beeberg Baloch, a spokesman for the outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army, a tribal group seeking autonomy from federal power. The attacks, conducted largely in the provincial capital of Quetta, injured four people, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 29). Back to top

South Africa Trains CW Attack Responders South Africa hosted a chemical weapons emergency response exercise last week, training officials from more than a dozen African nations, the Pretoria News reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 17, 2006). “This is because of the huge amounts of chemicals transported throughout Africa at any given time,” said Col. Ben Steyn, of the South African National Defense Force.  “You have to know what to do long before the incident occurs.” Participants included personnel from South Africa, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Sengal, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The session was the third of its type South Africa has hosted at the behest of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the institution responsible for administrating the global treaty banning such weapons. “At this exercise, we were teaching the principles of command and control and the management of a disaster area,” Steyn said.  “In the beginning, the emphasis of the exercise was on the battlefield, but then we moved to the civilian area, which is where terrorists could or would strike” (Graeme Hosken, Pretoria News, May 28). Back to top

Target Failure Aborts U.S. Missile Defense Test Problems with a target missile derailed a much-anticipated U.S. missile defense test Friday, the New York Times reported.  The interceptor missile, which officials hoped would destroy a mock warhead in space, was never launched (see GSN, May 25). “We were not able to get the target downrange far enough or high enough to present a threat to the system,” agency Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering told the Times.   “It fell well short of the intended area. The system itself never had a chance to recognize it as a threat, and so did not respond to the target.” The three-stage target missile, a former Polaris submarine-launched ballistic missile, was launched from Kodiak, Alaska, but the interceptor poised at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California never took flight (Thom Shanker, New York Times, May 26) “There is always a risk of this occurrence since we are flying old intercontinental ballistic missile motors in our targets,” Obering said in an agency release.  “We have initiated a target modernization program, within our existing budget which should mitigate these risks for the future. … We will attempt to repeat this test this summer.” Because the interceptor was never launched, the agency has designated the event as a “no test” (MDA release, May 25). Back to top       Senate Bill Cuts Missile Defense, European Site By Megan Scully Congress Daily WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee agreed Thursday to trim $225 million from the military's missile defense program, setting up a likely conference battle with the House, which slashed $764 million from the Pentagon's $8.9 billion request (see GSN, May 18). In its closed-door markup of the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill, the Senate committee followed the lead of its House counterpart by giving priority to funding for near-term programs over higher-risk, long-term initiatives, according to details of the bill released Friday by Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.).  The panel approved an additional $255 million for the Patriot PAC-3 system, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.  But it stripped $200 million from the Airborne Laser program and also cut $85 million in "site activation and construction" funds from the Pentagon's $310 million request for the Bush administration's proposed missile defense site in Eastern Europe. The cut to the European site is not as deep as the $160 million slice in the House bill that would prevent its construction. But the Senate bill does limit the use of funds for construction and deployment of missile defense interceptors at the planned site until bilateral agreements with host nations are approved.   Back to top

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