The Federation of American Scientists and the Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science are hosting a luncheon briefing and discussion on medical radioisotope production without nuclear reactors or uranium enrichment on Thursday, June 13th at 12pm . The discussion will focus on a new CSTSP [...]
Issue brief on regulating nuclear power in Japan, NASA technical database back online, new executive order on government information and much more. Regulating Japanese Nuclear Power in the Wake of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident The 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was preventable. The Great East Japan earthquake and the tsunami that [...]
The 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was preventable. The Great East Japan earthquake and the tsunami that followed it were unprecedented events in recent history, but they were not altogether unforeseeable. Stronger regulation across the nuclear power industry could have prevented many of the worst outcomes at Fukushima Daiichi and will [...]
Iran’s quest for the development of nuclear program has been marked by enormous financial costs and risks. It is estimated that the program’s cost is well over $100 billion, with the construction of the Bushehr reactor costing over $11 billion, making it one of the most expensive reactors in the world. The Federation of American [...]
Next month, Secretary of State Kerry will visit South Korea and Japan. High on the list of topics to be discussed in Seoul will be how to proceed with the renewal of the U.S.-RoK agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, which will expire early in 2014. Currently, negotiations have bogged down over Seoul’s request that the [...]
Overview of U.S. nuclear arsenal, Congress requests report on drone surveillance and much more. From the Blogs Congress Requires a Report from DoD on Drone Surveillance: Congress has directed the Secretary of Defense to report on the handling of surveillance data collected by drones operating in domestic airspace. This provision in the 2013 continuing appropriations [...]
Intelligence spending drops, extreme weather and much more. From the Blogs Court Orders FBI to Release Withheld Information: A few years ago, the FBI invoked national security to justify withholding certain information from a Freedom of Information Act requester named Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler. But as rarely happens, a court last month critically assessed the FBI [...]
NATO and nuclear transparency, Obama directive on intelligence whistleblowers and much more. From the Blogs Obama Issues Directive on Intelligence Community Whistleblowers: On October 10, President Obama issued Presidential Policy Directive 19 on “Protecting Whistleblowers with Access to Classified Information.” The directive generally prohibits official reprisals against an intelligence community employee who makes a “protected [...]
Summer issue of the PIR, nuclear energy debate, legality of targeted killing of terrorists and much more. Up for Debate: Nuclear Energy in the United States The U.S. nuclear power industry currently generates about 20 percent of the nation’s electricity. While nuclear plants generate more than half the electricity in six states, the nuclear power [...]
Thorium reactors, new CRS reports, DoD security policy and much more. From the Blogs Greater Autonomy for Unmanned Military Systems Urged: The Department of Defense should focus on increasing the autonomy of drones and other unmanned military systems, a new report from the Defense Science Board said. “Autonomy” in this context does not mean “computers [...]