Russia Enters The New Nuclear Race

Putin urges Russian nuclear weapons boost

Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for the country to reinforce its military nuclear potential and praised the army's performance in its Syria campaign.

In a speech that recapped military activities in 2016, Putin said the army's preparedness has "considerably increased" and called for continued improvement that would ensure it can "neutralise any military threat".

"We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile defence systems," the Kremlin strongman said.

"We must carefully monitor any changes in the balance of power and in the political-military situation in the world, especially along Russian borders, and quickly adapt plans for neutralising threats to our country."

He said Russia's military had successfully demonstrated its capabilities in Syria, showcased its technology to potential arms buyers and helped the Syrian army make considerable advances.

"The Syrian army received considerable support, thanks to which it carried out several successful operations against militants," he said.

"The effective use of Russian weapons in Syria opens new possibilities for military-technical cooperation.

"We must take maximum advantage of this. We know there is interest in modern Russian weapons from foreign partners."

Russia began its bombing campaign in Syria in September 2015 in support of President Bashar al-Assad, with its special forces also operating on the ground in the country.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the military had used "162 types of modern armaments during the military campaign in Syria," including its Sukhoi warplanes and MiG and Kamov helicopters.

"They have shown to be highly effective," he said.

- '35,000 fighters' -

Shoigu produced figures for the entire campaign in Syria but did not mention any estimate of civilian casualties.

Russian warplanes have "liquidated 725 training camps, 405 weapon factories and workshops, 1,500 pieces of terrorist equipment, and 35,000 fighters, including 204 field commanders," he said.

The Russian airforce has conducted a total of 18,800 sorties and carried out 71,000 strikes since the start of its campaign, Shoigu said.

"In general, the operation has allowed (us) to solve several geopolitical problems," he said.

"We have considerably damaged international terrorist organisations in Syria, stopped their expansion... (and) prevented the breakup of Syria."

Russia is prioritising its Asian partners including India and China for arms sales, he added.

Shoigu said NATO activities along Russia's western borders have grown eight-fold over the past decade, forcing Moscow to send more warplanes to prevent breaches of Russian airspace.

Next year, four additional S-400 anti-missile defence systems will be delivered to the army, and Russia will pay particular attention to its Western flank and the Arctic, he said.

"First and foremost, we will continue to increase military capabilities... take measures to reinforce troops in the western, southwestern and Arctic strategic sectors," Shoigu said.

USA's Fukushima At The Sixth Seal (Rev 6)

 

Recent series of Indian Point shutdowns worst in years

Ernie Garcia, elgarcia@lohud.com

BUCHANAN — Four unplanned reactor shutdowns over a two-month period at Indian Point are the most setbacks the nuclear power plant has experienced in years.

A review of unplanned shutdowns from January 2012 to the present showed this year's events happened within a short time frame, between May 7 and July 8, in contrast with events from other years that were more spread out, according to data released by Indian Point.

So many mishaps at the Entergy-owned plant haven't occurred since 2009, when one of two units at the Buchanan site experienced a similar series, said plant spokesman Jerry Nappi.

Besides a May 9 transformer failure that spilled some 3,000 gallons of oil into the Hudson River, this year's shutdowns were prompted by a May 7 steam leak, a July 8 pump motor failure and a June 15 switch yard breaker failure offsite in a Consolidated Edison substation.

If a nuclear plant has more than three unplanned shutdowns in a nine-month period, its performance indicator could be changed by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which results in additional oversight. That's what happened with Entergy's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Mass., after four unplanned shutdowns in 2013.

So far, Entergy said there doesn't appear to be a pattern to the Indian Point shutdowns.
"You do want to look at these events holistically to see if there is something in common, but you also look individually to see what the causes were," Nappi said. "A plant shutdown in and of itself is not a safety issue."

One of the four recent Buchanan shutdowns triggered a special inspection by the NRC and calls to close the nuclear plant by environmental groups and elected officials. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said in the past Indian Point should close, but his office did not respond to a request for comment about whether the recent shutdowns have prompted any state scrutiny.

The NRC is expected to release a quarterly report on Indian Point this month that will address the transformer failure and, by year's end, is planning an inspection of the transformer and an analysis of transformer issues since 2007.

