The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said it this week hosted international diplomats at the Nevada National Security Site and the National Atomic Testing Museum to offer demonstrations of nuclear security technologies.
The semiautonomous Department of Energy agency showcased its Stockpile Stewardship Program, which maintains the U.S. nuclear stockpile without nuclear explosive testing, as well as technology for nuclear security missions, to visitors from 10 countries and two international organizations, the agency statement said.
The NNSA’s demonstrations also included methodologies for U.S. technical support for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Having in May hosted 50 international on-site inspection experts at the Nevada site, the NNSA offered this week to host additional training next October to help surrogate inspector trainees “identify anomalies or artifacts associated with locations where nuclear explosive testing has occurred,” it said.
Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBT Organization, was one of the visitors. Others were diplomats from South Korea, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Argentina, Indonesia, Nigeria, Romania, South Africa, and Slovakia, the statement said.
Anne Harrington, NNSA’s deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation, said in a statement, “Through transparency visits like this week’s visit—and by hosting training activities—we hope to build confidence within the international community in U.S. nonproliferation and arms control commitments.”
Frank Rose, U.S. assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, is traveling to Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel starting this week for a series of arms control and international security events, the State Department said last Friday.
From Oct. 25-29, Rose is visiting with his counterparts in Tokyo and Seoul, including with U.S. Forces Korea, to discuss arms control, international security, and strategic stability. Then on Nov. 1-3 Rose will lead the U.S. delegation to the fourth plenary meeting of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification, an effort established in 2014 between the State Department and the non-governmental Nuclear Threat Initiative to build global capacity on nuclear disarmament verification by supporting technical initiatives.
Rose will then from Nov. 5-7 visit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for meetings with Israeli officials on international security and arms control issues, the State Department said.
From The Wires:
From The New York Times: A debate on the United States’ $1 trillion nuclear arsenal modernization.
From The Associated Press: The next U.S. president could be faced with a North Korea armed with a ballistic missile that could reach the continental United States.
From the Nuclear Threat Initiative: A behind-the-scenes look, courtesy of former National Nuclear Security Administrator Assistant Deputy Administrator Andrew Bieniawski, on removal of highly enriched uranium from Poland.
