U.S. Ambassador Gregory Schulte today pressed Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (Dieter Nagl/Getty Images). IAEA Members Join to Urge Iranian Cooperation The 35 nations of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s governing board have shown an unusual level of agreement this week in urging Iran to cooperate more fully with the agency’s inspectors, Reuters reported (see GSN, June 4). The board has typically seen strong condemnations of Iran from the United States and West European nations...Full Story

Russia Ends Plutonium Production at Seversk All plutonium production has permanently ceased in Seversk, Russia, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced today (see GSN, April 21)...Full Story

New Strategy Needed for Preventing Proliferation of WMD Expertise from Former Soviet Union, Report Says By Chris Schneidmiller Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Preventing former Soviet weapons scientists from selling their expertise to rogue nations or terrorists has been a neglected component of U.S. threat-reduction efforts, one Washington organization said in a recent call for a sweeping update to the program (see GSN, Nov. 6, 2006)...Full Story

	Thursday, June 5, 2008

Sept. 11 Attacks Suspects Appear in Court The alleged planner of the Sept. 11 attacks and four other suspects were formally arraigned today at the U.S. Navy installation at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 12, 2007). Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and his fellow defendants could receive the death penalty if convicted by a military tribunal of helping to carry out the strikes that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and in an airliner that crashed in Pennsylvania. Mohammed appeared eager to be put to death. “This is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time,” he said during his initial appearance before a war-crimes tribunal.  “I will, God willing, have this, by you” (Andrew Selsky, Associated Press I/Yahoo!News, June 5). Mohammed has not been seen by the public since being captured in 2003.  The al-Qaeda operative reportedly acknowledged playing a role in a multitude of strikes and plans against the United States during a closed hearing in 2007. “In the course of trial they’ll have opportunity to present their case, any way they want to present it subject to rules and procedures,” said Air Force Big. Gen. Tom Hartmann, a senior tribunal official.  “That’s a great freedom and a great protection we are providing to them.  We think … it is the American way.” It remains to be seen how far the case progresses.  The proceedings could be delayed or suspended based upon a Supreme Court decision expected this month regarding the rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  A 2006 decision by the court forced the elimination of a previous tribunal system. Senators John McCain (Ariz.) and Barack Obama (Ill.), the respective Republican and Democratic candidates for president, have also signaled their intention to shut down the detention center if elected. “While everyone seems to recognize that the time to bring those responsible for 9/11 to justice is long overdue, this needs to be done in a system that has credibility,” said Jennifer Daskal of Human Rights Watch. Evidence obtained through coercion and hearsay would be allowed at trial, but the defendants would have access to all evidence before it is seen by a jury. “We are not Camp X-Ray, we are not Abu Ghraib,” Hartmann said, referring to detention centers at Guantanamo and in Iraq that have become notorious on the global stage.  “We are the military commissions, uniformed officers on the prosecution and the defense, with established court procedures” (Andrew Selsky, Associated Press II/Washington Post, June 4). The lead defense counsel for the tribunals, however, characterized them as “fundamentally flawed,” AP reported.  “We will zealously identify and expose each and every (flaw),” said Army Col. Steve David. Defense attorneys have recently sought to have the case dismissed and Hartmann removed.  A former lead prosecutor for the tribunal has charged the brigadier general with political meddling, but Hartmann pledged a fair trial and said there has been no request that he recuse himself from the case (Selsky, AP I). Back to top

New Strategy Needed for Preventing Proliferation of WMD Expertise from Former Soviet Union, Report Says By Chris Schneidmiller Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Preventing former Soviet weapons scientists from selling their expertise to rogue nations or terrorists has been a neglected component of U.S. threat-reduction efforts, one Washington organization said in a recent call for a sweeping update to the program (see GSN, Nov. 6, 2006). There were potentially more than 130,000 nuclear, biological and chemical weapons specialists operating in the Soviet Union during the peak years of the Cold War, according to a report from the Henry L. Stimson Center.  With the breakup of the communist superpower in 1991, many of these scientists faced the very real choice of going hungry or seeking buyers for sensitive information. The U.S. Defense, Energy and State departments made scientific engagement part of a larger program to reduce the risks posed by the Soviet weapons complex.  Projects backed by the United States have provided tens of thousands of former weapons personnel with civilian opportunities, according to U.S. figures (see GSN, April 16). However, finding peaceful work for scientists is the “least funded and most undervalued leg of the nonproliferation triad of weapons, materials and expertise,” argued Stimson Center senior associates Brian Finlay and Elizabeth Turpen.  