Summer 2014 Public Interest Report Now Online
Summer 2014 Public Interest Report
Volume 67, No. 3
CONTENTS:
The Fallacy of Proven and Adaptable Defenses
PDF Version
Current United States policy is to deploy missile defenses that are
cost-effective, adaptable and proven. Yet, defenses in one context
cannot immediately be trusted when they are adapted to another context.
Missile defenses may offer some insurance against an attack, but they
also come with new risks. By Rebecca Slayton.
President's Message: The Nuclear Guns of August
PDF Version
NATO allies have been concerned about the security implications of
Russia’s incursion into Crimea and its influence over the continuing
political and military crisis in Ukraine. In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post,
Brent Scowcroft, Stephen J. Hadley and Franklin Miller argue that there
is a large need for the United States to keep providing nuclear
deterrence to NATO by continuing to deploy nuclear weapons in other
states’ territories (the U.S. is the only nuclear-armed state to do so).
FAS president Charles Ferguson writes that the United States can still
demonstrate its commitment to NATO allies by having its strategic
nuclear weapons based on U.S. soil, not in European countries. By not
doing so, it gives other nuclear states such as China, Russia and
Pakistan the green light to deploy their weapons in others’
territories.
JFK, One World or None and "A New Effort To Achieve World Law"
PDF Version
A genuine grassroots movement emerged during the Second World War,
advocating the establishment of a federal and democratic world
government in order to bring about the elimination of national armies
and the abolition of war. Its central contention was that humanity
could no longer permit anarchy on the world level, and that the civil
society, constitutions, and rule of law that prevailed within nations
now had to be instituted among nations as well. In June 1949,
Representative John F. Kennedy – along with more than 100 other sitting
members of the House and the Senate – proposed the transformation of the
United Nations into a world federation. By Harris Wofford and Tad Daley.
Feasibility of a Low-Yield-Gun Type Terrorist Fission Bomb
PDF Version
In the Spring 2014 PIR, Edward Friedman and Roger K. Lewis
examined the possibility of a terrorist nuclear attack based on stolen
highly-enriched uranium. This follow up article examines the feasibility
of terrorists using an extremely crude gun-type U-235 device that could
be configured to be transported in a pickup truck or similar light
vehicle, and the potential results of this act of terrorism. By B. Cameron Reed.
UAV's: An (unexploited) Seller's Market
PDF Version
While intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and target
acquisition are missions that frequently fall under the purview of basic
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or “drones”), more advanced drones can
be used for specialized tasks such as laser targeting, cargo
transportation, and precision strike missions. The United States holds
the technological edge in UAV production, but Israel is the world’s
leading exporter of UAV systems. Why does the United States hesitate to
export UAVs on the scale they export other types of military equipment? By Michael Bodner
In Memoriam
PDF Version
The scientific community recently lost two innovative physicists who
contributed greatly to the field and and served in leadership positions
at FAS. A look at the careers of Dr. Andrew Sessler and Dr. George
Stanford, and their work to make the world a safer and more secure
place. By Robert J. Budnitz, Kwang-Je Kim, Herman Winick and Alexander DeVolpi.
The Need for a Comprehensive Approach to Reduce Nuclear Risks
PDF Version
There is broad international consensus about reduction of nuclear risks
as one of the most relevant drivers to enhance global security. However,
degrees of involvement, priorities and approaches adopted to deal with
the issue differ from state to state. There is a lack of international
trust due to lack of common global goals which puts traditional
strategies for reducing nuclear risks at a crossroads. By Irma Arguello.
More from FAS
PDF Version
News and Notes from FAS Headquarters.
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From the Blogs
WWII Atomic Bomb Project Had More Than 1500 "Leaks": The
Manhattan Project was among the most highly classified and tightly
secured programs ever undertaken by the U.S. government. Nevertheless,
it generated more than 1,500 leak investigations involving unauthorized
disclosures of classified Project information. This fact was disclosed
in the latest declassified volume of the official Manhattan District
History.
Manufacturing Nuclear Weapon Pits and More from CRS: Secrecy
News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as DoD's
goal of producing 80 plutonium pits for nuclear weapons, threat of domestic terrorism and terrorism issues in Latin America.
Leaked Document to be Introduced in State Secrets Case: The
plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the use of the “no fly list” to bar a
U.S. citizen from boarding an aircraft said last week that he would
introduce a leaked copy of the government’s Watchlisting Guidance “to
show just how objectionable and evidence-free Defendants’ watch listing
process is.” The government said it did not acknowledge the authenticity
of the leaked document, and that the case should be dismissed since the
Attorney General had invoked the state secrets privilege concerning
core issues that it raised.
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