Besides its transformer-related inquiries, the other three shutdowns have not raised "any immediate safety concerns or crossed any thresholds that would result in additional NRC oversight," agency spokesman Neil Sheehan wrote in an email.

The unplanned shutdowns at Indian Point and Pilgrim in Massachusetts were mostly preventable, said Paul Blanch, a former Indian Point employee with 45 years of nuclear power experience.
"For this to happen this frequently indicates a deeper problem," he said. "I believe it's management oversight in the maintenance of these plants."

Nappi said the transformer that failed May 9 and caused a fire and oil spill into the Hudson was regularly monitored. Investigators determined the failure was due to faulty insulation.

"The transformer inspection and reviews were in accordance with our standards and industry expectations, yet there was no indication the transformer was going to fail," Nappi said.
The NRC conducted a separate, but related special inspection into the May 9 incident that focused on a half-inch of water that collected in an electrical switchgear room floor. Inspectors determined a fire suppression system's valve failed to close properly.

Inspectors noted in their report that Entergy knew about that problem since April 2011 and replaced the valve but didn't discover the actual cause — a dysfunctional switch — until after the fire.

Indian Point's Unit 3 was down 19 days May through July, with the transformer failure accounting for 16 days. The shutdowns didn't cause the public any supply problems because New York's grid can import electricity from other states and New York has an energy plan to maintain reliability, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The nuclear energy industry judges a power plant on how continuously it produces energy, which is called a capacity factor.

There were 100 nuclear plants in the United States in 2014, a record year in terms of efficiency. In January, the Nuclear Energy Institute announced the U.S. average capacity factor was 91.9 percent.
Indian Point has an above-average efficiency rate. The plant's Unit 2 and 3 reactors were each online more than 99 percent of the time during their most recent two-year operating cycles. They are currently in the middle of other cycles.

Iran Expands The Shia Crescent (Daniel 8)

Iran to preserve strategic ties with Syria: Velayati

PressTV

A senior Iranian official has hailed the Syrian army’s latest triumph over foreign-backed terrorists in the flashpoint city of Aleppo, stressing that Tehran is set to maintain its “strategic ties” with Damascus.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Tehran on Sunday.

“Aleppo’s liberation is a major victory, and Syria’s friends and enemies acknowledge it,” said Velayati.

The official further praised deep-rooted and longstanding ties between the Iranian and Syrian nations, adding that the Islamic Republic will preserve its “strategic” relations with the Arab country.

On Friday, the Syrian army announced a nationwide halt to fighting under a deal with the foreign-backed opposition.

The ceasefire, which does not apply to Daesh and Fateh al-Sham terrorist groups, came eight days after the Syrian military announced full control over Aleppo and called it a “crushing blow” to terrorists.

The Aleppo liberation came after the last remaining Takfiri elements were evacuated from the city along with civilians under a ceasefire deal mediated by Ankara and Moscow.

Syrians celebrate in Aleppo on December 22, 2016, after the army said it has retaken full control of the country's second largest city. (Photo by AFP)
Muallem, for his part, called Aleppo’s recapture a joint victory for Syria and Iran.

Damascus has been seeking to bring an end to fighting and pave the way for intra-Syrian talks through cooperation between Iran, Russia and Syria, he added.

Touching on the upcoming Syria peace talks expected to take place in Kazakh capital city of Astana, the top Syrian diplomat said that for the discussions to be successful, armed groups have to distance themselves from Daesh and Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Members of the two terror outfits should also retreat from areas on the outskirts of Aleppo, he pointed out.

The Syrian foreign minister further thanked Iran’s Leader as well as its nation and government for supporting Syria in different areas, particularly in Damascus’ fight against terror and efforts to find a political solution to the crisis plaguing the Arab country since 2011.

Muallem also expressed his satisfactions with the trilateral Tehran-Moscow-Damascus cooperation, saying it has been fruitful in anti-terror battles.

He arrived in Tehran on Saturday at the head of a high-ranking delegation. He held talks with senior Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

The Ramapo Fault Of The Sixth Seal (Rev 6:12)

Earthquake activity in the New York City area

 The Ramapo Fault Line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although the eastern United States is not as seismically active as regions near plate boundaries, large and damaging earthquakes do occur there. Furthermore, when these rare eastern U.S. earthquakes occur, the areas affected by them are much larger than for western U.S. earthquakes of the same magnitude.^[1] Thus, earthquakes represent at least a moderate hazard to East Coast cities, including New York City and adjacent areas of very high population density.

