An overview of policies at home and abroad by Sarah Meyer, member of the BRussells Tribunal Advisory Committee  (06 January 2008) Index Research Sarah Meyer articles and researches published by the BRussells Tribunal

NUCLEAR-armed states are criminal states. They have a legal obligation, confirmed by the World Court, to live up to Article 6 of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which calls on them to carry out good-faith negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons entirely. None of the nuclear states has lived up to it. Noam Chomsky (10.08.07. khaleej times / ICH.)

The United States has irrational, hypocritical nuclear policies abroad. The foreign ‘enemies’ are those countries, like Iraq, with lots of oil and gas. America is its own worst ‘enemy;’ and appears, to the rest of the world, as the principal 'terrorist.'

This research covers approximately two months in 2007 of American nuclear policies abroad, as well as those at home. Both are terrifying.

Index

1. US Arms Exports After 9/11

2. Who Is Pushing the Terror Button? Nuclear Egypt, India, (?) Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, (?) Syria, United Kingdom

3. Nuclear U.S.A.: Reports; Trident; Missiles; Articles; Ooops: Dangerous Mishaps 1 – 12; Three Non-nuclear Ooopsies; Homeland Security; Blackwater; War 'Games'; 'Terrorism' Drills'; Martial Law?

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1. US ARMS EXPORTS AFTER 9/11

U.S. Arms Exports and Military Assistance in the “Global War on Terror”
06.09.07. Center for Defense Information. CDI’s ongoing research continues to document some troubling trends. Using U.S. government data, CDI has documented that, in the five years after Sept. 11, total U.S. arms sales (Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales ) to these 25 countries were worth four times more than those concluded in the five years prior to Sept. 11, and these countries received 18 times more total U.S. military assistance (Foreign Military Financing and International Military Education and Training) after Sept. 11 than before. Furthermore, 72 percent of the countries in this series received more military assistance and 64 percent conducted more arms sales with the United States during the five years after Sept. 11 than during the entire period between the end of the Cold War and Sept. 11 (FY 90-01). .. the United States has increased sales to new post Sept. 11 allies and has made several large and potentially troublesome arms deals, including a multi-billion dollar sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.. Total Direct Commercial Sales in the five years after Sept. 11 totaled roughly $66 billion more than in the five years prior, an 11-fold increase. .. Just as the United States is using arms sales as a reward to its allies in the “war on terror,” military assistance programs have also increased since Sept. 11. Includes pdf report on case studies for following countries: South Caucasus • Armenia • Azerbaijan • Georgia • South Asia: India • Nepal • Pakistan • Southeast Asia: Indonesia • Philippines • Thailand • Middle East: Bahrain • Oman • Yemen • Central Asia: Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Tajikistan • Turkmenistan • Uzbekistan • Africa: Algeria • Chad • Mali • Mauritania • Niger • Djibouti • Ethiopia • Kenya


2. WHO IS PUSHING THE TERROR BUTTON?

NUCLEAR EGYPT

Egypt to Build Nuclear Plants
29.10.07. Washington Post. Egypt's president announced plans Monday to build several nuclear power plants _ the latest in a string of ambitious such proposals from moderate Arab countries. The United States immediately welcomed the plan, in a sharp contrast to what it called nuclear "cheating" by Iran.


NUCLEAR INDIA

Nuclear Agreement With US Rips India Apart
27.09.07. Pierre Prakkash, Liberation / Truthout. how the civilian nuclear agreement the Indian government has negotiated with the US may bring about the government's dissolution.

Nuclear Deal With India May Be Near Collapse
16.10.07. Washington Post. Premier Cites Internal Opposition To Agreement Pushed by Bush. A controversial nuclear deal between the United States and India appears close to collapse after the Indian prime minister told President Bush yesterday that "certain difficulties" will prevent India from moving forward on the pact for the foreseeable future. … Neither government appeared eager to announce the setback to what had been billed as one of the Bush administration's biggest foreign policy ‘achievements’. … the reluctance to admit that the deal is faltering contrasts with the fanfare when it was announced in 2005. … The agreement lays out a framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation that would eventually allow trade in nuclear reactors, technology and fuel between the two nations. It permits [permitted] India to reprocess nuclear fuel and opens the way for the United States to become a "reliable" supplier for India's energy program.

White House Sees Life in Indian Nuclear Deal
17.10.07. NTI. The Bush administration expressed continuing hope yesterday that its nuclear trade deal with India would take effect next year, Agence France-Presse reported. The affirmation followed a Monday phone call between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush in which Singh acknowledged facing strong domestic opposition to the agreement. The deal would give New Delhi access to U.S. nuclear material and technology, but left- and right-wing Indian critics have complained that U.S. conditions on the pact would give Washington undue influence over Indian affairs.

VIDEO INTERVIEW and transcript with Congressman Ed Markey
23.10.07. fas.org. On October 18, FAS hosted a news briefing on the status of the nuclear technology transfer agreement between the United States and India in light of its near collapse.

US cautions India against Iran pipeline
27.10.07, peninsulaqatar. The US is hoping that India would not move forward with the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project as Washington has imposed more sanctions on Tehran citing links to terrorism and weapons proliferation. ... “We think at a time when the world should be imposing greater discipline on its interactions with (Iranian) companies and financial institutions and the Iranian government more broadly, that this is not the right path forward.” David McCormick, treasury undersecretary for international affairs, said.

U.S. Continues to Press India on Nuclear Deal
31.10.07. NTI. Current and former U.S. officials met yesterday with Indian opposition leaders to promote the nuclear trade agreement that has stalled in New Delhi, the Hindustan Times reported. … The trade pact would enable India to purchase U.S. nuclear technology and material in exchange for opening its civilian nuclear activities to international monitoring.

Time Limited to Close India Deal, Experts Say
02.11.07. NTI. Analysts say time is running out for India and the United States to finalize their nuclear trade agreement, the International Herald Tribune reported Wednesday. Progress has stalled while the Singh administration attempts to overcome resistance from parties on both ends of the political spectrum to the deal. Critics say Washington would receive undue influence over Indian policies through the agreement, which would provide New Delhi with access to U.S. nuclear material and technology in exchange for allowing international monitoring of its civilian atomic complex.

Indian Opposition Party Rejects U.S. Nuclear Deal
08.11.07. NTI. India’s main political opposition party yesterday rejected a proposal to ally with the Singh administration to push a stalled nuclear trade agreement with the United States through the Indian parliament, the Indo-Asian News Service reported


(?) NUCLEAR IRAN

Iran Running 3,000 Centrifuges, Ahmadinejad Says
03.09.07. AP / Washington Post. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today that his nation is operating 3,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges, a milestone in a nuclear program that Western powers suspect could be aimed at nuclear weapons development, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Nov. 6).

“We have now reached 3,000 machines,” he said.

U.S. analysts have estimated that 3,000 centrifuges running at full capacity could theoretically produce enough weapon-grade uranium for a bomb in as little as one year. …

A high-level Israeli intelligence official yesterday told the lawmakers that Iran could develop nuclear weapons within the next two years at its current rate of progress, AP reported …

“If nothing stops Iran, by the end of 2009, Iran will have a nuclear weapon,” a person who attended the session quoted Maj. Gen Yossi Baidatz, head of research for Israeli military intelligence, as saying (Associated Press II/New York Post, Nov. 7). …

“The hypothesis that a nuclear weapon could find its way into the hands of the current leaders of Iran is unacceptable for France," Sarkozy said on the first day of a trip to Washington. “But at the same time, I would say just as strongly that access to civilian nuclear energy is a right, including for Iran,” he said. …

In Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency yesterday rebuffed an Israeli assertion that IAEA chief ElBaradei was abetting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. … A diplomat in Vienna said yesterday that Israel was criticizing ElBaradei to affect the reception of his progress report to the U.N. Security Council later this month on Iranian disclosure of its past nuclear activities (Islamic Republic News Agency, Nov. 6).

