DefenceTalkWestern foreign ministers appeared Sunday to have failed in their mission to inject momentum into talks with Iran in Vienna, seven days before the deadline to strike a momentous nuclear deal. The talks were set to continue, however, with US Secretary of State John Kerry remaining in the Austrian capital for further discussions on Monday. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ministers-fail-to-broker-iran-talks-breakthrough-60143/

DefenceTalkIran nuclear talks enter the decisive, dangerous endgame Thursday with a marathon final round of hardball negotiations potentially going all the way to the July 20 finish line. The deal being sought by Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany would finally ease fears of Tehran getting nuclear weapons […]https://www.defencetalk.com/final-push-in-historic-iran-nuclear-talks-60019/

DefenceTalkAir Force Secretary Deborah Lee James today outlined new incentives and measures designed to change the culture of the service’s nuclear force. Following a cheating scandal involving intercontinental ballistic missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, and the subsequent relief of nine officers, a commander’s retirement and 91 other airmen receiving discipline, James […]https://www.defencetalk.com/air-force-secretary-outlines-changes-for-nuclear-force-59953/

DefenceTalkConsolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) will resume its transition to manage and operate the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., effective immediately. CNS, which includes Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI), Lockheed Martin Services, Inc., ATK Launch Systems Inc., SOC LLC, and teaming subcontractor […]https://www.defencetalk.com/lockheed-martin-resume-transition-of-us-nuclear-facility-management-58972/

DefenceTalkIran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany began talks on Tuesday in Vienna on reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal. Iran is under UN and Western sanctions because of suspicions — denied by Tehran — that it wants to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian program. It […]https://www.defencetalk.com/irans-comprehensive-nuclear-accord-a-big-deal-58810/

DefenceTalkRecent satellite imagery suggests North Korea has stepped up excavation work at its main nuclear test site, but there are no signs of an imminent test, a US think-tank said Friday. The images indicate a “significant acceleration in excavation activity” at the remote Punggye-ri test site in the northeast, said the closely-followed 38 North website […]https://www.defencetalk.com/excavation-at-north-korea-nuclear-test-site-us-think-tank-58787/

DefenceTalkIran said Wednesday it would not accept longstanding allegations that its nuclear program once had a military dimension without seeing the secret documents on which the charges are based. “We will not accept any of the (International Atomic Energy) Agency allegations unless its documents are proven and the person who presented them clarifies on what […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-demands-proof-of-nuclear-weapons-allegations-50697/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a sweeping review of the US nuclear force after a series of embarrassing incidents including cheating on an exam by missile officers, officials said Thursday. The Pentagon chief also planned to summon top commanders as recent lapses and allegations “raise legitimate concerns about the department’s stewardship of one of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hagel-orders-review-of-troubled-us-nuclear-force-50159/

DefenceTalkThe United States plans to spend $1 trillion on upgrading and maintaining its nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years, but delays in replacing current systems threaten to weaken US nuclear deterrence, according to a new independent study. “The new procurement schedule still entails significant programmatic risks and will likely result in even higher costs, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-spend-1-trillion-on-nukes-but-payoff-unclear-study-50058/

DefenceTalkNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said Wednesday the Korean peninsula would be engulfed by “massive nuclear disaster” if war breaks out there again, warning the US it will not be safe in the event of a conflict. “If the war breaks out again in this land, it will bring about a massive nuclear disaster and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-warns-of-nuclear-disaster-threatens-us-50012/