U.S. Response:  Accelerate Nuclear Terrorism Response, Official Says

By David Ruppe
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Currently the U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear terrorism response teams can respond to a potential incident within four hours, but they need to act even more quickly, a senior department official said last week.

“It could take longer than you would like for a Nuclear Emergency Search Team to respond,” John Gordon, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.  Gordon testified June 26, two days before he was named to head the White House Office for Combating Terrorism.

“Our NEST teams would respond within four hours, and our home teams would respond within two.  That still may not be close enough,” he said.

Gordon was referring to the department’s semisecret Nuclear Emergency Search Teams trained to seek and disarm a terrorist nuclear weapon covertly placed in the United States, and various other teams that monitor, address and analyze possible releases of radioactive material.  The Energy Department has seven types of teams that respond to nuclear or radiological incidents, including teams that monitor the atmosphere for radioactivity and a radiological assistance program that works with state and local authorities, he said.

Gordon said the department, which is restructuring the teams by putting more equipment in the field “so it’s much closer to the users,” is also creating two additional regional bases from which to operate.

Seeking Expanded Capability

In a supplemental appropriations request provided to Congress earlier this year, the department requested an additional $19.4 million over the $90 million it already received for nuclear response programs in fiscal 2002.

The request included a proposal for making a newly created Capital Response Team in Washington — which includes a NEST group — permanent, to add to two response teams already established in Las Vegas and Albuquerque, N.M.  It also included a plan to possibly purchase a Detection Tracking System, which is being tested to determine whether it can use a web of sensors to track the movement of nuclear material through a city.  The department is also seeking to fund an emergency alert system to enable federal teams to alert local first responders to nuclear incidents.

Both houses passed different versions of the bill, including $182 million for Energy “weapons activities,” without specifying how much might go for nuclear incident response.  A House-Senate conference committee is now reconciling differences in the bill (see GSN, May 24).

Gordon stressed that the teams, which have been around for decades, are in place and ready.

“NNSA is prepared to respond immediately anywhere in the world to discrete and specific nuclear radiological incidents and emergencies.  People and equipment are trained, they’re standing alert and they’re ready to respond now,” he said.

NNSA is also working with Customs Service officials to develop tools for more quickly detecting and analyzing information about possible radiological materials smuggled into the country, Gordon said.

Command Change Will Not Hurt Capability

According to a Bush administration proposal sent to Congress last month, the Energy Department teams will probably be incorporated into a new homeland security department, Gordon said.  No problems are anticipated with that change of command, he said.

The teams are composed of 70 full-time responders plus 900 responders on call, most of whose day-to-day jobs are with the department’s nuclear weapons Stockpile Stewardship Program, Gordon said.  NEST groups include technical experts with nuclear weapons design, engineering and safety knowledge gained from working at the national laboratories.  Team members will continue to work at their regular jobs within the Energy Department until activated, according to Gordon.

Since Sept. 11, Gordon said, the Energy Department’s Nuclear Assessment Program has investigated approximately 70 incidents involving “communicated nuclear threats, reports of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials” and conducted “special analysis reports for law enforcement and intelligence components.”

Since 1978, the program has assessed the credibility of more than 60 nuclear extortion threats, 25 nuclear reactor threats, 20 non-nuclear extortion threats, and 650 cases involving reported or attempted illicit sale of nuclear materials, he said.

“Our teams would deploy under the overall direction of the lead federal agency and we do not anticipate that the DOE/NNSA capabilities or response to a nuclear radiological accident or incident would be compromised in any way by this transfer of operational control for specific domestic responses,” Gordon said.

In a separate panel during the hearing, however, Donald Cobb, associate director for threat reduction at Los Alamos National Laboratory, suggested a smooth transition is not certain.

“It has to be clear, when NEST is under the authority of the new department of homeland security, under what conditions it remains under the authority” of the Energy Department.

Under a heightened threat condition, he said, “we need to understand whether we are reporting to the DOE or whether we are reporting to the department of homeland security.”  Roles and responsibilities remain to be worked out, Cobb said, and officials must still “clarify under what conditions these various responsibilities will occur between the departments.”

“Then we need to jointly do exercises and drills and practices so we can understand how this actually plays together and when these assets are needed and they’re called upon,” he said.

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North Korea:  United States Withdraws Offer to Send Delegate

The Bush administration Monday withdrew a proposal to send a U.S. envoy to North Korea, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday (see GSN, June 14).

The withdrawal was a response to North Korea’s failure to reply to an offer that the United States had made June 25, Boucher said.  After North Korea requested that the United States suggest a date for a visit, U.S. officials had proposed a July 10 arrival date.  To be able to make travel arrangements, the United States had asked for a “timely response,” Boucher said.

