The Bush administration has decided to more than double the number of nuclear warheads undergoing an expensive upgrade for potential future deployment on the Navy’s 14 ballistic missile submarines, according to answers provided by the National Nuclear Security Administration in response to questions from the Federation of American Scientists.
The decision preempts a debate in Congress [...]

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Last week, the Jasons, a group of distinguished scientists who advise the Department of Defense, released the unclassified summary of their review of the Reliable Replacement Warhead, or RRW. Walter Pincus covered the report in the Washington Post. The summary is posted on the FAS website.
Although almost everything about nuclear weapons and their design [...]

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Lebanon arrests gang plotting attacks on UN force
AFP - 6 hours ago
The attack was the first deadly strike against UN peacekeepers since the force was expanded following last year’s war between Israel and guerrillas from the …
Suspected Terrorists Detained in Lebanon The Associated Press
Exclusive: A Forgotten Lebanese Battle against Terror Family Security Matters
Lebanese army arrests group [...]

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Bush set for talks with Dalai Lama amid China rebuff
AFP - 2 hours ago
The six powers were to have discussed calls to tighten UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. China and Russia have been against harsh Security …
China cancels Iran meeting over Dalai Lama Reuters
US Official: China Quits Iran Talks in Protest Over Dalai [...]

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The two new Jin-class SSBNs I discovered on Google Earth earlier this month have now been photographed in port by an anonymous photographer. The photograph, which has appeared on several Chinese web sites (here and here) and sent to me by David, clearly shows the features of what I estimated to be the Jin-class submarine.
Read [...]

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has been told about a plot to assassinate him during a visit to Iran this week, a Kremlin spokeswoman said Sunday.
The spokeswoman, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity, refused further comment.
Interfax news agency, citing a source in Russia’s special services, said suicide terrorists had been trained to carry out the [...]

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Only the stealthy F-22 or the Joint Strike Fighter still under development could carry out missions over China, he said. “Our planes are much older than the planes they would be matched against,” Mr. Wright said, the Associated Press reported.
“For the first time in history, we are [...]

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Turkish-American relations face two significant challenges. One has to do with the Turkish inclination to enter northern Iraq in order to deal with Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters operating there. The other is connected with an upcoming US House of Representatives vote on a resolution to recognize as genocide the mass killings of Armenians by [...]

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Israel Silent on Reports of Bombing Within Syria
New York Times, United States – 9 hours ago
… “The one lesson that Israel has learned from the Iranian experience is that if you don’t take care of something like this at the very initial stages, …
News Analysis Pre-emptive Caution: The Case of Syria New York Times
Israeli air [...]

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As Turkey pushes ahead with its nuclear energy ambitions in the face of predicted energy shortfalls and a perceived threat from Iran, critics express concerns about internal safety, security and a regional arms race.
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