US President Barack Obama said on Sunday that al-Qaeda would not hesitate to use a nuclear weapon against the US, before hosting a global summit aimed at thwarting such a nightmare scenario.
Obama was to seek support from fellow leaders for his effort to safeguard all unsecured nuclear material around the world within four years when he opened the largest summit chaired by a US president in 65 years yesterday.
He conjured up the horrific possibility of a nuclear detonation in New York City, London or Johannesburg, and the serious global economic, political and security trauma that would result, to characterize the gravity of the threat.
“The single biggest threat to US security, both short-term, medium-term and long-term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Obama said on the eve of the two-day summit.
“This is something that could change the security landscape of this country and around the world for years to come,” Obama said. “We know that organizations like al-Qaeda are in the process of trying to secure a nuclear weapon — a weapon of mass destruction that they have no compunction at using.”
Despite the focus on extremist groups, two states — Iran and North Korea, which already has the bomb — will cast a shadow over the global meet.
Washington is leading an effort to toughen sanctions within weeks on Iran over its nuclear program, which the US and its allies say is aimed at producing weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
The White House will seek concrete commitments from world leaders on securing stockpiles of separated plutonium and uranium to ensure that they cannot be stolen, smuggled or sold to extremists.
“The threat of nuclear war ... has diminished. The threat of nuclear terrorism has increased,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News.
To begin his counter-proliferation drive, Obama met Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazerbayev and South African President Jacob Zuma.
He also held talks with Indian Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Yousuf Raza Gilani.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source