On Monday, he added, the State Department “also informed the North Koreans that the violent naval conflict in the Yellow Sea had created an unacceptable atmosphere in which to conduct the talks” (U.S. State Department release, July 2).  A North Korean ship reportedly crossed the “northern limit line” of the demilitarized zone Saturday and fired on South Korean ships, killing four sailors.  The United States considers the attack “an armed provocation,” Boucher said (see GSN, July 2).

Despite the naval conflict and the U.S. decision to withdraw the visit proposal, Boucher indicated that the Bush administration, which has held no high-level talks with North Korea since coming to office, plans to continue attempts to resume dialogue.  The United States will “consider rescheduling at some point in the future,” depending on how events play out, he said.

U.S. officials want to discuss several issues with North Korea, including missile sales and nuclear inspections, Boucher said (see GSN, June 25; Vernon Loeb, Washington Post, July 3).  According to the New York Times, the Bush administration had offered to send Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly (James Dao, New York Times, July 3).

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U.S.-Russia:  Ivanov Urges U.S. Ratification of Moscow Treaty

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov yesterday encouraged the U.S. Senate to work quickly to ratify the U.S.-Russian Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty signed in Moscow in May.  Ivanov said he would also urge the Russian parliament to quickly ratify the treaty (see GSN, June 21).

“I think that with the signing of this agreement and its ratification, we will have the opportunity to raise Russian-U.S. strategic relations to a new level,” Ivanov said during a meeting with a delegation of visiting U.S. senators to Moscow.

The U.S. Senate will not delay in its consideration of the treaty, Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said.

“Let me assure you there won’t be any procrastination in the Senate,” Lott told Ivanov (Judith Ingram, Associated Press/Nando Times, July 3).

For further information, see:

Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty Text

Bush Announces Treaty

U.S. State Department Fact Sheet on Arms Reduction Treaty

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Kazakhstan:  International Partners to Convert Former Weapons Plant

A former Soviet nuclear weapons plant in Kazakhstan will be converted to civilian use under a new agreement announced by U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham yesterday (see GSN, June 4).

Under the U.S.-Kazakh agreement, the ULBA Metallurgical Plant will be converted to produce commercial copper beryllium master alloy.  The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration will provide expertise and $1.5 million for the project.  Los Alamos National Laboratory will provide technical assistance, according to a NNSA press release.  U.S. firms Brush Wellman Inc. and RWE NUKEM Inc. will partner with ULBA under the agreement.  The two firms will also provide $4 million for the project, while ULBA has pledged $4.5 million.

“The successful transition of ULBA from a nuclear weapons plant to a viable commercial entity is critical to U.S. national security,” Abraham said.  “Our new project represents a superior combination of private enterprise and trade investment with the nonproliferation objectives shared by both our nations” (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, July 1).

The ULBA facility was previously a storage site for about 600 kilograms of weapon-grade highly enriched uranium, according to a 1998 report prepared by the Monterey Institute of International Studies.  The United States removed the uranium from the site in 1994 (Monterey Institute of International Studies release, March 1998).

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India-Pakistan:  U.S. Wants to Mediate, Help Avert Future Crises

The Bush administration has decided to increase diplomatic involvement in South Asia, particularly in relation to the dispute over Kashmir, in an attempt to avert another crisis between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, according to media reports (see GSN, June 24).

“It might be three months, it might be nine months, but we all know that India and Pakistan will go back to the brink again,” a senior U.S. official said.  “Maybe next time they will go over the brink.”

The United States, which has previously accepted India’s refusal to allow a third party to mediate its dispute with Pakistan, is quietly changing that position with the support of its allies, the Financial Times reported yesterday.

“We are already de facto mediators on the Kashmir dispute, and there’s a recognition that this time we must stay involved,” the official said.

Several U.S. analysts also have said that the United States must be involved (see GSN, June 10).

“The level of hatred and distrust between India and Pakistan is so great that there is almost zero chance either would listen to the other’s proposals,” said George Perkovich of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  “Nothing will happen without the close involvement of the U.S.”

Recent U.S. diplomatic success in easing tensions might provide an opening for more involvement, according to the Times.  The United States obtained a pledge from Pakistan to permanently end infiltration of militants into Indian-controlled Kashmir and convinced India to return its navy to homeport and open airspace to Pakistani aircraft.

India is now more likely to trust the United States and knows that New Delhi alone cannot force Pakistan to end support for Islamic militants, according to the Times.  India now sees U.S. involvement as indispensable, the Times reported.  Also, Pakistan knows it cannot renew support to militants without severe consequences.

“If Pakistan continued to export violence to its neighbors as an instrument of foreign policy, its survival as a country would ultimately come into doubt,” said Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institution.