Only 10 percent of the roughly $13 billion spent by Washington on threat-reduction activities has been directed toward this work, they said. The disparity could arise from demands on program managers from their superiors and Capitol Hill to quantify the success of these programs, Finlay said last week in an interview with Global Security Newswire.  It is far easier to show the number of warheads deactivated — more than 7,000 to date — than the security of brainpower. “They need a hard metric to measure success. … How many warheads did you chop up, how many tons of material did you get rid of,” Finlay said.  “How do you measure human capacity and the success you had in redirecting it?” Interest has also waned as some potentially threatening scientists have retired, moved to the West or died, and as Russia’s oil-driven economic revitalization has strengthened its ability to pay its scientists. The importance of the effort should not be underestimated, the report argues.  A recent Energy Department study found that 21 percent of Russian scientists were open to working for at least one of four rogue nations and that 13 percent felt that in some situations they could accept doing WMD research for an authoritarian government. The U.S. intelligence community reportedly believes that there are still several thousand specialists in former Soviet states who could pose proliferation risks, the report says. “I think there probably is an enduring threat from some of these scientists that they could go abroad,” Finlay said.  “They may be willing to move to Iran, they may be willing to move to North Korea,” he added. Meanwhile, additional threats could also arise from a younger generation of scientists who work in civilian biological research or other sectors that are not covered by nonproliferation efforts but could have weapons applications. “Human engagement” helps to ensure that nonproliferation programs in former Soviet states will be sustained as the United States and other Western nations curtail and ultimately end their financial support, the report says.  These programs can help produce a new generation of science and technology specialists who believe strongly in nonproliferation and can push for funding within their respective nations, Finlay said.  They also stand to create “a domestic supply chain of industries” to provide material needed to maintain safeguards and other security infrastructure installed in the region. Finally, a well-oiled scientific engagement program could provide an example for dealing with weapons specialists in nations such as Iraq and Libya, Finlay said. The two analysts argue that what exists now is at best a partial answer to the threat.  Programs spread across the three U.S. agencies — and similar initiatives sponsored by Japan, the United Kingdom and other nations, along with the European Union — largely focus on providing grants that allow scientists to conduct research for clients from their current places of employment. Developing projects on which these scientists can work, rather than permanent and sustainable employment, leaves open the question of whether they are engaged to the point at which they would not consider selling their expertise, Finlay said.  He rejected growing opinions in Russia and the United States that scientific engagement programs have “outlived their usefulness.”  Rather than being eliminated, these initiatives should be augmented by a “public-private partnership” that would use funds from the Group of Eight Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and potentially from host nations to provide temporary funding for private-sector entities willing to provide continued employment for former WMD personnel, according to the Stimson report. Participating firms could come from both former Soviet states and from the West, such as biotechnology companies that might want to hire one-time Russian biological weapons researchers. While the G-8 program is set to expire in 2012, other U.S. and international entities could be brought in as “stakeholders” to sustain investment in companies employing former weapons personnel.  In the United States this could involve agencies ranging from the National Institutes of Health to the Food and Drug Administration, while on the global stage partnering entities might include the World Bank Group or the World Health Organization, venture capital funds and nongovernmental organizations. Officials from the Defense, Energy and State departments did not respond to requests for comment on the Stimson Center report. Finlay said the organization has received a mixed response as it took the proposal to Capitol Hill, federal offices, private firms and the nongovernmental community.  He acknowledged that the model is not likely to be picked up as the current presidential administration winds down.  “What are the chances that a program like this might get some wings?  I don’t know,” Finlay said.  “It’s literally going to take an individual on the Hill that takes an active interest in this to actually move it.  Given that we’re not talking about a whole lot of money, we’re talking about a pilot effort that would potentially have low cost and high return, I think that the likelihood of finding someone like that could actually be pretty good.” Back to top       U.S. Helps China With Olympics Security The United States is providing technology and know-how to China to help ensure the security of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the Washington Times reported today (see GSN, May 29). The Bush administration has signed off on export licenses allowing for sales of $5 million worth of radiation sensors, X-ray systems, explosives detectors and other technology, sources said. China has received some “radiological detection equipment” from the National Nuclear Security Administration, an arm of the U.S. Energy Department, said State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos.  