As can be seen in the maps of earthquake activity in this region, seismicity is scattered throughout most of the New York City area, with some hint of a concentration of earthquakes in the area surrounding Manhattan Island. The largest known earthquake in this region occurred in 1884 and had a magnitude of approximately 5. For this earthquake, observations of fallen bricks and cracked plaster were reported from eastern Pennsylvania to central Connecticut, and the maximum intensity reported was at two sites in western Long Island (Jamaica, New York and Amityville, New York). Two other earthquakes of approximately magnitude 5 occurred in this region in 1737 and 1783.^[2][3][4] The figure on the right shows maps of the distribution of earthquakes of magnitude 3 and greater that occurred in this region from 1924 to 2010, along with locations of the larger earthquakes that occurred in 1737, 1783 and 1884.

Background

The NYC area is part of the geologically complex structure of the Northern Appalachian Mountains. This complex structure was formed during the past half billion years when the Earth's crust underlying the Northern Appalachians was the site of two major geological episodes, each of which has left its imprint on the NYC area bedrock.^[5][6] Between about 450 million years ago and about 250 million years ago, the Northern Appalachian region was affected by a continental collision, in which the ancient African continent collided with the ancient North American continent to form the supercontinent Pangaea. Beginning about 200 million years ago, the present-day Atlantic ocean began to form as plate tectonic forces began to rift apart the continent of Pangaea. The last major episode of geological activity to affect the bedrock in the New York area occurred about 100 million years ago, during the Mesozoic era, when continental rifting that led to the opening of the present-day Atlantic ocean formed the Hartford and Newark Mesozoic rift basins.

Earthquake rates in the northeastern United States are about 50 to 200 times lower than in California, but the earthquakes that do occur in the northeastern U.S. are typically felt over a much broader region than earthquakes of the same magnitude in the western U.S.^[1] This means the area of damage from an earthquake in the northeastern U.S. could be larger than the area of damage caused by an earthquake of the same magnitude in the western U.S.^[7] The cooler rocks in the northeastern U.S. contribute to the seismic energy propagating as much as ten times further than in the warmer rocks of California. A magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt as far as 100 km (60 mi) from its epicenter, but it infrequently causes damage near its source. A magnitude 5.5 eastern U.S. earthquake, although uncommon, can be felt as far as 500 km (300 mi) from its epicenter, and can cause damage as far away as 40 km (25 mi) from its epicenter. Earthquakes stronger than about magnitude 5.0 generate ground motions that are strong enough to be damaging in the epicentral area.

At well-studied plate boundaries like the San Andreas fault system in California, scientists can often make observations that allow them to identify the specific fault on which an earthquake took place. In contrast, east of the Rocky Mountains this is rarely the case.^[8] The NYC area is far from the boundaries of the North American plate, which are in the center of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Caribbean Sea, and along the west coast of North America. The seismicity of the northeastern U.S. is generally considered to be due to ancient zones of weakness that are being reactivated in the present-day stress field. In this model, pre-existing faults that were formed during ancient geological episodes persist in the intraplate crust, and the earthquakes occur when the present-day stress is released along these zones of weakness. The stress that causes the earthquakes is generally considered to be derived from present-day rifting at the Mid-Atlantic ridge.

Earthquakes and geologically mapped faults in the Northeastern U.S.

The northeastern U.S. has many known faults, but virtually all of the known faults have not been active for perhaps 90 million years or more. Also, the locations of the known faults are not well determined at earthquake depths. Accordingly, few (if any) earthquakes in the region can be unambiguously linked to known faults. Given the current geological and seismological data, it is difficult to determine if a known fault in this region is still active today and could produce a modern earthquake. As in most other areas east of the Rocky Mountains, the best guide to earthquake hazard in the northeastern U.S. is probably the locations of the past earthquakes themselves.^[9]

The Ramapo fault and other New York City area faults

The Ramapo Fault, which marks the western boundary of the Newark rift basin, has been argued to be a major seismically active feature of this region,^[10] but it is difficult to discern the extent to which the Ramapo fault (or any other specific mapped fault in the area) might be any more of a source of future earthquakes than any other parts of the region.^[11] The Ramapo Fault zone spans more than 185 miles (300 kilometers) in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It is a system of faults between the northern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont areas to the east.^[12] This fault is perhaps the best known fault zone in the Mid-Atlantic region, and some small earthquakes have been known to occur in its vicinity. Recently, public knowledge about the fault has increased – especially after the 1970s, when the fault's proximity to the Indian Point nuclear plant in New York was noticed.

