Pakistan Rapidly Adding Nuclear Arms

[Merlin]

The CIA Director Panetta said the US does not know the location of all Pakistan's nukes.

Panetta: Location of all Pakistan nukes not known

LOS ANGELES (AP) — CIA Director Leon Panetta said Monday the United States does not know the location of all of Pakistan's nuclear weapons but is confident the country has them secure.

Panetta spoke days after the top U.S. military officer told Congress there is evidence Pakistan is adding to its nuclear weapons systems and warheads. Pakistan, however, denies it.

The CIA director was asked about Pakistan's nuclear program at a forum organized by the Pacific Council on International Policy.

"We don't have, frankly, the intelligence to know where they all are located," Panetta said, adding the U.S. is confident the Pakistani government has a "pretty secure approach to try to protect these weapons."

That security is something the U.S. is watching, he said. "The last thing we want is to have the Taliban have access to nuclear weapons in Pakistan."

At a congressional hearing last week, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked whether there was evidence that Pakistan was adding to its nuclear arsenal. He replied: "Yes."

Pakistan is battling a growing Islamic insurgency with links to al-Qaida and the Taliban, and Washington is considering giving the government billions of dollars in aid to fight it.

Mullen said in Washington on Monday that the U.S. has focused some aid in recent years on improving the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, and the country has used it for that purpose. ....

[kuku]

Yawn, maybe India can show us how it is done, or teach us how to spend/condition our spending of our own money....

I dont think India can, or that USA will listen, or even if the question should be about US financial help to Pakistan, nations can always (and many times they do this, as is the case in the part of the world i live in) make more of its citizens go hungry to achieve its security/military goals.

May be they will develop their capability to make more nuclear weapons, with or without US financial help.

It seems that no options available for US, they will be more worried about achieving their goals in Afghanistan (so that they can call it a victory).

Its your money, as long as they spend it on keeping your guys in Afghanistan safe its quite all right. Your nation has plenty of money.

[axeman]

And yet no one has made the US decide how to spend its money. If people don't like it, fine, lobby your nation to underwrite Pakistan and throw as many conditions/non-conditions on the money as your public cares about.

India can't make the US spend its money wisely. All we ask is that it isn't used to prepare for a war (conventional or otherwise) against us. Is it too much to ask ? Should we not expect you chaps to try to eliminate terror ? Or does it only count when comes wackjobs attack New York ? Do you find it acceptable that New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. get attacked every now and then ? That is the attitude the US is projecting. BTW, make no mistake - your money is being used against India, and not for fighting terror groups.

PS: Please do reply to the questions above.

[Tronic]

India can't make the US spend its money wisely. All we ask is that it isn't used to prepare for a war (conventional or otherwise) against us. Is it too much to ask ? Should we not expect you chaps to try to eliminate terror ? Or does it only count when comes wackjobs attack New York ? Do you find it acceptable that New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. get attacked every now and then ? That is the attitude the US is projecting. BTW, make no mistake - your money is being used against India, and not for fighting terror groups.

PS: Please do reply to the questions above.

axe, To put it bluntly, India's security is not anybody elses responsibility but India's. Every nation has its own interests to follow, and the sooner India learns that, the better. Infact, India's vote against one of its own friends, Iran, was the stupidest thing India did; heck, even Pakistan was smart enough to abstain. As I've said before, blame India's own foreign policy, no one else.

Also, look at India of the past if you want answers to solve India's external threat problems. A time when India wasn't afraid to give the finger to a superpower and attack its ally. Think, what would Indira Gandhi's governments response have been to Operation Tupac or Kargil? Right now, India would not have been thinking how to attack Pakistan without escalating the conflict, rather, Pakistan would've been thinking how to wage proxy war against India without escalating the conflict. India has gone far too soft and pacifist on its foreign policy, something which her foes have taken advantage of.

[chankya]

Its your money, as long as they spend it on keeping your guys in Afghanistan safe its quite all right. Your nation has plenty of money.

Actually I still don't see how that makes it allright. It's their money and theirs to spend. No disputing that.

However they're still arming a state sponsor of terror. Why should that be okay with anyone? Arming terrorists or their sponsors is wrong. We might not be able to do a damn thing about it but that sure as hell doesn't mean we can't bitch about it. Hell we could learn a lesson or two from all the moaning and bitching that goes on every time there is the faintest whiff of an arms sale to Iran. At that a 'sale' has a figleaf of commerciality to it which should appeal to the capitalist in us all. These are freebies.

"why don't you show us how to do it" is a silly argument to make.