Whether it is 2,000 or 2,500 or 3,000 or 1,000 centrifuges , the irrefutable fact is that they are continuing to defy the international community.
—U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, after Iran claimed to be operating 3,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges.

Secret US air force team to perfect plan for Iran strike
23.09.07. Sunday Times. Project Checkmate, a successor to the group that planned the 1991 Gulf War’s air campaign, was quietly reestablished at the Pentagon in June. it reports directly to General Michael Moseley, the US Air Force chief, and consists of 20-30 top air force officers and defence and cyberspace experts with ready access to the White House, the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

The Iran War is on the Front Burner
28.09.07. Muriel Mirak-Weissbach, © Global Research. The war that Dick Cheney has been planning against Iran, has moved from the back burner to the front, and those who do not see this are either blind or complicit.

CFR's Hart Suggests False Flag Event For Iran War
28.09.07. Infowars / blacklisted. Council on Foreign Relations member Gary Hart, famed for stating that Americans will die en- mass on home soil this century, and for declaring 48 hours after 9/11 that it should be used "to carry out a new world order", has written a scathing letter to the leaders of Iran clearly warning that the U.S. government has a history of staging provocations in order to initiate conflict with other nations and that Iran could be next.

US, NATO and Israel Deploy Nukes directed against Iran
01.10.07. dig.com. We are not dealing with a single aborted operation of deployment of nuclear weapons to the Middle East. There are indications that a large number of US made nuclear weapons are currently deployed in Western Europe and the Middle East including Israel.

Bush Warns of “WW III” If Iran Gets Nukes
17.10.07. truthdig.com.

Putin has grasped the fact that what the Cheney Crowd is threatening is World War
22.10.07, globalresearch.ca. Muriel Mirak-Weissbach. The Russian President's trip--the first of a Russian head of state since the 1943 Tehran conference of war-time powers--was geared to register his government's commitment to prevent a new war in the region, at all costs. That new war is the one on the strategic agenda of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, against Iran.

Risks of US-Iran War Through Misunderstanding Grow
22.10.07. Renaud Girard, Figaro / Truthout. French Ambassador Jacques Andreani and Marc Ullmann, writing for Le Monde, and Mohamed ElBaradei in an interview with Natalie Nougayrede at Le Monde all fear the rush to use force with Iran and argue it would be extremely premature.

Bush's World War III 'Solution'
23.10.07. Scott Ritter, World Prout Assembly

The Roll-Out Presses On
24.10.07. Scott Horton, Harpers / ICH. Cheney Lays the Foundation for War. This weekend the roll-out for the Next War continues. The most remarkable item is a speech delivered by the man who, by all accounts, has aggressively pushed for war against Iran for at least two years: Vice President Dick Cheney. Here are a few take-outs from his speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, up now at the White House web site:

White House Requests Bunker-Buster Bombs --White House Bomber Request Leaves Some Wondering if U.S. Is Preparing Action in Iran
24.10.07. ABC. Tucked inside the White House's $196 billion emergency funding request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is an item that has some people wondering whether the administration is preparing for military action against Iran. The item: $88 million to modify B-2 stealth bombers so they can carry a newly developed 30,000-pound bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator, or, in military-speak, the MOP.

Attack Iran and you attack Russia
25.10.07. Pepe Escobar, Asia Times / ICH. The barely reported highlight of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran for the Caspian Sea summit last week was a key face-to-face meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A high-level diplomatic source in Tehran tells Asia Times Online that essentially Putin and the Supreme Leader have agreed on a plan to nullify the George W Bush administration's relentless drive towards launching a preemptive attack, perhaps a tactical nuclear strike, against Iran. An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia.

White House Leak: Cheney's Plan for Iran Attack Starts With Israeli Missile Strike
26.10.07. Gregor Peter Schmitz, Cordula Meyer, Der Spiegel / Alteret.
High-ranking military experts say an attack would lead to world economic chaos, or even what Bush calls 'World War III.'

Iran; The Road to Armageddon?
27.10.07. UN observer, Felicity Arbuthnot. They are at it again. Remember when Milosovic was labelled “the butcher of Belgrade”, the new Hitler? Then Saddam Hussein was “the butcher of Bagdad” and, of course the most dangerous man since Hitler - with weapons of mass destruction which could be unleashed on the world “in forty five minutes”.

Iran Didn't Spark a Middle East Nuclear Arms Race, It's Joining the One Israel Started
01.11.07. George Monbiot, Comment Is Free, Guardian / Alternet. When will the US and the UK tell the truth about Israel's nuclear weapons? George Bush and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown are right: there should be no nuclear weapons in the Middle East. The risk of a nuclear conflagration could be greater there than anywhere else. Any nation developing them should expect a firm diplomatic response. So when will they impose sanctions on Israel?

Military action still an option with Iran, Cheney says in Dallas
03.11.07. Mr. Cheney also expressed support for building more nuclear power plants in the U.S. "It's important from an environmental standpoint," he said, referring to the fact that nuclear plants don't emit pollution or greenhouse gases, though they create nuclear waste. "It's good, safe technology, and there's no reason in the world not to use it," he added.

Talkin' World War III
29.11.07. Ron Rosenbaum, Slate.

IRAN: NUCLEAR INTENTIONS AND CAPABILTIES
REPORT: NOVEMBER 2007

US spies give shock verdict on Iran threat
03.12.07. E. MacAskill, Guardian. US intelligence agencies undercut the White House today by disclosing for the first time that Iran has not been pursuing a nuclear weapons development programme for the last four years. The disclosure makes it harder for President George Bush and the vice-president, Dick Cheney, to make a case for a military strike against Iran next year.

The national security estimate, [Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities] which pulls together the work of the 16 US intelligence agencies, today published a declassified report revising previous assessments of Iran's weapons programme.

Empire and Nuclear Weapons
06.12.07. Joseph Gerson, anti-war.com. The Romance of Ruthlessness.

 

NUCLEAR ISRAEL

Why single out Iran? What about Israel?
23.09.07. Observer. Does this right to engage in a breach of the peace under the United Nations charter apply to all states when nuclear weapon are at issue? Or only to some states on a highly selective basis?

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Being “Guarded” by Israel
26.09.07. KAVKAZ Centre. American supporters of Israel were delighted to learn that an Israeli company, Magal Security Systems-owned in part by the government of Israel-is in charge of security for the most sensitive nuclear power and weapons storage facilities in the United States.

Dare To Compare - Israel
26.09.07. Ghali Hassan, ICH. Let's not forget that Israel is a rogue state in possession of the fourth largest military force in the world. Israel amasses an arsenal that includes biological and chemical weapons and more than 200 nuclear warheads. Israel is rightly considered by the overwhelming majority of people around the world as the biggest threat to world peace.

US, NATO and Israel Deploy Nukes directed against Iran
01.10.07. dig.com. We are not dealing with a single aborted operation of deployment of nuclear weapons to the Middle East. There are indications that a large number of US made nuclear weapons are currently deployed in Western Europe and the Middle East including Israel.

Poll: Most Israelis support using nukes
01.10.07. Jerusalem post. Approximately 72 percent of Israelis support the use of nuclear weapons in certain circumstances, according to a Canadian survey released recently.

Rice, Hadley to be subpoenaed in pro-Israel lobby spy case
02.11.07. They are charged with conspiracy to pass secret US defense information to unauthorized people between April 1999 and August 2004 while they worked for AIPAC.

US okays $155m arms package for ISRAEL:
6 – 9.11.07. ICH / williamboles. The US Congress on Wednesday approved a $155 million arms package for Israel, aimed at the development of the Hetz and David mid-range defensive missile systems and for the development long-range defensive missile systems. The arms package is still pending the approval of the US House of Representatives and President George W Bush. The Israeli defense establishment was pleased with Congress' decision, which effectively increases Israel's missile development budget by 30%.