There is insufficient evidence to unequivocally demonstrate any strong correlation of earthquakes in the New York City area with specific faults or other geologic structures in this region. The damaging earthquake affecting New York City in 1884 was probably not associated with the Ramapo fault because the strongest shaking from that earthquake occurred on Long Island (quite far from the trace of the Ramapo fault). The relationship between faults and earthquakes in the New York City area is currently understood to be more complex than any simple association of a specific earthquake with a specific mapped fault.^[13]

A 2008 study argued that a magnitude 6 or 7 earthquake might originate from the Ramapo fault zone,^[3] which would almost definitely spawn hundreds or even thousands of fatalities and billions of dollars in damage.^[14] Studying around 400 earthquakes over the past 300 years, the study also argued that there was an additional fault zone extending from the Ramapo Fault zone into southwestern Connecticut. As can be seen in the above figure of seismicity, earthquakes are scattered throughout this region, with no particular concentration of activity along the Ramapo fault, or along the hypothesized fault zone extending into southwestern Connecticut.^[2][11][15]

Just off the northern terminus of the Ramapo fault is the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, built between 1956 and 1960 by Consolidated Edison Company. The plant began operating in 1963, and it has been the subject of a controversy over concerns that an earthquake from the Ramapo fault will affect the power plant. Whether or not the Ramapo fault actually does pose a threat to this nuclear power plant remains an open question.^[11]

Babylon the Great Modernizes Its Nukes

The US is preparing to modernize its nuclear weapons systems

Jessica Conditt

7h ago in Security

The board's chair, Dr. Werner JA Dahm, tells Defense One that a number of the US' nuclear systems need an update, including the B-21 stealth bomber and the nuclear-armed cruise missile known as the long-range standoff weapon, or LRSO.

"These systems are going to be quite different from the ones that they may replace," Dahm says. "In particular, they will be much more like all systems today, network connected. They'll be cyber enabled."

A connected nuclear system presents new challenges in terms of safety and security, potentially creating new ways for bombs to accidentally deploy or otherwise become compromised. The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board will dissect these possibilities and attempt to provide solutions before the upgrade process begins in earnest.

Dahm tells Defense One the Air Force wouldn't conceptualize new nuclear systems without first outlining ideas for addressing security or "surety" concerns.

"You have to be able to certify that an adversary can't take control of that weapon, that the weapon will be able to do what it's supposed to do when you call on it," Dahm says. "It isn't just cyber. That's definitely the biggest piece, but ... when was the last time we built a new nuclear system? Designed and built one? It's been several decades now. We, as an Air Force, haven't done certification of new nuclear systems in a long time. These systems are different. ... What are the surety vulnerabilities for such a system, so to speak? How would you address them? How would you certify that the system will work when you need it to work and will do what it's supposed to do?"

The US nuclear program took center stage this month after President-elect Donald Trump said he wished to expand the country's nuclear capabilities.

"Let it be an arms race," he said. "We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all." This stance flies in the face of nearly 40 years of international nuclear disarmament agreements, laid out in the interest of avoiding global catastrophe.

India's New Intercontinental Nuke

India’s new chariot of fire: Agni V

1 DAY AGO BY SULTAN M HALI
Implications for the region

India tested its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration from Wheeler Island off Odisha on December 26, 2016, paving the way for its eventual induction into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) after user-trials, reported Times of India (TOI).

The nuclear-capable Agni-V, according to Indian media, quoting Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials, can even reach the northernmost parts of China with its strike range of over 5,000-km. Agni-V, was test-fired from its canister on a launcher truck. The DRDO official claimed that “All the test parameters of the missile, which was tested for its full range, were successfully achieved and the missile splashed down near Australian waters.”

