UN Agency Worried Iran May be Working on Arms

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

It looks like the IAEA has officially realized that Iran is attempting to work on nuclear weapons. A report released Thursday expressed concern about a program the US thought had been halted since 2003. IAEA officials suggested that intelligence supplied by the U.S., Israel and other IAEA member states on Iran’s attempts to use the cover of a civilian nuclear program to move toward a weapons program was compelling. It seems like the world is waking up to the fact that Iran may not have been telling the whole truth about its “civilian nuclear energy” program.

The U.N. nuclear agency on Thursday expressed concern for the first time that Iran may currently be working on ways to turn enriched uranium into a nuclear warhead, instead of having stopped several years ago.

Its report appears to contradict an assessment by Washington that Tehran suspended such activities in 2003. It appears to jibe with the concerns of several U.S. allies that Iran may never have suspended such work.

The U.S. assessment itself may be revised and is currently being looked at again by American intelligence agencies.

Textron Defense Systems Achieves More Than 100 Kilowatts with J-HPSSL High-Power Laser

Textron Defense Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, announced today that its Directed Energy Weapons business line has successfully tested its Joint High-Power Solid State Laser (J-HPSSL) laboratory demonstration device at average power levels in excess of 100 kilowatts. The J-HPSSL program, which is funded by the Joint Technology Office under contract with the U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command, was awarded to Textron Defense Systems in late December 2005.

Textron Defense Systems’ J-HPSSL leverages the company’s proprietary THINZAG(R) solid state laser technology. As a single-aperture power oscillator, the THINZAG optical configuration provides a unique path for scaling solid state lasers to high average power for use in the most stressing mission applications and severe environmental battlefield conditions.

“Our THINZAG technology enables us to achieve and sustain high laser power and beam quality in a compact, ruggedized configuration suitable for the operational environment,” says Dr. John Boness, Textron Defense Systems vice president, Directed Energy Weapons. “As a result, this technology offers the promise of bringing reliable and precise directed energy weapons from the laboratory to the field — from an exciting possibility to a confidence-building reality for warfighters.”

“Our Directed Energy Weapons group has a broad base of laser expertise, firmly grounded in the company’s long history of laser technology research and development,” says Senior Vice President and General Manager Mark Catizone of Textron Defense Systems. “Having reached this high average power goal, we enthusiastically look forward to additional successes as our THINZAG technology continues to mature.”

Textron Defense Systems has decades of laser technology expertise, dating back to its earliest predecessor, the Avco Everett Research Laboratory. Today, the company participates in two of the largest solid state directed energy weapon development programs in the United States: the Joint Technology Office J-HPSSL program and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System, or HELLADS, program.

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India Unveils Shaurya – Submarine Launched Missile

One of the new weapon systems on show was the Shaurya missile – a submarine-launched medium-range ballistic missile, capable of carrying one ton of a conventional, or nuclear armed warhead over a range of 750 km. The Shaurya is specially designed for the new Indian submarines, offering India ‘second strike’ capability, significantly adding to the country’s strategic deterrence. Together with the Agni III missile, that has a range of 3500 km, Shaurya could reach all major cities in mainland China, like Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai, when launched from a submarine off the China coast. It can also cover all the area of Pakistan from off-shore positions in the Arabian Sea. India’s first nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant is currently under construction and could be equipped with the new missile. Shaurya was developed in parallel to the K-15 ‘Sagarika’ ballistic missile, built with significant help from Russia.

Missile Defense Not a Threat to U.S.-Russia “Reset”

Alexander Vershbow Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Alexander Vershbow, ASD of International Security Affairs, spoke on Wednesday about the effect of the recent developments in the European Missile Defense Plan. He believes that discussions with Bulgaria and Romania about future missile sites should not have a long-lasting adverse affect on US-Russia negotiations. Vershbow said that the Russians have know about the possibility of both nations cooperation and should not be surprised by either. He also hoped that cooperation on dealing with Iran’s growing nuclear capability.

The United States has a long way to go before Russia overcomes deeply entrenched skepticism of its missile defense plans, but that does not threaten efforts to “reset” relations, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday.

Moscow has repeatedly demanded clarification from Washington as U.S. missile defense plans in Europe take shape, voicing surprise at Romania’s February offer to host interceptor missiles.

News that Bulgaria expressed a willingness to also play a role further raised alarms.

Alexander Vershbow, assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, said that Washington had not asked Bulgaria to host any missile shield elements so far. He added that Moscow knew last year Romania was a possible site.