The Middle East has had a secretive nuclear power in its midst for years
20.11.07. G. Monbiot, Guardian. When will the US and the UK tell the truth about Israeli weapons? Iran isn't starting an atomic arms race, it's joining one. George Bush and Gordon Brown are right: there should be no nuclear weapons in the Middle East. The risk of a nuclear conflagration could be greater there than anywhere else. Any nation developing them should expect a firm diplomatic response. So when will they impose sanctions on Israel?

• SEE Israel: Weapons of Mass Destruction Capabilities and Programs (Updated: April 2006}

 

NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA

US experts arrive in North Korea
11.09.07. BBC. A team of US technical experts has arrived in North Korea to discuss ways to disable the Communist state's nuclear programme.

U.S. State Department official Sung Kim speaks to reporters in Beijing today before travelling to North Korea to lead a team monitoring the disablement of nuclear facilities in the Stalinist state (01.10.07. NTI)

 

NUCLEAR PAKISTAN

REPORTS

Pakistan's Political Crisis and State of Emergency
06.11.07. CRS

“Pakistan-U.S. Relations,"
updated October 18, 2007

"Direct Overt U.S. Aid to Pakistan, FY2001-FY2008,"
08.11.07.


ARTICLES

How the West summoned up a nuclear nightmare in Pakistan
02.09.07. timesonline. Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark reveal how misguided deals with Pakistan have created a terrifying threat of nuclear terrorism

AMERICA AND THE ISLAMIC BOMB
The U.S. Government was acquiescent in Pakistan's acquisition of
nuclear weapons technology over a period of decades, according to a new book on the subject. The activities of individual members of Pakistan's nuclear procurement network in the United States are examined in detail by investigative reporters David Armstrong and Joseph Trento in "America and the Islamic Bomb," Steerforth Press, 2007.

Richard M. Barlow, a former CIA and Defense official who attempted to"blow the whistle" on Pakistan's pursuit of nuclear technology in the 1980s, was effectively punished for his efforts.

"For his candor, and despite the backing of some top intelligence
officials, Barlow was stripped of his Top Secret/Codeword clearances and hounded out of the Pentagon," wrote Jeff Stein in The Nuclear Bombshell That Never Went Off," (CQ Homeland Security, October 19)

MORE on Richard Barlow, Nuclear Weapons and Pakistan
08.11.07. Secrecy News

Nuclear Fallout From Imploding Pakistan?
06.11.07. J. Sri Raman, Truthout. "The fears voiced following Musharraf's declaration of martial law, which he and his flock prefer to call an emergency, are not about an India-Pakistan nuclear flashpoint. They are about Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into terrorist hands or those of warring Pakistani groups."

Pakistan Defends its Nuclear Security
09.11.07. NTI. Observers have expressed concern that chaos in Pakistan, the only Muslim nation with an atomic arsenal, could open the door for diversion of nuclear weapons, materials or expertise. … U.S. President George W. Bush has assured British Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the Pakistani military can safeguard the nuclear stockpile, the London Independent reported today.

Aid to Pakistan Not Likely to Be Cut Yet
10.11.07. AP / Truthout. Bush, standing in a prairie of tan grasses and cactus, refrained from directly criticizing Musharraf. He said that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Pakistani leader followed through with a pledge to help fight al-Qaida.

US proposes 845 million dollar-aid for Pakistan in FY 2008
10.11.07. deepikaglobal / ICH. The United States considers Pakistan a key ally in the war against terror, having given more than 10 billion dollars to the Musharraf Government since 2001.

Pakistan Nuclear Security Questioned
11.11.07. K. Warrick, Washington Post. Lack of Knowledge About Arsenal May Limit U.S. Options. When the United States learned in 2001 that Pakistani scientists had shared nuclear secrets with members of al-Qaeda, an alarmed Bush administration responded with tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment such as intrusion detectors and ID systems to safeguard Pakistan's nuclear weapons. … Of the world's nine declared and undeclared nuclear arsenals, none provokes as much worry in Washington as Pakistan's, numerous U.S. officials said. Because the risks are so grave, U.S. intelligence officials have long had contingency plans for intervening to obstruct such a theft in Pakistan, two knowledgeable officials confirmed. The officials would not discuss details of the plans, which are classified, but several former officials said the plans envision efforts to remove a nuclear weapon at imminent risk of falling into terrorists' hands. The plans imagine, in the best case, that Pakistani military officials will help the Americans eliminate that threat.

But Pakistan remained suspicious of U.S. aims and declined to give U.S. experts direct access to the half-dozen or so bunkers where the components of its arsenal of about 50 nuclear weapons are stored. For the officials in Washington now monitoring Pakistan's deepening political crisis, the experience offered both reassurance and grounds for concern.

Protection for Pakistan's nuclear weapons is considered equal to that of most Western nuclear powers. But U.S. officials worry that their limited knowledge about the locations and conditions in which the weapons are stored gives them few good options for a direct intervention to prevent the weapons from falling into unauthorized hands.

U.S. Secretly Aids Pakistan in Guarding Nuclear Arms
17.11.07. DAVID E. SANGER/WILLIAM J. BROAD, NY Times. Over the past six years, the Bush administration has spent almost $100 million on a highly classified program to help Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s president, secure his country’s nuclear weapons, according to current and former senior administration officials. But with the future of that country’s leadership in doubt, debate is intensifying about whether Washington has done enough to help protect the warheads and laboratories, and whether Pakistan’s reluctance to reveal critical details about its arsenal has undercut the effectiveness of the continuing security effort.

The aid, buried in secret portions of the federal budget, paid for the training of Pakistani personnel in the United States and the construction of a nuclear security training center in Pakistan, a facility that American officials say is nowhere near completion, even though it was supposed to be in operation this year.

A raft of equipment — from helicopters to night-vision goggles to nuclear detection equipment — was given to Pakistan to help secure its nuclear material, its warheads, and the laboratories that were the site of the worst known case of nuclear proliferation in the atomic age.

US military strike on Pakistan advocated
19.11.07. K. Hasan, dailtytimes.com.pk. Frederick Kagan [PNAC neo-conner] of the right-wing American Enterprise Institute and Michael O’Hanlon of the more liberal Brookings Institution argue in an article published in the New York Times on Sunday that the US simply cannot stand by as a nuclear-armed Pakistan descended into the abyss. … One possible plan would be a Special Forces operation with the limited goal of preventing Pakistan’s nuclear materials and warheads from getting into the wrong hands.

U.S. Hopes to Use Pakistani Tribes Against Al Qaeda
19.11.07. ERIC SCHMITT, MARK MAZZETTI, CARLOTTA GALL, NY Times. If adopted, the proposal would join elements of a shift in strategy that would also be likely to expand the presence of American military trainers Pak nukes already under US control: Report
20.11.07. timesofindia. In a stunning disclosure certain to stir up things in Washington's (and in Islamabad and New Delhi's) strategic community, the journal Stratfor reported on Monday that the "United States delivered a very clear ultimatum to Musharraf in the wake of 9/11: Unless Pakistan allowed US forces to take control of Pakistani nuclear facilities, the United States would be left with no choice but to destroy those facilities, possibly with India's help."

BOOK REVIEW & DISCUSSION

Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons
By Adrian Levy & Catherine Scott-Clark. DECEPTION: The shocking, three-decade story of A. Q. Khan and Pakistan’s nuclear program, and the complicity of the United States in the spread of nuclear weaponry.

Deception: British Reporter Adrian Levy on How the United States Secretly Helped Pakistan Build Its Nuclear Arsenal
19.11.07. Democracy Now/ICH. Adrian Levy examines how five consecutive US administrations from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush have been complicit in building and protecting Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Levy is co-author of the new book: "Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons." [includes rush transcript]

On January 6 2008, Bush and Co. add Pakistan to their list of "aggressive covert operations." following the (US?) assassination of Benazir Bhutto. "Many of the specific options under discussion are unclear and highly classified."

