Chinese Nuclear Weapon Plans in Libya Investigated
January 7, 2005 :: News
U.S. Intelligence is asking Pakistan to kindly convey written questions to the now infamous proliferator A. Q. Khan about how Libya managed to acquire a surprising level of nuclear and other missile capability, reports Geostrategy-Direct. The existence of such plans was previously reported in July of 2004. Of particular concern are how Chinese-language documents for the design for a nuclear warhead to be fitted on a missile, came to be found in Libya. Pakistan which has pardoned Khan, will also not permit U.S. officials to question him directly. Pakistan is said to be a friend of the United States in the war on terror and anti-proliferation efforts.
This latest incident only confirms that Pakistan is but an intermediary for the larger proliferation by China and Russia. It is no secret, after all, that Pakistan’s missile and nuclear programs were both heavily aided by China. U.S. Intelligence should probably not expect Pakistan to be too forthcoming with incriminating evidence. Perhaps the United States should rather ask China. (Article, Link)
» July 22, 2004: Libya had Chinese nuclear weapon blueprints, materials to build
» More stories on: China, Libya, Pakistan, Proliferation
Libya Had Chinese Nuclear Warhead Design, Materials to Build
July 22, 2004 :: Inside the Ring (Washington Times) :: News
U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has stated that Libya had in its possession not only the blueprints for a Chinese nuclear warhead, but all the components to produce it, reports Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough. The design had apparently come through the A. Q. Khan Pakistani proliferation network, but Secretary Abraham was unwilling to comment as to its source before then: “As to how things got to who, I can’t tell you the chain,” he said. He also noted that in terms of completing a nuclear warhead, they had both the design and materials: “It would take them time to get it done, but they definitely did not lack for the ingredients.
The Chinese, despite their protests and nominal opposition to nuclear and missile proliferation, are in fact very much behind the proliferation of both. States such as Pakistan and North Korea are, indeed, proxy states in such proliferation. One may speculate that Pakistan would not have delivered the Chinese blueprint to Libya if China did not wish it to do so. (Article, Link)
» Report of Libya’s Chinese nuclear weapon design, from geostrategy-direct.com
» More stories on: China, Libya, Nuclear Weapons, Proliferation
Extensive Iranian Presence in Libya, Extensive Missile Development, Contracts
May 25, 2004 :: Middle East Newsline :: News
Middle East Newsline cites intelligence sources revealing an extensive Iranian presence in Libya, which included the development of missiles, and both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction. Some 100 military contracts are said to have existed, and there is apparently an Iranian-built plant in Libya to produce liquid fuel for Libyan missiles.
Said one source: “The United States found evidence of Iranian involvement in virtually every major Libyan weapons program.” One may surmise that Iran was not completely oblivious to Libya’s nuclear program, the uranium for which was recently revealed by the New York Times to be of North Korean origin. There seems little reason to believe that North Korea would be opposed to aiding Iran’s own nuclear programs as well. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Iran, Libya, Proliferation
Libya to Renounce Long Range Missiles, Proliferation Ties with North Korea; To Shorten Scud-B Range
April 12, 2004 :: New York Times :: News
Libya has apparently renounced its long-range missiles and turned its inventory them over to the United States, including its Scud-C, but will keep shorter range Scud-B’s for “self defense” purposes, reports the New York Times. In March Libya sent five Scud-C missiles with a range of 800 kilometers to the United States.
Libya’s Russian-made Scud-B’s which have a range of 300 kilometers, or about 185 miles, and warheads with a payload of 1,000 kilograms, or 2,200 pounds, of explosives. The number of Scud-B’s bought from Moscow is unclear, but is said to be in the hundreds. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Libya
» Missile details: Scud B variant
Libya May Retain Scud B Missiles
March 10, 2004 :: Reuters :: News
Although Libya has given up its missile and WMD programs, it may be permitted to retain some SCUDs for “defensive” purposes. However, those retained would be SCUD-Bs; the more advanced and capable Scud-Cs, made with Norht Korea help, are being shipped to the United States.
“The Scud Bs are pretty old. If you had to make a choice between Scud Cs and Scud Bs—which one would you eliminate first—we got the right ones,” said a senior U.S. official, quoted by Reuters.
