While the U.S. respects Chinese decisions related to North Korea, the way China is enforcing sanctions on North Korea remains a work-in-progress, a State Department official said on Wednesday. Glyn Davies, the State Department’s special representative for North Korea Policy, … Read More…

Senators Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) introduced the Syria Transition Support Act on Wednesday, a bill that plans for a post-Assad Syria by offering limited lethal weapons to vetted Syrian groups. The bipartisan legislation proposed by Menendez, the … Read More…

The U.S. encouraged North Korea to open up diplomatically and fulfill its international obligations after North Korea’s recent diplomatic visit from Japan, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday. Patrick Ventrell, the acting deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, … Read More…

A strategy that increases financial pressure on Iran while offering the country a way out could contribute to Iran’s cooperation with international obligations for nonproliferation, a high-ranking Treasury Department official said on Wednesday. David Cohen, the undersecretary for terrorism and … Read More…

U.S. Air Force General Philip Mark Breedlove took over command of NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium, on Monday as part of a handover ceremony. Gen. Breedlove took over as Supreme Allied Commander Europe from Admiral James … Read More…

Recent efforts to change the European Union arms embargo with Syria were made to provide technical assistance, not to arm Syrian opposition groups, British Prime Minister David Cameron said during a Monday press conference. Prime Minister Cameron made the statement … Read More…

The U.S. must battle terrorism while remaining wary of approaches that fuel radicalization in the first place, a U.S. ambassador said on Monday during a U.N. Security Council briefing. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan Rice spoke on … Read More…

Ambassadors, diplomats and senior officials with European Union countries and the European Commission visited the International Atomic Energy Agency laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria, on Tuesday for in-depth briefings. Peter Ferros, deputy director general of the EC’s Directorate General for Energy, … Read More…

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged North Korean leadership to negotiate its nuclear nonproliferation during a speech on Thursday in the U.S. Ban made the statements at the spring luncheon for the United Nations Hospitality Committee in New York on Thursday. … Read More…

Russia’s recent assertion of support for the Geneva Communique and the transition to a Syrian government without Bashar al-Assad represents a step forward, the White House said on Thursday. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the U.S. had been … Read More…

A point-of-care device used by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators used to diagnose cancer was recently adapted to rapidly diagnose biothreats like E. coli and other pathogens like tuberculosis. The portable devices combine nuclear magnetic resonance and microfluidic technology to both … Read More…

Bank of China ended its ties with a North Korean bank on Tuesday, a step that represents part of a recent U.N. Security Council resolution, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday. Patrick Ventrell, the acting deputy spokesperson for the … Read More…

U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Guen-hye are determined to work together to achieve the peaceful denuclearization of North Korea, according to a joint statement on Tuesday. Obama and Park presented the joint declaration in celebration of … Read More…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed their work together on Syria and the accusations of chemical weapon use during Kerry’s visit to Moscow on Tuesday. Kerry, Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted … Read More…

The U.S. Department of Defense released a report on Monday that describes China’s military modernization and the Chinese army’s interaction with other forces, including interactions with the U.S. The report, which is called “2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the … Read More…

While a smaller Army must still be prepared for unknown contingencies, sequester issues on top of previous budget cuts are impacting military readiness, Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno said on Tuesday. Odierno spoke to reporters at the Defense … Read More…

The U.N. and NATO must find a way to rekindle common interests in global nuclear non-proliferation, U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane said on Monday. Kane spoke on Monday at the Annual NATO Conference on WMD Arms Control, … Read More…

The U.S. recently condemned Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime for international humanitarian violations after forces reportedly executed more than 100 people in al-Bayda, Syria. White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest made the statements during a press conference on Sunday … Read More…

The U.S. and the U.K. discussed the situations in Syria, Iran and Afghanistan during a meeting at the Pentagon on Thursday meant to strengthen their military-to-military relationship. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told Pentagon reporters … Read More…

Åke Sellström, the leader of the U.N.’s chemical weapons investigation in Syria, visited the U.S. last week with several members of his team, according to a press briefing on Thursday. Patrick Ventrell, the acting deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State … Read More…

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to make a decision soon on the scope of civilian furloughs resulting from sequestration budget cuts, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said on Wednesday. Little said the decision will occur in the near future … Read More…

The world must consider multiple types of approaches to the process of nuclear disarmament if it is to achieve success, a U.N. official recently said during the 10th International Security Forum. Angela Kane, the U.N. high representative for disarmament affairs, … Read More…

Soligenix, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and a developer of biodefense countermeasures, announced a worldwide exclusive collaboration on Wednesday with Intrexon, a synthetic biology company, to develop a treatment for melioidosis. Soligenix plans to develop and commercialize human monoclonal … Read More…

Ichor Medical Systems announced on Tuesday that it was awarded a $11 million contract from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency to develop a broad vaccine against biodefense pathogens. The four-year contract with the San Diego-based biotechnology company will fund … Read More…

U.S. President Barack Obama must develop a plan to stop the violence and the use of chemical weapons by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said on Thursday. Inhofe, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, … Read More…

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renewed his appeal on Monday for on-site access to Syria for the U.N. team probing the alleged use of chemical weapons during the ongoing conflict. Ban addressed reporters in New York with Åke Sellström, a Swedish … Read More…

The U.S. should seek a trilateral, collaborative ballistic missile defense architecture in Asia incorporating U.S., South Korean and Japanese military assets, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said Saturday. Dempsey returned on Saturday from a … Read More…

The U.S. State Department is gathering facts as to whether or not Syria used chemical weapons and crossed President Barack Obama’s red line, according to a press briefing on Friday. Patrick Ventrell, the acting deputy spokesperson for the State Department, … Read More…

The U.S. will continue its diplomatic, developmental and economic engagement in the Asia-Pacific region in the face of fiscal challenges and North Korean threats, a U.S. official said on Thursday. Joseph Yun, the acting assistant secretary for the State Department’s … Read More…

The U.S. is committed to providing security assurances to states that have forsworn nuclear weapons and followed nuclear nonproliferation obligations, according to a statement on Thursday by a high-ranking State Department official. Jeffrey Eberhardt, the director of the Bureau of … Read More…

U.S. Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) recently commented on the inclusion of funding for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal. The NBAF is a proposed biocontainment facility for the study of foreign … Read More…

A total government approach with the State Department in the lead will be needed to address U.S. security cooperation challenges going forward, a high-ranking U.S. official said on Wednesday. Gregory Kausner, the deputy assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau … Read More…