NUCLEAR SAUDI ARABIA

Lieberman: ME atomic programs 'apocalyptic'
Egyptian and Saudi Arabian intentions to begin or revive their nuclear programs in the face of Iran's continued race toward nuclear power present an "apocalyptic scenario" for Israel as well as for the rest of the world, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

(?) NUCLEAR SYRIA

Real Cause?

Iraqi, Syrian oil ministers agree to reopen key pipeline
22.08.09. AP-IHT. The 880-kilometer (550 mile) pipeline links Iraq's northern oil fields to the Syrian port of Baniyas, and reopening it would allow Iraq to use a second export terminal on the Mediterranean Sea.

'We have to have policies that prevent the world's most dangerous people from having the world's most dangerous weapons' Condoleeza Rice

Rice concerned over Syrian nukes
14.09.07. ynetnews. IUS Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an interview on Fox New's Sean Hannity Show Thursday night expressed concern following reports that Syria may be building nuclear facilities, saying, "We have to have policies that prevent the world's most dangerous people from having the world's most dangerous weapons." Rice did not mention any possible attack on Syria, but said the United States was working with its allies [Israel?] to "shut down activities".

N. Korea, Syria May Be at Work on Nuclear Facility
13.09.07. Washington Post. North Korea may be cooperating with Syria on some sort of nuclear facility in Syria, according to new intelligence the United States has gathered over the past six months, sources said. The evidence, said to come primarily from ISRAEL includes dramatic satellite imagery that led some U.S. officials to believe that the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.

Israelis 'blew apart Syrian nuclear cache'
16.09.07. timesonline – legitgov. Secret raid on Korean shipment. It was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian coast-line. On the ground, Syria’s formidable air defences went dead. An audacious raid on a Syrian target 50 miles from the Iraqi border was under way. At a rendezvous point on the ground, a Shaldag air force commando team was waiting to direct their laser beams at the target for the approaching jets.

Was Israeli raid a dry run for attack on Iran?
16.09.07. P. Beaumont, Observer – legitgov. Mystery surrounds last week's air foray into Syrian territory. The Observer's Foreign Affairs Editor attempts to unravel the truth behind Operation Orchard and allegations of nuclear subterfuge... So Operation Orchard can be seen as a dry run, a raid using the same heavily modified long-range aircraft, procured specifically from the US with Iran's nuclear sites in mind.

IAEA Might Not Label Suspected Syrian Nuclear Site
01.11.07. NTI. The International Atomic Energy Agency might not be able to determine the definite purpose of a suspected Syrian nuclear facility destroyed last month in an Israeli attack if the agency cannot obtain more photographic evidence from the site, a diplomat told Reuters yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 30).

The structure of the tall, box-shaped building seen in satellite images of the site before the Sept. 6 air strike suggests the structure might have housed a nuclear reactor similar to the North Korean reactor at Yongbyon, according to Western analysts.

Syria quickly razed and cleared the site after the bombing, suggesting that Damascus might have wanted to hide its remains from satellite cameras, Reuters said. Syria has denied that the bombed site was a nuclear facility and said it is not hiding anything from the U.N. nuclear watchdog. …

"If the IAEA got credible indications from anyone of nuclear procurement or activity, that would be different. But imagery of a tall building shaped like a square, that's not enough (to tell whether or not the site may have been a nuclear site)," the diplomat said (Mark Heinrich, Reuters, Oct. 31).

USAF struck Syrian nuclear site'
02.11.07. Jerusalem post. The September 6 raid over Syria was carried out by the US Air Force, the Al-Jazeera Web site reported Friday. The Web site quoted Israeli and Arab sources as saying that two US jets armed with tactical nuclear weapons carried out an attack on a suspected nuclear site under construction. The sources added that each US plane carried one tactical nuclear weapon (see missing nuke, below) and that the site was hit by one bomb and was totally destroyed.

Israel on Alert: Secret Nuclear Plant in the Crosshairs
14.11.07. israelnationalnews. The missile defense system at Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor is on high alert due to concerns that Syria might target it in an attack. Israeli officials say the Dimona facility is "on the top of list."

US, Israel refuse to cooperate with inquest into Syria strike
14.11.07. Larisa Alexandrovna, Raw Story/ uruknet. The International Atomic Energy Agency - the United Nations nuclear watchdog - has not been able to conduct an investigation into the events surrounding the Sept. 6 Israeli bombing of a Syrian military installation because neither the Bush administration nor Israel are cooperating. … By Nov. 2, the "partially constructed" nuclear reactor had morphed into a "suspected nuclear site" bombed by the United States, not Israel, with tactical nuclear weapons. This was reported by Arabic news agency, Al Jazeera, and then picked up by the Jerusalem Post.

NUCLEAR UNITED KINGDOM

Britain has plutonium for 17,000 Nagasaki bombs
20.09.07. Reuters.

The UK government and nuclear industry continue to push for nuclear power in a controversial decision. In January 2008, Scientists take on Brown over nuclear plans

Faslane Peace Camp
Wikipedia. anti-Trident. Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp sited alongside Faslane Naval base in Argyll and Bute, Scotland (Google Maps link). It has been occupied continuously, in a few different locations, since 12 June 1982.

NUCLEAR U.S.A.

REPORTS

"Amendment to Convention on Physical
Protection of Nuclear Material,"
submitted by the President of the United States to the U.S. Senate, 04.09. 07. Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News wrote: "This Amendment is important in the campaign against international nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation," President Bush wrote in his transmittal letter." It will require each State Party to the Amendment to establish, implement, and maintain an appropriate physical protection regime applicable to nuclear material and nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes."

"Nuclear Weapons: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program,"
updated 18.09.07. CRS.

"Nuclear Weapons in U.S. National Security Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects,"
29.10.07. CRS.

"Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power,"
01.11.07. CRS,

New Evidence on the Origins of Overkill
22.11.07. William Burrn, gwu.edu. First Substantive Release of Early SIOP Histories. The first comprehensive U.S. nuclear war plan, produced in 1960, was controversial within the U.S. government because top commanders and White House scientists objected to its massive destructiveness—the “high level of damage and population casualties”—according to newly declassified histories published today by the National Security Archive. The war plan also appalled Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who wanted to find ways to curb its overkill, but the first nuclear plan revised on his watch remained massively destructive.

The nuclear war plan, the Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP), has been among the U.S. government’s most sensitive secrets. No SIOP has ever been declassified and details about the making of U.S. nuclear war plans have been hard to pry loose. .. Among the disclosures … [cont.]

The Jason Report

"Nuclear Weapons: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program,"
updated 18.09.07. CRS.

TRIDENT

Congress to Limit Conventional Trident Options
10.10.07. NTI. A U.S. Defense Department proposal to field a non-nuclear version of the Trident submarine-launched missile as early as next year has hit roadblocks in all four key congressional committees, forcing the Pentagon to focus increasingly on alternatives. … Lawmakers in both the Senate and House have raised concerns that a major nuclear power like Russia might misinterpret the launch of a conventional Trident missile as a first nuclear salvo, potentially triggering a dangerous response. An interim report by the National Academy of Sciences echoed such worries about missile launch “ambiguity.”

Launch Delayed for Converted Trident Submarine
15.10.07. NTI. Minor technical problems have delayed the launch of the USS Ohio, the first of four Trident-class submarines to be refitted with conventional cruise missiles, the Associated Press reported

Lockheed Martin (NY) awarded a contract to provide the FY2008 U.S. and U.K. TRIDENT II (D5) Navigation Subsystem Engineering Support Services requirements.
16.10.07. Defeselink.mil/contracts. Navy contract worth $58,727,146. Specific efforts include U.S. and U.K. Fleet support, Strategic Weapon System Shipboard Integration support, modifications to Trident II (D5) backfit navigation computer software and hardware, U.S. and U.K. trainer systems support, engineering refueling overhaul support. Work will be performed in Mitchel Field, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed April 2011.

