CND Press Roundup Thursday 1st December 2022

War in Ukraine / NATO

• Katoikos runs an opinion on the imperative for de-escalation in Ukraine and the urgent need for peace talks and negotiations.

• The Telegraph reports on a proposal by Boeing to the US Department of Defence, that would send new precision bombs to Ukraine as early as the spring. The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) system has a range of 100 miles – around twice the range of the HIMARs currently being used by Ukrainian forces.

• Leaked polling for Russia’s Federal Guard Service suggests domestic support for the war in Ukraine has waned significantly since the February invasion. Just one in four people support the war, down from 57 percent in July.

• Russia’s Defence Minister said Wednesday that the Kremlin will focus on building its nuclear infrastructure in 2023. Reuters reportsthat Sergei Shoigu said the country “would also work to improve the combat capabilities of its missile forces and that facilities were being built to accommodate new missile systems.”

• That’s as Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov said it was vital to avoid any confrontation between nuclear powers – even if it was limited to conventional weapons. “The escalation may become uncontrollable,” he added.

• Russia has appointed Yuriy Chernichuk, the chief engineer at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as its new director. The plant’s previous chief, Ihor Murashov, was abducted by Russian troops in October.

• Germany and Norway have jointly asked NATO to “coordinate the protection of Europe’s subsea infrastructure” in the wake of this year’s attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

Royal Navy

• The MoD has announced a £15.4 million contract to Plymouth-based firm MSubs, for a crewless submarine to be delivered to the Navy within two years.

US in Britain

• The UK’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation has announced £117 million worth of contracts “to deliver repair and maintenance services” to US Air Forces bases in Britain. Hard facilities management services apply to US bases at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Croughton, RAF Molesworth, RAF Alconbury, RAF Fairford and RAF Menwith Hill.The contracts support current and future operational requirements by providing property maintenance, repairs, servicing, and hard facilities management to buildings used by the US Forces, as well as housing at Lakenheath.

AUKUS

• A report into Australia’s dumped attack submarine deal with France has unveiled that the previous government of Malcom Turnbull lied to the public about the true cost of the deal. While the public figures for the contract were said to be AU$50 billion, private audits pegged the true cost of the programme at AU$80 billion. The Australian DoD defended the discrepancy with The Guardian reporting that the department told “auditors it had been trying to protect commercial ‘sensitivities’ when the submarine project was still open to tender.” The deal was eventually dropped in favour of Canberra joining AUKUS – the pact to deliver US or UK-made nuclear-powered subs.

French Nuclear Testing

• French Polynesia’s President has suggested that France changes its constitution so it can recognise the legacy of France’s nuclear weapons tests. Edouard Fritch’s comments come as the national government plans an overhaul of the relationship with its overseas departments and territories within the French republic.

UK Nuclear Energy

• The New Civil Engineer looks at how nuclear power has become a key feature of the UK’s new energy strategy – and the need for government support for both the rollout of small modular reactors and the faster rollout of larger reactor designs.

• The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has unveiled a £200,000 award for England’s newest community forest in Cumbria.

Nuclear Energy

• EDF, South Korea’s KHNP, and the US-Canadian Westinghouse are all vying for a contract to build nuclear reactors for Czechia.