The U.S. agency is also providing training to Chinese customs personnel on detecting nuclear or radiological material. Additional detection equipment could come from the Energy Department “to protect Americans and Olympic venues from radiological threats,” Gallegos said. China is also deploying biological, chemical and nuclear detection equipment at stadiums and other Olympics sites, according to state-run media. Chinese civilian and military authorities are receiving support from the FBI and other U.S. agencies on preparing for a terrorist attack on the games.  Possible threats are being identified and surveillance conducted through an intelligence fusion center involving the FBI and Chinese security agencies. Counterterrorism is one of the key concerns as Chinese officials prepare for the games, scheduled for Aug. 8-24, according to state media.  China is performing surveillance, “intercepting intelligence,” and “taking pre-emptive actions to neutralize the enemies before they can launch terror attacks,” the China News Service reported in May.  Tibetan or Muslim dissidents are seen as the greatest threat, according to Chinese communications. Human rights organizations worry that equipment provided for the Olympics could be used as tools of repression.  Other critics question providing technology to a nation that remains a potential security threat to the United States, the Times reported. “I am worried if we go too far and exceed the congressional guidelines controlling our defense exchanges with China, then ... we undercut the rationale of our asking the European Union to continue to ban all defense technology and weapons exports to China," said Michael Pillsbury, an expert on the Chinese military, referring to arms bans instituted following the 1989 crushing of the Tiananmen Square protest (Bill Gertz, Washington Times, June 5). Meanwhile, authorities in Canada are planning for security at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, the Vancouver Province reported today.  A tabletop exercise is planned for this fall, followed by “boots on the ground” training in February, said Gursharn Bernier of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 2010 Integrated Security Unit. “We would not be practicing due diligence if we did not look at the whole picture and all possibilities,” she said. Authorities must consider “technology requirements, the personnel requirements and testing, all of the aviation assets that have to be in place, the equipment, crisis management, prepositioning of personnel, the hostage-rescue capabilities, WMD response capabilities,” Rey Mey, who led FBI security efforts for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City and has been involved with safeguarding Olympics in Atlanta, Nagano, Sydney, Athens and Turin. Security training for Salt Lake City and Athens involved drills for dealing with WMD threats (Damian Inwood, Vancouver Province, June 5). Back to top

IAEA Members Join to Urge Iranian Cooperation The 35 nations of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s governing board have shown an unusual level of agreement this week in urging Iran to cooperate more fully with the agency’s inspectors, Reuters reported (see GSN, June 4). The board has typically seen strong condemnations of Iran from the United States and West European nations. Today, however, Tehran drew less support than usual from nations of the Nonaligned Movement, according to Reuters. At issue is Iran’s cooperation with agency officials investigating that nation’s alleged studies into developing nuclear weapon technologies.  Earlier this year, the agency’s top nuclear safeguards official presented the board with documentary evidence of Iranian interest in nuclear testing, nuclear-weapon triggers and nuclear-armed missiles.  Iran has consistently dismissed the material as lies and forgeries, and has suggested that the agency has overstepped its authority in investigating the alleged studies. Yesterday, however, the Nonaligned Movement of developing nations backed the agency’s right to learn more. “In clarifying the ‘alleged studies,’ including issues such as high-explosive testing and a missile re-entry vehicle, the agency would act in accordance with its statute,” said Cuban Ambassador Norma Goicochea-Estonez in a NAM statement (Heinrich/Strohecker, Reuters/Washington Post, June 4). South Africa, a nation that has often resisted Western pressure on Iran, also expressed concern over Iran’s level of cooperation with the nuclear agency. Ambassador Abdul Minty expressed dismay to the board that “after so many years of verification activities in Iran, the agency is still not in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran and that the agency is not yet in a position to determine the full nature of Iran’s nuclear program.” “[South Africa] considers it important that Iran intensify its cooperation with the agency and provide the clarifications as requested by the agency,” he added (Simon Morgan, Agence France-Presse I/Middle East Times, June 5). In a typically tough statement, U.S. Ambassador Gregory Schulte accused Iran of having nuclear-weapon ambitions while stopping short of contradicting last year’s U.S. intelligence assessment that Tehran stopped its weapon activities in 2003 (see GSN, Dec. 3, 2007).  