Lawmakers Restrict Conventional Trident Program
07.11.07. NTI. A U.S. House-Senate budget conference committee has denied the Defense Department any fiscal 2008 funding for “testing, fabrication or deployment” of a conventionally armed version of a Navy submarine-launched ballistic missile, according to a near-final draft of the panel’s report. The Pentagon requested $175 million to develop the Conventional Trident Modification as the first in a series of weapons for the military’s new “prompt global strike” mission. The mission would allow U.S. commanders to attack urgent targets such as terrorist hideouts or rogue-nation weapons of mass destruction virtually anywhere around the world within 60 minutes of a launch order. However, lawmakers have raised concerns that Russia or other nuclear powers might misinterpret the launch of a conventionally armed Trident D-5 missile from the same submarines that carry the missile’s nuclear look-alike, potentially triggering a dangerous response


MISSILES

Gates Appeals Cuts to Strike Weapons, New Warhead
23.10.07. NTI. In a laundry list of budget “appeals,” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday asked a conference panel of House and Senate defense appropriators to fully fund the development of conventionally armed, long-range missiles. … The Pentagon had requested a total $208.2 million for the development of such weapons, spread across a number of specific budget line items. Of that total, the Pentagon sought the lion’s share of funding — $175 million — for a controversial Navy effort to convert a small number of nuclear-armed Trident D-5 missiles for conventional missions. … “The [Defense] Department opposes both House and Senate restrictions on the [Conventional Trident Modification] program as they would delay filling a critical gap in the nation’s conventional [prompt global strike] capability,” according to the 166-page appeals document, submitted yesterday to Capitol Hill.

DOD Asks (sic) Congress to Restore Missile Shield Funds
23.10.07. NTI. Congressional cuts to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s fiscal 2008 budget request could delay the completion of the Bush administration’s missile shield plans for Eastern Europe, the U.S. Defense Department said in an appeal to Congress to restore the funds.

Prospects Brighten (sic) for Army Hypersonic Weapon
08.11.07. NTI. A Capitol Hill conference committee this week earmarked more than $40 million in unrequested funds in the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill for a futuristic, fast-flying U.S. Army missile that might someday strike targets halfway around the world. ,, Congressional budget negotiators agreed to support a Senate provision offering $41.7 million for the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon. The House, in its version of the fiscal 2008 appropriations bill, provided no money for the missile.

House Approves $8.7B for Missile Defense
09.11.07. NTI. The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved a fiscal 2008 defense spending bill that includes $8.7 billion for missile defense programs, the Associated Press reported. The amount is roughly 2 percent below the funding level sought by the Bush administration. .. U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday also allocated 155 million for development of an Israeli advanced missile interceptor, Agence France-Presse reported

See: US-NATO Missile Shield Programme

ARTICLES

The Role of U.S. Nuclear Weapons: New Doctrine Falls Short of Bush Pledge
09.05. Hans M. Kristensen, Arms Control Association / globalresearch.ca. A nuclear draft doctrine written by the Pentagon calls for maintaining an aggressive nuclear posture with weapons on high alert to strike adversaries armed with weapons of mass destruction (WMD), pre-emptively if necessary. The draft doctrine and editing comments were freely available on the Internet until recently, providing a rare glimpse into the secret world of nuclear planning in the post-Cold War era.

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Being “Guarded” (sic) by Israel
26.09.07. KAVKAZ Centre. American supporters of Israel were delighted to learn that an Israeli company, Magal Security Systems - owned in part by the government of Israel - is in charge of security for the most sensitive nuclear power and weapons storage facilities in the United States.

Alabama City Prepares Nuclear Fallout Shelters
28.09.07. NTI. Huntsville, Ala., has tapped an abandoned mine to become part of the most sophisticated nuclear fallout shelter plan in the United States, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The mine could hold as many as 20,000 people in the event of a nuclear attack. Planners hope to find additional space in churches, libraries, university dormitories and research halls. Combined, the shelters would provide shelter for every inhabitant of Huntsville and neighbouring Madison County.

U.S. Awards $33M in "Standoff" Detector Contract
04.10.07. NTI. The department’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office awarded the contracts to develop and demonstrate the completed Standoff Radiation Detection System to General Electric Global Research in Niskayuna, N.Y.; Science Applications International Corp in San Diego; and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Treasury-Insurers won't cover nuclear risks
09.10.07. Reuters / legitgov.org. Private insurers are unlikely to develop a functioning market for coverage of nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological attack risk despite a U.S. House of Representatives bill requiring them to offer it, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Tuesday.

US opposes nuke-test health plan
19.10.07. greenleft.org/ICH. US President George Bush has opposed US Senate legislation to fund health care for the nuclear-test-affected Marshallese. Sixty-seven US nuclear bombs were detonated in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. Firstly, it objects to the US Department of Energy conducting four-yearly monitoring of radiological conditions at Runit Island, where a dome of cement covers nuclear waste scraped off Enewetak Island. Enewetak, along with Bikini Atoll, was the site of most of the US detonations. Secondly, it opposes covering civilian Marshallese and other Micronesians who worked on the nuclear test sites under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act along with US civilians similarly exposed.

White House Reconsiders Antiradiation Pills
23.10.07. NTI. The Bush administration is reassessing a program to distribute a treatment for radiation exposure to people living near U.S. nuclear power plants, USA Today reported yesterday. … The drug “is a simple, cheap, proven drug that can save countless lives, especially children, in the event of a nuclear release,” said Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Without it, "millions of Americans are being left needlessly at risk."

Experts Lash U.S. Over Nuclear Weapons Claim
01.11.07. NTI. Nuclear experts have criticized the U.S. representative to a U.N. disarmament conference for stating that the United States does not maintain its nuclear arsenal on a “hair-trigger alert” status, the Washington Post reported today.
I think we're trying to put out a fire of proliferation with a bucket of kerosene.
—Nonproliferation expert Henry Sokolski, regarding the relaxed U.S. attitude toward nuclear programs in Middle Eastern nations other than Iran.

U.S. Slow to Improve Nuclear Security, GAO Finds
29.10.07. NTI. Fewer than half of U.S. Energy Department sites that store nuclear weapon materials are likely to meet a 2008 deadline to improve their security standards, according to a Government Accountability Office analysis delivered to a Senate committee in July. The study finds that just five of the 11 sites are on track to complete the improvements by the time department officials originally planned.

New Warhead Might Require New Shells, Navy Says
01.11.07. Elaine M. Grossman, Global Security Newswire. The U.S. Navy last week said that a nuclear warhead under development might require the production of new “re-entry bodies,” a potentially costly aeroshell designed to carry a weapon as it descends to its target.

South Carolina Nuke Landfill to Close; 36 States Left in Lurch
01.11.07. AP / Truthout. Radioactive waste will have to be stored across US, prompting concerns. Starting next summer, many power plants, hospitals, universities and companies in 36 states will be forced to store low-level radioactive waste on their own property because a South Carolina landfill is closing its doors to them. The states have known for years that this day would come. But because of political opposition, environmental fears and cost concerns, most of them have done almost nothing to construct new landfills in the meantime.

US: Toxins Threaten to Uproot Entire Town
01.11.07. Mark Weisenmiller, Inter Press Service/Truthout. For 25 years, from 1961 to 1996, the American Beryllium Companyran a plant in Tallevast that made parts for nuclear reactors and weapons. Because beryllium has a low density and is stronger than steel, the metallic chemical compound is often used by aerospace industry companies. With the end of the Cold War, the need to produce such materials subsided and the plant was closed in 1996. Unbeknownst to residents, an underground leak had released beryllium into water wells in the village. And when the defence company Lockheed Martin Corp. bought the plant and discovered the problem in 2000, it failed to inform the people of Tallevast for another three years. Residents cite anecdotal information on cancer, miscarriages, nose bleeds and other health conditions, but no one has yet carried out a scientific survey to document the illnesses. The Environmental Protection Agency says that beryllium is a probable human carcinogen.

