Strategic Trust-Building

EWI Vice President of Program Development and Rapid Response Greg Austin was interviewed on Czech Television about challenges for NATO's new Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

EWI Vice President Greg Austin comments in a Defense News story about NATO's efforts to counter potential threats from cyber attacks.

Austin's quote: "In launching work on its new security concept, NATO officials have flagged their efforts to understand how the mutual commitment to defense of all members might play out in the event of a major cyberattack by one state on another."

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press Writer  

NEW YORK May 19, 2009 (AP)

Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in one to three years and a nuclear warhead in another five years after that, a group of U.S. and Russian scientists and experts said in a report issued Tuesday.

They said Iran is also making advances in rocket technology and could develop a ballistic missile capable of firing a 1,000-kilogram (2,200-pound) nuclear warhead up to 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) "in perhaps six to eight years."

The EastWest Institute, a nonpartisan organization which focuses on global challenges, said it brought six U.S. experts and six Russian experts together for the first time to produce a joint threat assessment on Iran's nuclear and missile potential...

Ria Novosti, the Russian News agency, covered EWI’s report, Euro-Atlantic Security: One Vision, Three Paths. “The principle of equal safety should be realized for all,” said Russian Ambassador Vadim Lukov in his interview about the report. 

Iran test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile yesterday which Western analysts believe is capable of hitting targets in Israel, as well as southern Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East.

Ahmadinejad told the cheering crowd that he had been informed by the country's Defense Minister of the launch. He described the test as successful, and said the new missile, Sejil 2, contains "advanced technology," "precision guidance," and that it is able to exit the atmosphere before reentering to strike "precisely on target." Meanwhile, a joint U.S.-Russian report by the EastWest Institute said yesterday that Iran may be one to three years away from developing a nuclear weapon, and commented on Tehran's significant advance in ballistic missile technology. The report said Iran is six to eight years away from developing a ballistic missile capable of carrying a 900 kilogram nuclear warhead.

WASHINGTON — Iran test-fired a new missile Wednesday with a range capable of reaching Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East. The missile test came at a time when President Obama is trying to reach out to the Iranian regime and stop it from building a nuclear weapon. USA TODAY's international affairs correspondent Ken Dilanian answers questions about the launch and what it means for the U.S... A report by the EastWest Institute, a think tank, said that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device within one to three years, and could develop a nuclear warhead for ballistic missiles in six to eight years...

A group of 12 prominent Russian and US scientists concluded that Iran would need six to eight years to develop a ballistic missile that could carry a 1,000kg payload 2,000km. The unprecedented study was commissioned as tensions between Washington and Moscow grew amid George W. Bush’s plan to install a missile defence shield in Europe. Retired General James Jones, now the US national security adviser, was one of the leading proponents of the study before he entered the government.

A report on Iran's nuclear capabilities, released earlier in May 2009 by the EastWest Institute think tank, said that "with the components and technologies it now has, Iran could hypothetically build missiles with a range of 3,000km or more".

But the group said it would be at least another 10 to 15 years before Iran developed advanced intermediate-range ballistic missiles or intercontinental ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads.

(CBS/AP) - Iran's nuclear and missile programs have alarmed Israel. The country's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pressed Obama to step up pressure on Tehran when the two met in Washington on Monday. Israeli officials had no immediate comment on the Iranian missile launch.

Moshe Arens, a former Israeli defense minister who trained in the U.S. as an aerospace engineer, said Wednesday's test was apparently part of Iran's broader quest to develop more advanced missiles and nuclear capability...The study published by the nonpartisan EastWest Institute also said Iran is making advances in rocket technology and could develop a ballistic missile capable of firing a 2,200-pound nuclear warhead up to 1,200 miles "in perhaps six to eight years."