Russian Nuclear Y2K Threat

By David McGuire, Newsbytes

July 30, 1999

Y2K-related computer glitches could cause nuclear early warning defense systems to go haywire, generating false information about nuclear attacks, according to a pair of US senators.

Sens. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Robert Bennett, R-Utah, released a joint statement today, warning of the danger and urging Russian authorities to reopen talks about establishing, on a temporary basis, a joint nuclear early warning center with the United States.

Development of such a center had been under way but was suspended during NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia.

"We aren't trying to get too alarmist here, but we still haven't been able to get the Russians back to the table," Dodd spokesperson Unice Lieberman told Newsbytes today. Bennett and Dodd are both members of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem.

There are some 6,000 Russian nuclear weapons "pointed" at the United States, according to the senators.

In addition to the joint statement, Bennett and Dodd today released a letter that they sent earlier this week to Sergei Stepashin, prime minister of the Russian Federation.

In the letter, dated July 27, the senators wrote, "It is still our wish that key U.S. and Russian Y2K decision-makers can meet next month to examine the kind of collaborative Y2K efforts that would benefit both of our countries."

Lieberman stressed that nuclear weapons in the US and abroad can't be launched automatically, but warned that dangers still exist.

"Nuclear weapons can't go off by themselves, but you could have some misinterpreted data," Lieberman said.

The proposed joint early warning center, called the Y2K Center for Strategic Stability has already been built in Colorado Springs, Colo., but needs to be linked to Russia to be operational.

http://currents.net/newstoday/99/07/30/news1.html

-- (just@helping.out), July 31, 1999

Answers

just@,

"There are some 6,000 Russian nuclear weapons "pointed" at the United States, according to the senators."

I recall Billy Bob telling us that there where no nukes aimed at the USA. I felt perfectly safe till now.

-- Mark Hillyard (foster@inreach.com), July 31, 1999.

What makes any US Senators think Russia will renege on their public emphatic vow to nuke us as a Y2K "accident" if we went near Yugoslavia? Duh? Does our govt lack brains, memories, and a sense of cause --> effect? Hell-OO

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), July 31, 1999.

[ Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only ]

7/31/99 -- 4:59 PM, Up on AP Breaking News:

Reactor at Bulgaria's nuclear plant switched off

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - The oldest reactor at Bulgaria's only nuclear plant was switched off Saturday when there was a short circuit in one of the turbines, officials said.

The radiation situation remained normal, the company's press office announced. It said the power had been limited and the reactor was ``in subcritical condition as required by operation instructions.''

The accident occurred at 3:30 p.m. at one of the 440-megawatt reactors of the Kozlodui plant, 125 miles north of Sofia.

The facility has four, 440-megawatt pressurized water units that do not have safety encasements and were brought on line between 1974 and 1982. Two newer 1,000-megawatt units with encasements were installed in 1987 and 1989. All the reactors are Soviet-designed.

Bulgaria has invested over $100 million to upgrade the reactors' safety systems and has repeatedly balked at calls from the West to close them down.

The plant provides 40 percent of the country's electricity.
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Anybody noticing an increase of these types of incidents lately? YES! Soon a new category like Explosions/Fires had to become?

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-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), July 31, 1999.

Also see this article from the July issue of Air Force Magazine:

http://www.afa.org/magazine/0799midnight.html

"Midnight Crossing"

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 31, 1999.

Here's an article by Mr. Blair of the Brookings Institute. Covers nuclear reactor failures, nukewar warnings sytems, "perimeter" doomsday machine, accidental launches etc.

Nuclea r Y2K Dangers in Russia

-- number six (Iam_not_a_number@hotmail.com), August 01, 1999.