Analyst Confirms U.S. “Regional” Nuclear Strike Plans Developed After Sept. 11
05.11.07. NTI. The United States developed new nuclear attack options to strike regional powers seeking weapons of mass destruction in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a Federation of American Scientists analysis of a recently declassified U.S. Strategic Command document. The 26-page document,
obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, is heavily redacted and just a fraction of a 123-page presentation of the U.S. strategic war plan that went into effect in March 2003.

Released earlier this month, the document describes strike options on states whose names were redacted, but illustrations identify North Korea and Libya along with Scud missile-equipped countries that seem to include Iran, Iraq and Syria, according to FAS analyst Hans Kristensen.

Cheney Pursuing Nuclear Ambitions of His Own
05.11.07. J. Leopold, Truthout Report. While Dick Cheney has been talking tough over the years about Iran's alleged nuclear activities, the vice president has been quietly pursuing nuclear ambitions of his own.

For more than two years, Cheney and a relatively unknown administration official, Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell , have been regularly visiting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to ensure agency officials rewrite regulatory policies and bypass public hearings in order to streamline the licensing process for energy companies that have filed applications to build new nuclear power reactors, as well as applications for new nuclear facilities that are expected to be filed by other companies in the months ahead, longtime NRC officials said.

Plan for Nuclear Storage Is Slow to Form
05.11.07. NY Times. The Energy Department has not finished plans to consolidate storage of nuclear bomb fuel and other high-risk materials now spread among numerous sites, even though the department said in 2005 that it would do so within about a year, according to a Government Accountability Office report to be released Monday. As a result, the department is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to defend additional sites.

OOOOPS: DANGEROUS MISHAPS

Oooops I: Barksdale Minot Nukes

Minot Base Officials Say Airman Dies While On Leave
12.09.07. KFYR tv – legitgov. The Minot Air Force Base said an airman has died while on leave in Virginia. Airman First Class Todd Blue, who was 20 years old, died Monday while visiting with family members. The statement did not say how he died. The base said Blue was a response force member assigned to the 5th Security Forces Squadron.

[The primary mission of the 5th Security Forces Squadron is to 'provide 24-hour law enforcement and security services for the 5th Bomb Wing and all tenant units assigned to Minot AFB.'

"Guardians of the Upper Realm"
--The host wing on Minot Air Force Base, the 5th Bomb Wing operates the B-52H Stratofortress aircraft to provide global strike and combat-support capabilities to geographic commanders. B-52 Stratofortress - Mission --Air Combat Command's B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions... It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability.]

AF Secretary Visits MAFB
14.09.07. KXMBTV – LEGITGOV. The top civilian in the Air Force spent the afternoon at Minot Air Force Base today. Michael Wynne, the Secretary of the Air Force, arrived at the base about 1 PM to get a personal look at how nuclear weapons are stored, protected, and handled. [ LP: His visit comes two weeks after a B-52 bomber loaded with six nuclear warheads was flown from Minot to Barksdale Air Force Base].

Minot AFB Clandestine Nukes 'Oddities' --By Lori Price
Updated: 19 Sep 2007

Mystery surrounds deaths of Minot airmen
22.09.07. rense / legitgov. Six members of the US Air Force who were involved in the Minot AFB incident, have died mysteriously, an anti-Bush activist group [Citizens for Legitimate Government] says. The incident happened when a B-52 bomber was "mistakenly" loaded with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours across several states, prompting an Air Force investigation and the firing of one commander.

U.S. Still Seeks Answers to Nuclear Flight Error
24.09.07. NTI. The U.S. Air Force has still not identified the root errors behind the mistaken transfer of nuclear warheads by a U.S. strategic bomber from one air base to another, the Washington Post reported Sunday (see GSN, Sept. 7). … The United States stopped carrying nuclear weapons on bombers in the late 1960s after a series of crashes resulted in lost nuclear weapons or major cleanup efforts at the crash sites.

B-52 Nukes Headed for Iran: Air Force refused to fly weapons to Middle East theater
27.09.06. Wayne Madsen / Globalresearch.ca.

US, NATO and Israel Deploy Nukes directed against Iran
27.09.07. Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research. In late August, reported by the Military Times, a US Air Force B-52 bomber flew from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana with six AGM advanced cruise missiles, each of which was armed with a W-80-1 nuclear warhead. "... Missiles were mounted on the pylons under its wings. Each of the warheads carried a yield of up to 150 kilotons, more than ten times as powerful as the US bomb that leveled Hiroshima at the close of the Second World War." © Copyright Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, 2007.

WAYNE MADSEN: LOST NUCLEAR BOMBS OF AUGUST 30 MAY HAVE BEEN PART OF AN AIR FORCE MUTINY AGAINST BOMBING IRAN
30.09.07. From Carolyn Baker’s email news.

Nuke transportation story has explosive implications
07.10.07. star-telegram. Press reports initially cited the Air Force mistake of flying nuclear weapons over the United States in violation of Air Force standing orders and international treaties, while completely missing the more important major issues, such as how six nuclear cruise missiles got loose to begin with. … None of the news reports focused on the real questions of our nuclear security. … All security forces assigned are authorized to use deadly force to protect the weapons from any threat. … This is about how six nuclear advanced cruise missiles got out of their bunkers and onto a combat aircraft without notice of the wing commander, squadron commander, munitions maintenance squadron (MMS), the B-52H's crew chief and command pilot and onto another Air Force base tarmac without notice of that air base's chain of command -- for 10 hours. TEN QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED AT AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGAGION.

DoD Press Briefing with Maj. Gen. Newton from the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19.10.07. DOD. Sequence of events on 29 / 30 August; Map / Photos, “Door Opening to Wheels Up”; AF Responses; AF Responses (2). Mike Wynne, Sec. US Air force introduces Maj. Gen Newton. “the first procedural error occurred around 8: in the morning, when airmen assigned to the weapons storage are failed to examine all the pylons located in the storage area. The second procedural failure occurred when the crew operating the trailer that was moving the pylons to the aircraft began hooking up while the required pylon inspection was still underway. The third failure occurred when the crew failed to verify the payload before hooking it up to the trailer for transport. The crew is required to inspect the munitions before departing. They did not do that.

The fourth failure occurred when the Minot munitions control center failed to verify the status of the pylons being loaded at about 9:25 in the morning. The munitions control center failed to assess a database, as required, that would have alerted them that one of the pylons was not properly prepared for transfer. At this point, the wrong weapons, already in transit to the flightline, and several critical safeguard procedures had been disregarded. The Minot munitions handlers then loaded the pylons onto the B-52, and they remained there overnight on a secure flightline.

A fifth failure occurred the next morning, when the Barksdale- assigned B-52 instructor radar navigator neglected to check all missiles loaded for transport, as required.

The instructor radar navigator performed only a spot check, and only on the right pylon, the one that had been properly prepared for transport. The pylon carrying the wrong weapon was never inspected. Those factors and disregard for procedures collectively contributed to this serious incident.

The B-52 took off at 8:40 on the following day and arrived at Barksdale Air Force Base at 11:23 that very same morning.

Questions and answers.

Air force colonels sacked after nuclear bombs flown over US
21.10.07. Independent. The US Air Force has disciplined 70 service personnel after nuclear warheads capable of unleashing the equivalent of 10 Hiroshima bombs were mistakenly flown across the US. A Pentagon investigation found that air and ground crews took a "lackadaisical" approach to vital safety checks put in place during the Cold War. … The 1,100-mile flight was the first time in 40 years that nuclear bombs have been flown over US territory without top-level authorisation, and the terrifying mistake was not discovered for 36 hours.