TOI also reported that this fourth and final experimental test of the three-stage Agni-V, comes after a gap of two years due to minor technical tweaking required in the ballistic missile as well as the need for India to exercise some strategic restraint when it was seeking entry into the 48-country Nuclear Suppliers Group (which was thwarted by China) and the 34-nation Missile Technology Control Regime (which India joined earlier this year). The tri-Service SFC, established in 2003 to manage India’s nuclear arsenal, will have to conduct at least two user-trials before the 50-tonne missile is produced in adequate numbers for induction.

Indian media reports that while the 17-metre tall Agni-V was tested in an “open configuration” in April 2012 and September 2013, the third test in January 2015 saw it being fired from a hermetically sealed canister mounted on a Tatra launcher truck. DRDO claims that the missile’s canister-launch version makes it even deadlier since it gives the armed forces requisite flexibility to swiftly transport and fire the missile from anywhere they want. Apparently this is a requirement for India’s much touted “Cold Start Strategy”, which has already been successfully countered by Pakistan by developing lethal battlefield tactical nuclear weapons.

Analysts opine that once the Agni-V is inducted, India will join the super exclusive club of countries with ICBMs (missiles with a range of over 5,000-5,500km) alongside the US, Russia, China, France and the UK.

Apart from the shorter-range Prithvi and Dhanush missiles, the SFC has inducted the Agni-I, Agni-II and Agni-III missiles. While these missiles are mainly geared towards Pakistan, the Agni-IV and Agni-V are specifically meant for deterrence against China. Beijing, of course, is leagues ahead in terms of its missile and nuclear arsenals.

But the Indian defence establishment believes the Agni-V is sufficient to take care of existing threat perceptions. Indian media also claims that DRDO has also done some work on developing “maneuvering warheads or intelligent re-entry vehicles” to defeat enemy ballistic missile defence systems, as well as MIRVs (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles) for the Agni missiles. An MIRV payload basically means a single missile is capable of carrying several nuclear warheads, each programmed to hit different targets.

Social media savvy Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, tweeted gleefully: “Successful test firing of Agni V makes every Indian very proud. It will add tremendous strength to our strategic defence.”

Amidst the entire chest thumping and back slapping, gloating with claims of huge success, India is losing sight of two important aspects. Firstly, as reported by TOI, on December 21, Nirbhay missile, touted to carry nuclear warheads to a range of 1,000km, failed for the fourth time. It had been tested four times since March 2013 but failed to achieve the set parameters. Not only it was unsuccessful in yielding the expected results, the missile had to be destroyed in the air as it had deviated from its path and was termed as ‘utter failures’.

Nirbhay, which had been in the making for almost a decade, was meant to provide the Indian armed forces with nuclear-tipped land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs). If it had been a success, India would have been in a position to counter the much dreaded Pakistani Babur LACM.

DRDO, tauntingly called “Dodo” by its own officials and media, was set to be overhauled in 2005 by then Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to clear it of hubris, corruption and the DRDO’s own bureaucratised culture, which are to blame for its constant failures, as well as its penchant for needless publicity and reinventing the wheel. Apparently there has been no change.

Uncritical and downright wrong-headed media coverage leads to the DRDO getting credit for even missiles like the workhorse surface-to-air missile Trishul and Akash and the Nag anti-tank missile, which were to have entered service in 1993-94, and were delayed by decades. In an era in which unmanned aerial aircraft play such a key role, all that the DRDO has to boast about is the Lakshya, a minor aerial vehicle used simply as a target for air-to-air missiles. The Nishant UAV is being kept alive through artificial life-support, as is the Arjun MBT. Tejas, DRDO’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), plagued by various disasters, became obsolete even before it entered service.

Pakistan has expressed concerns over India’s mad race to acquire weapons of mass destruction but going by Indian record of massive technical failures, there is little to worry about. According to Indian analysts, the Pakistani missile arsenal is at least a decade ahead of Prithvi and Agni.

Corruption, sleaze and demanding kickbacks by Indian defence planners have sullied the Indian defence acquisition process to an alarming extent. Former Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi – who suffered the ignominy of recently being arrested by the Indian CBI for alleged corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal – is just the tip of the iceberg. Induction of defective weapons in all three services has led to unnecessary casualties. Readers may recall some of the major scams like the 1948 Jeeps scam, 1987 Bofors scandal (involving former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi), 1999 Kargil coffins scam, Barak Missile scandal, 1999 Tehelka.com sting operation (in which then defence minister George Fernandes was indicted), the 2009 Sudipta Ghosh case and the 2012 Tatra Trucks Scam are but a few of them.