Iran’s refusal to heed a U.N. Security Council demand to freeze its uranium enrichment activities remains troubling, he said. “Iran continues this work apace while it stalls the IAEA with nonanswers and obfuscation.  Every passing day leads Iran closer to mastering the technology it needs to build a weapon,” Schulte said in his statement to the board yesterday. “If the Iranian government has indeed stopped its pursuit of nuclear weapons and has no intention of restarting such an effort, it is best served by admitting past work and allowing the IAEA to verify that it has stopped, as other countries have done,” he added.  “Threats to limit cooperation with the IAEA undermine Iran’s argument that it has nothing to hide.” For his part, Iran’s ambassador gave a definitive statement declaring the entire issue to be closed, a tactic he has used in the past despite explicit contradictory statements from agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei (see GSN, Nov. 26, 2007). “We have given comprehensive responses, information and documents,” Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh told journalists today.  “We have answered every question.  We have left no question [un]answered.” “We have done our job.  The matter is over,” he added.” Soltanieh’s remarks were in contrast to ElBaradei’s opening statement to the board Monday and to the agency’s report on Iran circulated last week (see GSN, May 27). “It has now been more than five years since the agency began this intensive phase of verification of Iran´s nuclear program,” ElBaradei said Monday.  “While substantial progress has been made in clarifying many of its aspects, particularly with regard to Iran´s enrichment program, it is essential that the agency be able to reach a conclusion regarding the nature of Iran´s program at the earliest possible date.” “This depends primarily on Iran demonstrating the necessary transparency and providing full disclosure,” he added.  “I again urge Iran to be fully forthcoming in this regard” (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, June 5). Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana yesterday sought to play down expectations of his scheduled visit to Iran in mid-June, when he plans to deliver an offer from U.N. powers intended to persuade Iran to cease its key nuclear activities. “I don’t expect miracles,” Solana said.  “But I think it’s important for us to continue extending also a hand, therefore to make clear that we have a double track approach” of offering incentives while threatening more economic sanctions (Agence France-Presse II/NASDAQ.com, June 4). In Washington, presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (Ill.) sought yesterday to reassure Israel that he would not accept a nuclear-armed Iran. He spoke to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, just two days after his expected Republican opponent, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), criticized Obama’s Iran strategy (see GSN, June 2) and one day after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the Bush administration’s record (see GSN, June 4). “The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat,” he said. “I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — everything,” he added (Caren Bohan, Reuters, June 4). Back to top       Russia Ends Plutonium Production at Seversk All plutonium production has permanently ceased in Seversk, Russia, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced today (see GSN, April 21). The Soviet Union began operating two reactors in the 1960s at Seversk — then known as Tomsk-7 — for producing weapon-grade plutonium.  They have been used since 1993 to provide heat and electricity for the surrounding area but continued to produce plutonium as a byproduct of operations. The United States agreed in 2003 to contribute $926 million to construct two fossil fuel power plants to replace Russia’s last three plutonium-producing reactors. One plant at Seversk closed in April, followed by the early shuttering today of the second reactor, according to a press release.  The final site at Zheleznogorsk is set to close no later than 2010.  That would end all Russian production of weapon-grade plutonium. “Today’s shutdown of the second reactor at Seversk brings us another step closer to eliminating the production of weapons-grade plutonium in Russia,” said William Tobey, NNSA deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation.  “NNSA’s commitment and investment in this effort will help prevent the proliferation threat of weapons of mass destruction by bringing to an end the production of this dangerous nuclear material” (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, June 5). Back to top       U.S. Loses Interest in Smuggler Khan The United States might be losing interest in Pakistan’s detention of admitted nuclear smuggler Abdul Qadeer Khan, Washington Post reported today (see GSN, June 4). Since his 2004 confession to selling uranium enrichment technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea, the former top Pakistani nuclear official has been under house arrest in Islamabad.  Those restrictions, however, have eased in recent weeks, and he has recanted his confession in several media interviews over the past few days. The loosening reins could portend even greater freedom for Khan, a move that might draw only mild Bush administration concern, said one U.S. official. “I'm sure we would oppose his release, but you know, as time goes on, I suppose his information gets less and less valuable," the official said.  "No one has sort of thought about Mr. A.Q. Khan in a while." Khan has now denied selling nuclear equipment to the three states, but suggested that some deal was struck with North Korea to gain ballistic missile technology. Earlier this week, a new book reported that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto personally delivered nuclear documents to North Korea in 1993 (see GSN, June 2).  Khan did not confirm that assertion in his Post interview, but acknowledged that Pakistan sought missile help from Pyongyang because China offered none. “China had the missiles, but they were very restricted.   They were becoming a world power and they wanted to show they could act responsibly,” he said.  “The only option was North Korea” (Candace Rondeaux, Washington Post, June 5). Back to top       U.S. to Upgrade Nuclear Plant Before Replacing It Managers at a Tennessee nuclear-weapon plant hope to spend $190 million to maintain uranium processing facilities while awaiting construction of a replacement site, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 1). The Y-12 facility’s 9212 complex has been beset by deteriorating equipment and other safety concerns in recent years, but the set of uranium shops needs to keep operating until they can be replaced, said Y-12 general manager Darrel Kohlhorst. The temporary upgrades are needed even though they would not bring the Cold War-era facilities up to modern safety standards, he said. “Everybody recognizes that risk, but it will allow us to do some significant upgrades to some of the safety systems, as well as some of the operating systems,” Kohlhorst said. Federal monitors have urged Y-12 managers to act quickly. “The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is concerned that continued operations in the aging 9212 complex involve significant safety risk to workers and the public," wrote board Chairman A.J. Eggenberger in a March 2007 letter to the National Nuclear Security Administration (Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel, June 4). Back to top       U.S., China Hold Strategic Security Talks U.S. and Chinese officials yesterday resumed international security and nonproliferation discussions that had been dormant since 2004, Kyodo News reported (see GSN, Feb. 17, 2004). The U.S. delegation in Beijing, led by acting Undersecretary of State John Rood, asked China to offer more transparency of its strategic nuclear plans and expressed concern over China’s antisatellite capabilities, according to Kyodo. “China clearly has large-scale efforts in the nuclear area,” Rood said.  “We would like to have a better understanding of Chinese doctrine and plans in this area.” As to the January 2007 Chinese antisatellite test, “It was something we think was unnecessary,” Rood said.  “We believe that the debris created does create a hazard for peaceful usage of space.  So, naturally, that was something that we discussed with our Chinese colleagues today” (see GSN, Jan. 19, 2007). China expressed similar concerns when the United States recently destroyed an ailing satellite in orbit (see GSN, Feb. 21; Kyodo News, June 4). Back to top       North Korea Frustrated by Pace of Energy Aid A senior North Korean official today protested the pace at which the nation is receiving energy support as it moves through its denuclearization process, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, June 4). “Energy aid is related to our disabling (of the nuclear site in Yongbyon),” Hyun Hak Bong, deputy negotiator to the six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, said while at the border village of Panmunjom to meet with his South Korean counterpart.  “While the disabling has been completed for more than 80 percent, overall energy cooperation business is going very slowly — at 30 percent to 36 percent. … We hope this meeting can bear fruits.” South Korean envoy Hwang Joon-kook said he would “try to come up with necessary plans” in response to Pyongyang’s concerns. North Korea stands to receive 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or related assistance under a 2007 agreement with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.  Those nations, minus holdout Japan, have to date provided about 40 percent of the oil, AFP reported. South Korea has also delivered steel plates to its neighbor for use in repairs on deteriorating power stations. Officials from the five nations are expected to discuss the energy issue Tuesday in Seoul prior to a meeting the next day with Pyongyang, one official said (Agence France-Presse I/Yahoo!News, June 5). The nuclear issue is set to be a topic of discussion when Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visits North Korea on June 17 and 18, AFP reported. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang would not say whether Xi expected to receive a long-overdue accounting of North Korea’s nuclear activities during his trip.  The denuclearization process has faltered this year while Pyongyang and Washington jousted over the contents of the declaration. “On the nuclear declaration and other specific issues, the six-party talks are still having intensive consultants and coordination,” Qin said.  “I have no schedule at the moment” (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, June 5). Back to top