IS A SECOND, MORE DEADLY 9/11 IN THE WORKS?
22.10.07. Richard Franklin, Peoples Voice. … According to Michael Madsen's sources, a group of officers within the US Air Force became aware of the theft of these missiles and their nuclear warheads and intercepted them at Barksdale. After this event somehow leaked to the media, the White House apparently scrambled to concoct a story to account for the theft. They came up with a lulu. Meanwhile … The activist group Citizens for Legitimate Government has come up with an astounding revelation that has been ignored by our controlled media. A spokesperson for the group has indicated that six members of the US Air Force who were directly involved in loading or transporting the missiles, were killed within 7 days of the Barksdale interception. Their deaths have been ruled 'accidents'. I repeat, these deaths happened within 7 days of the incident! The odds against this happening are mind boggling. It has been surmised by many that those directing the nuclear thefts embarked on a cleanup operation to silence any persons who were not part of the conspiracy but had knowledge of exactly what had gone down at Minot and Barksdale Air Force Bases. It defies common sense to come up with any other explanation for the six deaths, a figure that may already be out of date. Any further deaths may quite possibly be kept from the media. While the White House has concocted a coverup story to explain the, theft of six Advanced Cruise Missiles carrying nuclear warheads, it has not explained why it is that six such missiles were loaded at Minot, but ONLY FIVE ARRIVED AT BARKSDALE! There is only one possible explanation. Somewhere between the Minot and Barksdale, the plane landed to deliver one missile with its warhead. … = “a second major false flag operation in the United States.”

New Commander Named for Troubled U.S. Nuclear Unit
24.10.07. NTI. Col. Joel Westa is set to take command later this month, replacing Col. Bruce Emig, who was relieved of the job following the incident in which the nuclear-armed cruise missiles were improperly secured for at least 36 hours. … The bomber wing has been “decertified from its wartime mission,” according to an Air Force statement, and about 65 Air Force personnel have been disciplined.
 

Missing Nukes: Treason of the Highest Order
29.10.07. Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, global research. Missing Nukes on August 29-30, 2007; The Impossibility of "Loosing" Nuclear Weapons; The Role of the Nuclear Weapons Surety Program: What happened to Electronic Monitoring?; “Command and Control (C2)” and “Use Control”; More Unanswered Questions: What Happened to the Computerized Tracking System?; Mysterious Deaths in the United States Air Force: Whitewash and Cover-up; Reprimands, Replacements and Reassignments in the U.S.A.F. Chain of Command; Other Mysterious Deaths: Was the Missing Nukes Incident connected to US War Plans directed against Iran? Timely Appointments at U.S.A.F. Base Minot; Prior to the Missing Nukes Incident, Minot Airmen Meet with the President and the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff; Orders had to Come from the Top: Treason of the Highest Order; The Investigation; Bush Threatens Iran with Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear Unit’s Reputation at Stake, Commander Says
05.11.07. NTI. The new commander (Joel Westa) of Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota last week called on the base’s strategic bomber wing to rebuild its reputation following the mishandling of six nuclear warheads, the Associated Press reported

Oooops IV: 2nd nuclear arms blunder in a month

Pentagon reels from second major nuclear arms blunder in a month
26.10.07. dailymail/legitgov. The latest outrage came as Commander Michael Portland, the officer in charge of the USS Hampton, the most advanced nuclear attack submarine in the world, was fired after it was discovered that he had neglected to make basic daily safety checks. … It is considered vital that the reactor's condition be fully examined every day so that any malfunction can be caught early. US Navy officials said that it had also been discovered that logs on the USS Hampton had been filled out to make it appear the daily checks of the reactor water had actually been done.


Oooops V: Pennsylvania nuclear power plant

NRC Accused of Ignoring Sleeping Guards
29.09.07. A watchdog group accused the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday of ignoring for nearly six months allegations that security guards at a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant routinely slept while on duty. Peach Bottom plant in south-central Pennsylvania after a video of guards napping in a "ready" room became public. Last Monday, Exelon Corp., owner of the plant, fired the Wackenhut Corp., which provided security at the plant.


Ooops VI: Nuclear Shut Down Los Alamos

Los Alamos Safety Concerns Force Activity Pause
11.10.07. NTI. Nuclear safety concerns spurred Los Alamos National Laboratory managers to shut down limited operations late last month in a plutonium storage area, laboratory officials said yesterday. … The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board issued an Aug. 31 notice to the laboratory expressing concern about the site’s “criticality safety evaluations,” the calculations that assess the danger of stored plutonium initiating a nuclear chain reaction.


Oooops VII: nuclear safety checks skipped

Navy: Submarine Safety Checks Skipped
22.10.07. AP / Guardian / legitgov.org. Sailors on the submarine USS Hampton failed to do daily safety checks on the ship's nuclear reactor for a month and falsified records to cover up the omission, a Navy investigation shows. The revelation is sure to raise new questions about the military's handling of the nation's nuclear assets following an Air Force incident in which a B-52 bomber was accidentally loaded with nuclear-tipped missiles and flown across the country without any one realizing it for more than a day.


Ooops VIII: Nuclear power plant shut down – Palo Verde

Palo Verde shuts down reactor to repair a valve
23 Oct 2007. legitgov / William bowles. One of three reactors at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station was shut down Monday to repair a valve, leaving the plant with just one operating reactor for the second time this month.


Ooops IX: Hiding nuclear problem

1 Convicted of Hiding Nuke-Plant Problem
30.10.07. AP. A federal jury found a former nuclear plant worker guilty Tuesday of concealing the worst corrosion ever found at a U.S. reactor. A second defendant was acquitted. David Geisen, the Davis-Besse plant's former engineering design manager, was accused of misleading regulators into believing the plant along Lake Erie was safe. He faces up to five years in prison. Prosecutors said the men lied in the fall of 2001 so the plant could delay a shutdown for a safety inspection. Months later, inspectors found an acid leak that nearly ate through the reactor's 6-inch-thick steel cap. It's not clear how close the plant was to an accident.


Oooops X. Pipe bomb in nuclear plant

Worker Caught Entering Nuclear Plant With Pipe Bomb
05.11.07. NTI. Security officers at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona found a pipe bomb inside the truck of a contract worker as he attempted to enter the facility Friday, USA Today reported. The site about 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix is the largest nuclear power plant in the United States. Arizona Public Service Co. owns the plant.


Ooops XI: Nuke Hole

Nuke Hole Was Deliberate
12.11. 540 fla. An FBI investigation has found that someone deliberately drilled a hole into a pipe that is part of a nuclear reactor's cooling system at the Turkey Point power plant. Officials said they don't plan to file charges because they don't have enough evidence to prove criminal intent. An out-of-state contract worker hired to do routine maintenance is suspected of drilling the 1/8-inch hole, FBI spokesperson Judy Orihuela said, describing the incident as an act of vandalism.


Oops XII: Radioactive spill

Officials Probe Spills at Illinois Nuclear Power Plant
17.11.07. npr.org/legitgov. Federal, state, and local officials are investigating a previously unreported radioactive waste water spill near Godley, Ill., where the company http://www.exeloncorp.com/ “>Exelon owns and operates a nuclear power plant. Now, the company says two more of its plants in Illinois leaked radioactive waste.


THREE NON-NUCLEAR OOOPSIES

1. Falling Bomb

Small Training Bomb Fell From Navy Fighter Jet in Virginia
30.10.07. fox news.


2: Redfaced

Uninvited guest: A Chinese Song Class submarine,
like the one that surfaced by the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk

The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced
10.11.07. dailymail. When the U.S. Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, it takes the security of its aircraft carriers very seriously indeed. … American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board.