The second aspect, which Indian planners should concern themselves with is the mass poverty in India, which is causing a high suicide rate; the poor housing facilities leading to teeming millions residing on sidewalks for generation, the lack of medical services and absence of medical amenities.

If Narendra Modi, in his blind hatred for Pakistan and China and mad desire to establish India as a major world power at the cost of the much needed welfare of his people, then the Indian media should be grilling him. Modi believes that through his belligerence against Pakistan, testing weapons of mass destruction and trying to run with the big boys of the world, he can make Indians forget their miseries. Indians themselves should question the megalomania of Modi in painting China and Pakistan as arch enemies of India, whereas both countries have extended India the olive branch to peace and have invited India to join in regional development projects which will uplift the quality of life of Indian masses rather than squander scarce resources in amassing weapons of mass destruction.

Iran And Korea's Nuclear Program (Daniel 8:4)

The Iran, North Korea, Pakistan Nuclear Missile Axis

George Rasley, CHQ Editor | 12/30/16

Back in 2002 when I served as Director of Policy and Communications for Congressman Adam Putnam (FL-12) then Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on National Security North Korea Iran Missileand Foreign Affairs he requested a staff report on North Korea’s nuclear program.

Among the unclassified findings of the 38-page report (prepared through the hard work of Legislative Assistants Casey Welch and Tim Coleman) was this appreciation of the nuclear weapons and missile technology cooperation between North Korea and Iran:

Both North Korea and Iran seem to be using the "building block approach," by developing space boosters that could be reengineered and deployed as ballistic missiles. This approach could allow North Korea and Iran to possess a Limited Range ICBM within the next five or ten years, while retaining the option to develop a Full Range ICBM, without initially committing to such a course. In general, the performance attributed to the various missile systems appear to far exceed the performance that would be seen under real-world conditions while carrying a legitimate strategic lethal payload mass, which would not be sufficient to reach the continental United States. However, they present a legitimate lethal threat to the Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and much of Africa.

It seems that the building block approach is intended to allow these countries to develop the technological and managerial infrastructure of their scientific and industrial base that they do not have now, but which are necessary for the development of a Full Range ICBM in the next 10-15 years…

Although the majority of systems being developed and produced today are short- or medium-range ballistic missiles, North Korea's three-stage Taepo Dong-1 SLV demonstrated Pyongyang's potential to cross the 5,500-km ICBM threshold if it develops a survivable weapon for the system. Other potentially hostile nations could cross that threshold during the next 15 years. While it remains extremely unlikely that any potential adversary could inflict damage to the United States or its forces comparable to the damage that Russian or Chinese forces could inflict, emerging systems potentially can kill tens of thousands, or even millions of Americans, depending on the type of warhead, the accuracy, and the intended target…

The proliferation of medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs)--driven primarily by North Korean No Dong sales--has created an immediate, serious, and growing threat to US forces, interests, and allies, and has significantly altered the strategic balances in the Middle East and Asia. We judge that countries developing missiles view their regional concerns as one of the primary factors in tailoring their programs. They see their short- and medium-range missiles not only as deterrents but also as force-multiplying weapons of war, primarily with conventional weapons, but with options for delivering biological, chemical, and eventually nuclear weapons.

The report also noted that the nuclear and missile cooperation between North Korea, Iran and Pakistan was brokered by the notorious anti-Western Pakistani nuclear weapons pioneer A.Q. Khan.

As we reach the end of the 15-year window projected in our report to Congressman Putnam, the Voice of America reports that satellite images taken and analyzed by the intelligence firm Strategic Sentinel discovered a missile silo in Geumchang-ri, a mountainous area in North Pyongan province, where American intelligence believed that the country was conducting nuclear weapons research in the late 1990s.

According to Strategic Sentinel, the missile silo has dimensions very similar to one known to exist in Tabriz, Iran.

“If this Iranian site is housing missiles and the North Korean site that we have uncovered is the exact same dimension, then it’s quite possible that the site that we have uncovered is housing missiles as well,” explained Strategic Sentinel founder Ryan Barenklau. He also suggested that the two countries could be collaborating on nuclear research.