[troung]

India can't make the US spend its money wisely. All we ask is that it isn't used to prepare for a war (conventional or otherwise) against us. Is it too much to ask ?

Ain't Indian money.

Should we not expect you chaps to try to eliminate terror ?

It is our tax money for our president to blow. Blow your own money and put as many conditions as you want on it.

Or does it only count when comes wackjobs attack New York ?

Or people our government gets lobbied to really like at the expense of tax money.

Do you find it acceptable that New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. get attacked every now and then ?

Do Indians?

Maybe they should pay Pakistan money and condition it.

That is the attitude the US is projecting. BTW, make no mistake - your money is being used against India, and not for fighting terror groups.

Mehh, actually our money is at worst freeing up money to be used to against
India, and at best being used to give a good half assed pretend job to get more money from America.

"why don't you show us how to do it" is a silly argument to make.

Sarcasm, but the point is; India is not a party to the contract.

[chankya]

Sarcasm, but the point is; India is not a party to the contract.

Nope. The point is that you're arming and funding a nation that sponsors terrorism. Just that simple.

[kuku]

However they're still arming a state sponsor of terror. Why should that be okay with anyone?

Arming terrorists or their sponsors is wrong. We might not be able to do a damn thing about it but that sure as hell doesn't mean we can't bitch about it.

I dont think we are bitching about it, or that it even matters if we do, does Pakistan developing its nuclear weapons program make a difference to USA, does it hurt their interests as long as Pakistan holds on to its side of the promise?

Why would USA care if Pakistan is supporting and funding terrorists in India?

[Officer of Engineers]

Things don't add up for me. Pak nukes are uranium based and they've already gone through a great deal of money and tears to get them. Now, they're starting Pu seperation which means that they're back to square one ... this time with no help from the Chinese. Without help from the Chinese, it's a race they've already lost against India.

[Merlin]

Here are some more pictures and details. Click into the link to read more.

Expert Says Pakistan Improving Quality Of Nuclear Arsenal

May 20, 2009 WASHINGTON -- The Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based nongovernmental organization that focuses on the spread of nuclear weapons, has released reports showing how Pakistan has been greatly expanding its nuclear-weapons production complex in recent years.

The conclusions are based on comparisons of commercial satellite imagery from 2004 and 2008 at several of Pakistan's nuclear facilities. RFE/RL correspondent Heather Maher spoke to David Albright, one of the authors of the reports.

RFE/RL: What major findings have been revealed by the commercial satellite images of Pakistan's nuclear weapons complex that you have studied?

David Albright: The images reveal that Pakistan is expanding its nuclear-weapons-production complex. It has been going on for several years, but within a few years it will be finished.

Most of the renovations that we've found, at least, focus on making pretty large quantities of plutonium. And that says to us that Pakistan wants to change the nature of its nuclear arsenal.

Traditionally, it has used weapons-grade uranium as the nuclear-explosive fuel. And that allowed it to build certain types of fission weapons. If they go to plutonium as the fuel for nuclear weapons, they can build smaller nuclear weapons."

RFE/RL: What is significant about Pakistan developing the ability to make smaller nuclear weapons?

Albright: They could put them on more types of delivery vehicles -- such as cruise missiles. They could also be able to build, or try to build, thermonuclear weapons. They are pretty big, normally. And if you use plutonium in a nuclear trigger, it is an atomic bomb that sets off the thermonuclear material. Then you can get a smaller thermonuclear weapon.

And so we think the focus of Pakistan will be not just on increasing the number of its weapons, but increasing their lethality and the destructive power of those weapons." ...

[Officer of Engineers]

Best always goto the original source of the quote

Institute for Science and International Security

[Vinod2070]

As Churchill said: USA always does the right thing....











After trying everything else! ;)

They seem to be still trying everything else now. For a while it appeared all the follies had been already committed.

Guess there are some still left.

[axeman]

Do Indians?

Maybe they should pay Pakistan money and condition it.

Ahh, yes. Why didn't we think of it ? Just pay them money !
Perhaps now you can bribe Ahmedinejad and throw some money at Osama not to attack you. Have you thought of running for President ?

Mehh, actually our money is at worst freeing up money to be used to against
India, and at best being used to give a good half assed pretend job to get more money from America.

And you don't have a problem with that at all ?

Sarcasm, but the point is; India is not a party to the contract.

Perhaps the US shouldn't bother asking us to move troops from the border and trying to make "peace" with Pakistan for the sake of the war on terror ? But it does, nay ?