So much for disarming Libya. While there are only 5 Scud-Cs being given up, there are possibly some 240 Scud-Bs in Libya’s possession. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Libya
» Missile details: Scud C variant
Tenet Testimony: North Korea Continues Ballistic Missile Advances
February 24, 2004 :: CIA :: News
Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as to the nature and extent of terrorism and the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. In general, he noted that the “picture is changing before our eyes—-changing at a rate I have not seen since the end of the Cold War.” After noting the continued efforts of terrorists such as Al Qaeda to acquire ballistic missiles and WMDs, Tenet went on to roughly outline the major capabilities and proliferation activities of India, Pakistan, Syria, and Iran, but devoted particular attention to three “pivotal states” of concern: China, Russia, and North Korea. (More »»»)
» More stories on: China, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Proliferation, Russia, Syria, Terrorism
CIA Report on WMDs and Ballistic Missile Proliferation
November 10, 2003 :: CIA :: News
The CIA’s most recent intelligence estimate to Congress outlines the state of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile capabilities in a number of “countries of concern,” as well as continued proliferation by Russia, China, and North Korea. (More »»»)
» More stories on: China, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia
Libya Buying Iranian missiles
June 19, 2003 :: Ha'aretz
Libya is reportedly paying large sums to Iran to purchase versions of the Shahab-3 ballistic missile. Ha’aretz also notes that the Iranian government has sent ground-to-ground missile experts to aid in the development of the Libyan missile program. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Iran, Libya, Proliferation
» Missile details: Shahab-6
Wolfowitz: Ship-Launched Missiles Threaten United States
October 24, 2002 :: Department of Defense :: News
Nearly one year to the day after Secretary of Defense Donald Romsfeld warned of a ship based launch of a ballistic missile as already having taken place by an unidentified “rogue state,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz similarly observed the salience of this type of threat:
While much of the discussion of the ballistic missile threat is focused on outlaw states developing long-range ballistic missiles that could reach our shores and those of our friends and allies, let me share with you another possibility. We know that North Korea, Iran and Iraq are developing long-range ballistic missiles. That is the familiar line of threat development. But what is to stop such countries from launching shorter-range ballistic missiles that they already possess today from cargo ships near our shores, perhaps using non-state terrorist surrogates to attack without fingerprints. It’s not a far-fetched threat. The United States test launched a captured German V-2 rocket from the deck of a ship in 1947. And recently we have observed indications of an outlaw state attempting to do the same thing with a short-range ballistic missile from a ship.
(More »»»)
» October 21, 2001: Rumsfeld: a rogue state has tested a ship-launched missile
» More stories on: Iran, Libya, North Korea, Proliferation, Ship-Launched Threat, Testing - Foreign
Rumsfeld: Rogue State has Test-Launched Ship-Based Missile
October 21, 2001 :: Department of Defense :: News
During a press conference held in Russia during his visit there, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that a “rogue state” had successfully tested the shipboard launch of a ballistic missile. “A weapon of mass destruction can be delivered over intercontinental range by a ballistic missile that has less than intercontinental range,” said Rumsfeld. One technique “is to put it on a ship, peel back the cover, use a transporter-erector-launcher, and fire it from a distance shorter than ICBM range. That has been done.”
Rumsfeld did not elaborate, commenting: “I’m calculating in my mind what is classified and what is not.”
But he was quite clear that “a rogue state has done that… They have fired a ballistic missile from a ship simply by peeling back the top, erecting it, firing it off, launching it a good distance, and covering it back up and moving the ship away.”
Rumsfeld also responded to a journalist’s question about chemical or biological missile warheads that, “Yes, there is proof that rogue states have demonstrated the use of chemical weapons on ballistic missiles.”
Rumsfeld did not identify what countries were involved in these programs, but noted that within the admittedly “imperfect phrase” ‘rogue states’, “certainly you would include in that category North Korea and Iraq and Iran and Libya—and North Korea.” (More »»»)
» October 24, 2002: Wolfowitz too speaks of ship launched missile threat
» More stories on: Iran, Libya, North Korea, Proliferation, Ship-Launched Threat, Testing - Foreign