Mr. Barenklau’s politesse is understandable, but there was no question in the intelligence we reviewed in 2002 that North Korea, Iran and also Pakistan had for many years been cooperating on missile technology and nuclear weapons research. And the evidence that cooperation has continued is overwhelming.

Moreover, in the January 2015 issue of The Tower Magazine, investigative journalist Claudia Rosett offered some background on the two rogue nations’ history of joint missile development.

In 1992, for example, a North Korean freighter slipped past U.S. Navy surveillance and delivered a cargo of Scud missiles to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. In 2003, a North Korean defector testified before Congress that he traveled from North Korea to Iran in 1989 and helped the Iranians test-fire a North Korean missile. In 2007, a secret State Department cable made public by Wikileaks stated,

Iran and North Korea have continued their longstanding cooperation on ballistic missile technology via air-shipments of ballistic-missile related items. We assess that some of the shipments consist of ballistic missile jet vanes that frequently transit Beijing on regularly scheduled flights of Air Koryo and Iran Air.

In 2010, a Congressional Research Service report by analyst Larry A. Niksch estimated that “North Korea earns about $1.5 billion annually from missile sales to other countries. It appears that much of this comes from missile sales and collaboration with Iran in missile development.” Also in 2010, the New York Times reported that Iran obtained 19 missiles from North Korea that were “much more powerful than anything Washington has publicly conceded that Tehran has in its arsenal.” This too was based on a classified State Department cable made public by Wikileaks. In 2013, a report from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center stated, “Iran has an extensive missile development program, and has received support from entities in Russia, China, and North Korea.” Among Iran’s ballistic missiles is the intermediate-range Shahab 3, based on North Korea’s No Dong missile, with a range long enough to strike Israel.

This longtime partnership continues to raise the possibility, said Rosett in an article for Forbes, “the two countries are also in nuclear cahoots, because ballistic missiles are basically cost-efficient only as vehicles for delivering nuclear warheads”

Once again, there is no question, based on our 15-year old research that Iran and North Korea – and Pakistan – have cooperated on nuclear weapons and missile technology.

The Executive Summary of our report concluded:

For many years, there has been a lack of understanding of the origin and direction of the North Korean nuclear weapons program, particularly the DPRK’s ongoing effort to develop the capability to deploy a nuclear weapon on a ballistic missile. Equally absent from public discussion and concern is the clear, high level of cooperation between the DPRK and other anti-western regimes and actors, such as A.Q. Khan the father of Pakistan’s bomb, and Iran. While this briefing focuses on the history and capabilities of the North Korean nuclear program, recognizing the relationship between Iran, North Korea and individuals associated with the Pakistani nuclear program will enhance the understanding of this strategic threat.

After the North Koreans tested a nuclear weapon in last January, retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, a former commandant of the U.S. Army War College, explained in simple terms how the cooperation works today.

As our friends at TheTower.org reported, Scales told Fox News that “We know that the Iranians were at the last [North Korean] nuclear test a couple of year ago, [and] we know that the Iranians are helping the North Koreans miniaturize their nuclear weapons.”

Scales further indicated that the North Korean nuclear program experienced several failures until it received assistance from Iran. “What does this say about our nuclear deal with Iran?” Scales asked. “It says Iran is able to circumvent it by using their technological colleagues in Pakistan and their test site facility in North Korea to push their own nuclear ambitions…. The Iranians and North Koreans are both developing long-range ballistic missiles by collaborating together.”

The Axis of nuclear weapons and missile technology proliferation between North Korea, Iran and Pakistan accelerated under Obama, but has proceeded unimpeded through both Republican and Democratic administrations.

When asked what the lesson of the first Gulf War was General S.F.Rodrigues, formerly Chief of Staff of the Indian Army said, "Don't fight the Americans without nuclear weapons." The George Rasley corollary to that observation is “You don’t seek nuclear weapons unless you plan to fight the United States.”

This growing tripartite threat represents one of the great undiscussed strategic challenges facing the incoming Trump administration, and we here at CHQ believe it has gone undiscussed long enough. It is time that Americans know the truth about the threat and that American policymakers deal with it.