The United States is unlikely to pressure India and Pakistan overtly.  U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who helped resolve the latest crisis, said the United States will act as a “facilitator” rather than a mediator.

U.S. leaders do, however, have a plan for a peace process in South Asia, according to the Times.  Under the U.S. vision, Pakistan would follow up on its promise to crack down on militants and begin to dismantle their camps and infrastructure.  In exchange, India would reduce its military forces along the border.  India and Pakistan would then enter into formal talks and eventually the two countries would agree to formalize the Line of Control dividing Kashmir into an international border that would be open to both Kashmiri communities.  India would agree to establish a “supra-Kashmir” authority to promote cross-border cooperation.

Officials are concerned about two circumstances that might derail a peace process.  First, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s power and stability as a leader could be eroded if the Pakistani military believes he has surrendered Kashmir.  Second, India could react harshly if militants conduct another high-profile attack — and the United States believes there are al-Qaeda operatives in the area who might carry out such an attack (see GSN, June 14; Edward Luce, Financial Times, July 1).

For further information, see:

Stimson Center Background on Kashmir

Pakistani Embassy to the United States

Indian Embassy to the United States

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Egypt:  Officials Plan for Nuclear Power, Dismiss Weapons Reports

Egypt plans to build its first nuclear energy plant, Egyptian Electricity and Energy Minister Hassan Ahmed Younis said Saturday, according to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.  In addition to building the plant northwest of Alexandria, officials intend to repair and upgrade the local electricity network, he said.

Younis’ announcement came a week after the German newspaper Die Welt said that Egypt might be seeking to build nuclear weapons (see GSN, June 25).  China is helping Egypt produce enriched uranium, the daily reported (Daniel Sobelman, Ha’aretz, July 1).

China, however, denied that it is helping Egypt develop nuclear weapons.  A Chinese Embassy spokesman in Cairo said Sunday that China has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and has taken serious steps to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, the spokesman said (Cairo Middle East News Agency, June 30 in FBIS-NES, July 1).

U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton is expected to visit Israel in the coming days to discuss ways to curb the threat of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, Ha’aretz reported today.  The United States has no concerns about Egypt in terms of nuclear weapons, a U.S. official said, calling the Die Welt report “disinformation.”

Israeli intelligence services also discounted the report.

“We have no proof that Egypt is involved in a military nuclear program.  It has a certain degree of capability and infrastructure, but as far as we know it made the decision not to go down that route,” a senior Israeli official said (Aluf Benn, Ha’aretz, July 2).

According to yesterday’s Ha’aretz report, Egypt has neither confirmed nor denied the Die Welt story (Sobelman, Ha’aretz).  Die Welt, however, reported that Egyptian officials have said the country is not seeking a nuclear weapon capability (Jacques Schuster, Die Welt, June 22, Global Security Newswire translation).

For further information, see:

NPT Text

NPT members

U.N. Background on NPT

Carnegie Endowment Nuclear Status Map

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North Korea:  Delegation Studies Nuclear Safety in South Korea

A North Korean delegation arrived in South Korea today to begin 26 days of classes on how to safely operate two nuclear reactors currently under construction in North Korea, according to South Korean officials (see GSN, June 25).

The 25 officials will participate in the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety education program and will visit nuclear power plants in Uljin in North Gyeongsang Province, a South Korean Unification Ministry official said (see GSN, Jan. 2).  The education program is sponsored by the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, the international consortium that is building the reactors in North Korea as part of the 1994 Agreed Framework, in which North Korea agreed to freeze its nuclear program.

The delegation’s visit will proceed despite a North Korean-South Korean naval clash Saturday that killed at least four South Korean sailors, the ministry official said (Seo Hyun-jin, Korea Herald, July 3).

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said today that his country will respond more severely “if North Korea tries to hurt us again with military force,” but he added that he plans to continue his policy of engaging North Korea in dialogue (Paul Shin, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, July 2).

Other North Korean delegations have visited South Korea as part of the KEDO project, including 10 North Koreans who inspected two airports in May to prepare for a proposed direct air route between the two countries for transporting workers and materials for the nuclear reactors (see GSN, May 21).  Another 123 North Korean technicians are scheduled to visit South Korea for training in the last quarter of this year (Seo, Korea Herald).

For further information, see:

Agreed Framework Text

KEDO

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Russian Testing:  “Non-Nuclear Experiments” to Continue, Ivanov Says

While Russia has no plans to resume testing nuclear weapons, it will continue “non-nuclear experiments,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Thursday at the Novaya Zemlya test range (see GSN, June 27).  Since ending nuclear testing, Russia has performed 132 hydrodynamic tests to represent nuclear explosions, Ivanov said.  There are also no plans to reduce the funding or number of troops at the test range, he added (RFE/RL Newsline, June 28).

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