Nonstrategic nuclear weapons, surveillance of journalists, building a new foundation with Yemen and much more. From the Blogs Declassification Declassified- PRC and the W88 Warhead: In 2006, the Department of Energy formally declassified the already widely publicized fact “That the People’s Republic of China obtained some Restricted Data information on the W88 [nuclear] warhead, and [...]
FAS in Jordan, UN Centres of Excellence, nuclear deterrence and much more. From the Blogs Centres of Excellence: The United Nations recently issued a press release stating that the international body is creating eight “Centres of Excellence” around the world to “help countries mitigate the risks related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) material, [...]
The FAS International Science Partnership (ISP) pilot project is set to take off in Amman this week with a workshop hosted by the Middle East Scientific Institute for Security (MESIS). The workshop will bring together an international team of engineers from the U.S. and Yemen to design collaborative projects that help address both countries’ interests [...]
Image courtesy of Shutterstock Today, I am speaking at a colloquium hosted by the University of Texas at Austin Physics Department regarding the role of scientists and engineers in the security field. Additionally, I will address current and future challenges for scientists and engineers to improve international security. You can view my presentation slides here [...]
France’s nuclear forces, water security in Yemen, innovation in secrecy policy and much more. From the Blogs Secret Satellite Promptly Detected in Orbit: On April 3, the National Reconnaissance Office successfully launched a classified intelligence satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Notwithstanding the usual operations security measures, amateur satellite trackers were able to [...]
A few weeks ago the State Department took advantage of World Water day to announce the release of an National Intelligence Council report entitled “Water Security,” which assessed the possible effects of water shortages on U.S. national security over the next several decades. The NIC report’s “bottom line” was that “during the next ten years, [...]
Letter to the Obama administration regarding nuclear budget, new podcast highlighting sustainable energy and water security, 2011 intelligence budget spending on the decline and more. From the Blogs Prospects Fade for a Separate Intelligence Budget: Steven Aftergood writes about the National Intelligence Program budget, which will mostly remain hidden in the Department of Defense [...]
In the wake of revolution the U.S. must immediately engage with Egypt and Tunisia through S&T initiatives. The U.S. should: expedite student visas, fund additional scholarships, support dialogues between U.S and regional universities, and recommit existing S&T and education aid packages. S&T activities should be a key component of building better, more resilient relationships with [...]
US aid for Yemen goes predominantly to military and hard security projects. To confront the key sources of instability the U.S. must look beyond military assistance. Tier two engagement will be a critical component of this strategy, especially in looking at challenges to natural resource and human security. As Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [...]
• Yemen faces severe water shortages within the next decade • access to water resources is already a critical security matter in Yemen • to prevent large-scale resource conflict innovative water provision and management solutions are necessary Last week in Sana’a a British diplomatic convoy was attacked by Al Qaeda militants armed with an RPG. [...]