Selected CRS Reports on National Security Policy
Some notable, newly updated reports of the Congressional Research Service, obtained by Secrecy News and published on the Federation of American Scientists web site, include the following:
“Conventional Warheads For Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues for Congress,” updated February 13, 2006.
“U.S. Nuclear Weapons: Changes in Policy and Force Structure,” updated January 27, 2006.
“U.S. Armed Forces Abroad: Selected Congressional Roll Call Votes Since 1982,” updated January 27, 2006.
“Interrogation of Detainees: Overview of the McCain Amendment,” updated January 24, 2006:
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.