3. 2nd training bomb accident

2nd training bomb slip last week prompts ban
07.11.07. K. Wiltrout, Virginian Pilot. A training bomb fell accidentally from a Navy plane in California on the same day one dropped near a busy road in Virginia Beach, Navy officials confirmed Tuesday. Both incidents involved F/A-18 Hornets and an inert, 10-pound bomb called BDU-48.


HOMELAND SECURITY

DHS and NSF Announce $8 Million for the Fiscal Year 2007 Academic Research Initiative Awards
21.09.07. dhs.gov. / legitgov. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announce approximately $8 million in grant awards to academic institutions for the Academic Research Initiative (ARI). The ARI program will foster frontier research in radiological and nuclear detection at academic institutions

HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-21
18.10.07. White House. Subject: Public Health and Medical Preparedness. This directive establishes a National Strategy for Public Health and Medical Preparedness (Strategy), which builds upon principles set forth in Biodefense for the 21st Century (April 2004) and will transform our national approach to protecting the health of the American people against all disasters.

Chertoff Outlines New Steps to Discourage Terrorism
22.10.07. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff warned Friday that the United States faces a "heightened threat of terrorist attack for the foreseeable future," but said his department was doing more than ever to counter it. Small boats initiative; intensify screening of foreign private jets flying into the United States and of individuals entering the country under the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of specific nations to travel here without a visa for business or tourism and stay for up to 90 days; steps to defend against nuclear and chemical attacks by monitoring more closely access to radiological materials, and dangerous chemicals like propane and chlorine; training airport screeners how to search luggage for the presence of peroxide

BLACKWATER

Blackwater showing off new training ship (McArthur) at Nauticus
18.09.07. hamptonroads. According to a press release issued by Nauticus, Blackwater's maritime division will operate vessels suitable for training, disaster response, law enforcement, surveillance and security, including anti-terrorism and anti-piracy activities. Richard Conti (executive director of Nauticus) said "Blackwater has a proven record of success in preparing Americans for entering hostile environments." .. Blackwater did not respond Tuesday to inquiries about its maritime expansion plans. … Blackwater also appears to be expanding its air operations. … the company, which already owns more than 20 aircraft, is seeking to acquire a Super Tucano light combat plane from the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer.

WAR ‘GAMES’

Black Sea Powers Begin WMD Exercise
25.09.07. nti.org. Black Sea nations are scheduled to conduct a five-day WMD exercise this week to prepare coordinating a response to a possible accident or attack, the BTA Bulgarian news agency reported yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 20, 2005).

Boston Conducts Bioterrorism Drill
25.09.07. nti.org. Boston authorities Sunday tested the city’s ability to distribute antibiotics during an anthrax attack, officials said Sunday

Dangerous Crossroads: US Sponsored War Games
06.10.07. Prof. Michel Chossudovsky. Globalresearch.ca. US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) has announced the conduct of major war games under Vigilant Shield 2008 (VS-08). Vigilant Shield 2008 (15 to 20 October, 2007) is designed to deal with a "terrorist" or "natural disaster" scenario in the United States. The operation will be coordinated in a joint endeavor by the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.

‘TERRORISM’ DRILLS

Vigilant Shield: JFCOM, NORAD to drill martial law during TOPOFF4
11.10.07. Total 411 / blacklisted. From Northcom Factsheet.

Large-scale WMD drill launched off Japan
13.10.07. AFP / legitgov. A 41-country exercise aimed at stopping the trade in weapons of mass destruction was launched off Japan on Saturday, officials said. Ships and planes from Australia, Britain, France, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States were deployed on day one of the three-day drill in the Sea of Sagami off Tokyo Bay, Japanese officials said.

Terror Exercise Is All Set To Blast Portland
14.10.07. media monarchy / blacklisted. The bomb's in place. The terrorists are ready. The city waits. As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, a lethal cloak of radiation will cover much of downtown Portland. It's all make-believe, of course. But this week the city will be ground zero for the largest counterterrorism exercise in U.S. history. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will be in town to personally oversee the exercise, with the help of Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Mayor Tom Potter. In all, more than 15,000 people from 275 organizations will be involved. Every emergency agency in the Portland area, along with 14 hospitals and David Douglas High School, will play parts in an event dubbed "Topoff 4." The history of Topoff shows those tests don't usually go well.

Terrorism drill tomorrow: Simulated 'dirty bomb' explosion will test government
15.10.07. guampdn.com / legitgov. One of the nation's largest counterterrorism exercises begins in Guam today as the stage is set for a simulated "dirty bomb," which is expected to be "detonated" tomorrow. Guam is one of three staging grounds for the Top Officials 4, or TOPOFF 4, exercise, a full-scale drill to test the preparedness of the local and national emergency response in the event of a radiological terrorist attack.

Lack of agreement with feds on TOPOFF 4 worries senator
15.10.07. KUAM / legitgov. Lawmaker trying to get feds to sign agreement to determine who shoulders costs for 'counter'terrorism exercise 15 Oct 2007 Senator Frank Blas, Jr. says there seems to be a definite lack of dialogue between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Guam Homeland Security. With just a day before TOPOFF-4 kicks off, the memorandum of agreement between the federal and local governments still has yet to be signed. TOPOFF-4 is scheduled to begin tomorrow morning, with or without the memo of agreement between the Government of Guam and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Japan Plans November Missile Defense Drill
15.10.07. NTI.

Biggest counterterrorism exercise in U.S. history starts in Ore.
16 Oct 2007. Legitgov / William Bowles. The largest counterterrorism exercise in U.S. history has begun with a bright flash and a loud bang meant to simulate a dirty bomb attack. It was done shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday in Portland. A simulated bomb was set off at a staging area near the Portland International Raceway.

Exercise begins with 'explosion' on Portland bridge
16 Oct 2007. legitgov / William bowles. Police scanners began crackling with reports of an explosion on the Steel Bridge this morning as part of a massive terror drill that will run in Portland over the next three days. The first broadcasts went out at 9:08 a.m., with dispatchers talking about a truck exploding next to a MAX train on the bridge, which spans the Willamette in downtown Portland. Those broadcasts were followed by reports of the train going into the river; floating bodies; and related disasters.

TOPOFF 4 Exercise Begins in U.S., Guam
17.10.07. NTI. The TOPOFF 4 terrorism exercise began yesterday with simulated “dirty bomb” attacks in Arizona, Oregon and Guam, the Associated Press reported

National coordination stressed in Day 2 of TOPOFF-4 exercises
17 Oct 2007, legitgov / William bowles. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's TOPOFF-4 exercise continued on Wednesday, with officials assessing damage and making decisions about what to do next after Tuesday's simulated dirty bomb explosion. Players were back in action as the activities continued during Day 2.

MARTIAL LAW?

Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
Passed 23.10.07. To understand the meaning of the above “prevention” act, read here.

Is Bush Administration Planning Martial Law?
28.10.07. rinf.com. Congressman DeFazio Denied Access to Government Documents. The Bush Administration shocked lawmakers and analysts two months ago when it denied a member of the House Homeland Security Committee permission to examine classified plans for maintaining the functioning of the government in the event of a major natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Constitution Will Grant Police Preemptive Arrest Powers
05.11.07. minivannnews. The police will be constitutionally empowered to arrest anyone they believe may commit a crime, after an amendment to the draft Bill of Rights was passed last night.
The Home Minister, Justice Minister and Attorney General all voted in favour of the amendment, which some lawyers say gives the police a green light to detain political dissidents.

See U.S. Martial Law Timeline (Sarah Meyer, Index Research, 21.08.07): http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Meyer/MartialLaw.htm.

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The url to NUCLEAR USA: SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 2007 is http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/2008/01/nuclear-usa-september-november-2007.html.

The article can be seen on the BRussells Tribunal site here : http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Meyer/Nuclear.htm . 

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