India Considers Importing U.S.-Made Anthrax Vaccine An Indian pharmaceutical firm plans to test a U.S.-made anthrax vaccine to see if it can be imported in large quantities into the country, the Times of India reported today (see GSN, June 28, 2007). The Central Drug Laboratory plans to conduct potency and sterility testing on samples of the BioThrax vaccine, which is produced by Emergent BioSolutions of Rockville, Md. The Indian drug controller general would have final say on whether the vaccine could be made available for sale to the Indian Defense Ministry or other customers. “India needs to be prepared against a bioterrorist attack.  That’s why we are looking at allowing the company to import BioThrax only for limited use, like for the military and not for general civilians,” said one government health official.  “CDL will first look at the protocol, its manufacturing quality control and test the vaccine’s potency and sterility on animals before DCGI gives final marketing authorization.” BioThrax is the only anthrax vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.  It requires six injections over 18 months, along with annual booster shots. “The vaccine can’t be injected to all civilians but only to the first responders who reach the spot of attack, like the military and laboratory workers who may enter or re-enter contaminated areas,” said Joseph Chettiar of the Central Drug Laboratory, which would be the Indian distributor for the vaccine.  “Countries are now preparing such battalions and vaccinating them in advance so that they develop complete immunity against anthrax” (Kounteya Sinha, Times of India, June 5). Back to top

Army Lauds Progress on Chemical Weapons Disposal The U.S. military says it has destroyed more than half of its stockpile of chemical warfare agents without harming communities near the disposal sites, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Jan. 15). “We really haven’t had a serious incident throughout the life of the program concerning chemical weapons,” said Greg Mahall, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency.  “We’re very proud of our safety record.” The Defense Department stored 31,500 tons of lethal substances such as sarin, VX and mustard agent at nine locations around the continental United States and on the Johnston Atoll in the South Pacific.  Disposal operations have been completed at two sites and are under way at another five storage depots. The Chemical Weapons Convention requires the United States to eliminate its stockpile of banned materials by 2012.  Pentagon officials have said that operations might continue through 2023, largely due to two disposal plants that have yet to be built in Colorado and Kentucky.  Congress last year demanded that weapons disposal be finished by 2017. The total cost is expected to reach $34 billion. All sites operating today involve incineration of chemical agents and munitions.  Opponents have filed lawsuit against burning of chemical weapons and continue to question the Army’s assertion that emissions pose no threat, AP reported. “If you go by their body count so far, I guess it has been a success,” said Craig Williams, head of the Kentucky-based Chemical Weapons Working Group, which has pushed the Pentagon to use disposal technology other than incineration.  “The fact is we still don’t know what is coming out of the stacks or what the long-term effect will be.” At least one resident near a chemical depot in Anniston, Ala., expressed little concern about the potential danger posed by weapons incineration. “I’ll be glad when it’s gone, but I don’t think about it very much,” said Joyce Walker.  She and other residents have not bothered to open safety gear provided by the military. The depot has eliminated its stocks of rockets and artillery shells that contained VX and sarin nerve agents, leaving thousands of land mines filled with VX and mustard agent munitions still to be destroyed. “From a risk perspective to the community, over 98 percent of the risk is gone,” said Anniston site manager Timothy Garrett.  “The risk with the land mines is so small it’s hard to put on a chart, and there is no risk to the community from the mustard gas” (Jay Reeves, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, June 5). The Army and the Oregon Environmental Quality Department, after 11 years and three risk assessments, have concluded that weapons incineration at the Umatilla Chemical Depot poses no threat to area residents, the Hermiston Herald reported yesterday. The conclusion is that “chemical weapons bad, incineration good,” according to state senior environmental toxicologist Bruce Hope.  “It’s not like we’re arriving at the decision half-cocked,” he said. A toxicologist for an environmental group disputed the finding, saying the facility is emitting harmful materials such as mercury and arsenic. “We have to assume that they are the worst,” said Peter deFur of Environmental Stewardship Concepts.  “The primary concern is the air” (Karen Hutchinson-Talaski, Hermiston Herald, June 4). Back to top

U.S. Tests Upgraded Patriot Missile Interceptor U.S. defense contractors conducted a successful flight test of an upgraded Patriot missile interceptor at the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Raytheon announced yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2003). The test was the second live-fire exercise involving the Missile Segment Enhancement version of the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 interceptor. “This test demonstrated the Patriot Configuration-3 flexibility to integrate new and evolving interceptors and expand the Patriot battlespace with minimal software and hardware changes to the ground system," said Raytheon Vice President Sanjay Kapoor in a press release (Raytheon release, June 4). Lockheed Martin is producing the new version of the missile, with Raytheon serving as systems integrator. The upgrades are designed to improve the interceptor’s range by 50 percent and give it greater maneuverability when trying to destroy ballistic missiles heading toward their targets, according to Lockheed Martin (Lockheed Martin fact sheet, 2003). Back to top

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