NS&D Monitor
6/5/2015
ON THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT
The failure of the 2015 Review Conference on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to result in any consensus final document does not indicate “any lessening of support” for the treaty and does not affect countries’ legal obligations under the treaty, Amb. Adam Scheinman, Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, wrote in a June 1 posting on the State Department’s blog. “This is not the outcome the United States hoped for, but it is not unprecedented. … Since 1975, NPT parties have gathered every five years to review the treaty. Not every Review Conference produced a consensus final document — three did not — reflecting differences one might expect on major security issues,” Scheinman wrote. Held at U.N. Headquarters in New York from April 27 to May 22, the RevCon collapsed mainly over language in the draft document over a Middle East WMD-free zone, as states including the U.S. and Canada objected to that language.
Pakistan will not sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty because it considers it “discriminatory,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Aizaz Ahmad was quoted as saying this week in the Pakistani newspaper DAWN. “It is a discriminatory treaty,” the article quoted Chaudhry as saying during a press briefing. “Pakistan has the right to defend itself, so Pakistan will not sign the NPT. Why should we?” Chaudhry went on to say that Pakistan would maintain a credible deterrent and was not in an arms race with any other countries, according to the article.
IN DOE
Bruce Held retired from his position as Senior Advisor at the Department of Energy late last week. Held assumed the position of senior advisor last May, and before then, served as acting Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and acting National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator. “Bruce provided exceptional leadership over a critical 10 month period, helping to craft a realistic NNSA budget, working effectively with the Nuclear Weapons Council and the Congress, and enhancing communications and trust between DOE headquarters and field elements to advance our national security missions,” Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz said in a message to employees late last week. “In May 2014 Bruce returned to the Office of the Secretary as a Senior Advisor, providing trusted counsel on nuclear governance, lab management, cyber security and other matters. He championed the importance of organizational culture for our mission effectiveness across the entire department and worked tirelessly to enhance that culture in the public service tradition.”
IN THE NNSA
Michael Hickman retired late last week as Director of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Enterprise Project Management (EPM). Hickman served 34 years in government, spending approximately 25 years in senior leadership positions across the Energy Department and NNSA. Hickman has held a variety of positions in DOE, including Acting Deputy Manager for the Los Alamos Field Office in 2013, Technical Director of the Office of Defense Programs Project Management and Systems Support from 2005 to 2010, and Construction Manager of that office from 2004 to 2005, according to an NNSA release.
AT STRATCOM
Capt. Thomas Ishee has been selected for promotion to the rank of rear admiral, and has been nominated to be the Deputy Commander of U.S. Strategic Command’s Joint Functional Component Command for Global Strike, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert announced this week. The position is located at Offutt AFB, Neb. Ishee currently serves as special assistant to the Director of the Undersea Warfare Division (N97) in the CNO’s office in Washington. Prior to his current position, Ishee served as Commander of Submarine Squadron 11 and Commander, Submarine Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet Representative West Coast.
