Nuclear Calendar

Early Jan.	President Bush releases an unclassified, executive summary of a Global Nuclear Security report to Congress on the security of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon material outside the United States (possible). The report has been written and is now at the White House awaiting release (Public Law 110-181, Sec. 3134).
Early Jan.	State Department's International Security Advisory Board issues a report on China's Strategic Modernization (possible). A draft of the report is on the Washington Times website.
Jan. 7-8	Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte meets with Chinese officials. North Korea's nuclear program is on the agenda. Beijing
Jan. 8	10:00 a.m., Defense Secretary's Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Management, chaired by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, submits its final classified and unclassified reports to the Defense Department on needed changes in nuclear weapons management. Pentagon, DOD Briefing Room, Washington
Jan. 12	9:30-11:00 a.m., Stephen Schwartz, editor of The Nonproliferation Review, and Deepti Choubey, Carnegie Endowment, "Nuclear Security Spending--Assessing Costs, Identifying Priorities." Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington. RSVP by noon, Jan. 9 to Kathleen Donaldson by email.
Week of Jan. 12	Chairs of the House and Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittees complete an energy and water appropriations bill for fiscal year 2009, which will be included in a larger omnibus appropriations bill and later submitted to President Obama (tentative).
Jan. 13	10:00 a.m., Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, hearing on the nomination of Steven Chu to be Energy Secretary. 366 Dirksen Senate Building, Washington. New date and time. Video webcast on the committee website and on OpenHearings.org; audio only on CapitolHearings.org. May be broadcast and video and audio webcast on C-SPAN2.
Jan. 13 or 14	Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hearing on the nomination of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State (estimate). 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington. Video webcast on the committee website and on OpenHearings.org; audio only on CapitolHearings.org. May be broadcast and video and audio webcast on C-SPAN2.
Jan. 16-20	House and Senate Martin Luther King Jr. Day-Inauguration recess
Jan. 19	Martin Luther King Jr. Day (federal holiday)
Jan. 19	Conference on Disarmament first session for 2009 begins. Geneva
Jan. 20	Noon, Inauguration of President Obama. U.S. Capitol, Washington. Broadcast and video and audio webcast on C-SPAN, and broadcast on CNN and other networks.
Jan. 21	10:00 a.m., House Armed Services Committee, hearing on World at Risk: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, with former Sen. Bob Graham (FL), former Rep. Jim Talent (MO), and Graham Allison, Harvard University. 2118 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington. Video and audio webcast on the committee website.
Jan. 21	Noon-1:30 p.m., Dean Wilkening, Stanford University, "Technical Effectiveness of European Missile Defense." Stanford University, Encina Hall, Hills Conference Room, 616 Serra St., Second Floor, Stanford, CA
Jan. 23	1:00 p.m., Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican leader, "The Agenda of the 111th Congress." National Press Club, Ballroom, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington. May be broadcast and video and audio webcast on C-SPAN or on C-SPAN2.
Jan. 27	9:30 a.m., Senate Armed Services Committee, hearing with Defense Secretary Robert Gates on challenges facing the Department of Defense. 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington. Video webcast on OpenHearings.org; audio only on CapitolHearings.org.
Jan. 29	3:30-5:00 p.m., Dane Swango, UCLA, and Scott Sagan, Stanford University, "Participation in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty." Stanford University, Encina Hall, Hills Conference Room, 616 Serra St., Second Floor, Stanford, CA
Jan. 29-Feb. 2	House of Representatives recess for the Republican Issues Conference
Jan. 30	9:00 a.m.-3:15 p.m., American Enterprise Institute, "The Imam Returned: Thirty Years of Revolution in Iran," with 16 speakers. American Enterprise Institute, 1150 17th St., NW, 12th Floor, Washington. RSVP online.
Jan. 31	President reports to Congress on a plan to secure nuclear weapons, material, and expertise in the former Soviet Union (22 U.S. Code Sec. 5952 note). The report is usually included as an appendix in the annual report to Congress on how the Cooperative Threat Reduction (Nunn-Lugar) Program can contribute to implementing the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), or "Moscow Treaty," and to securing Russian nuclear weapons and material (Treaty Document 107-8, Sec. 2(1)).
Feb. 2	President Obama submits the federal budget to Congress. (The budget, prepared by the Bush administration, is expected to be a simple, "continuing services" budget.)
Feb. 5-9	House of Representatives recess for the Democratic Issues Conference
Feb. 10	Israeli general election
Feb. 11	Noon-1:30 p.m., Amandeep Singh Gill, "The Science and Politics of Testing in India: What to Expect After the Nuclear Deal?" Stanford University, Encina Hall, Hills Conference Room, 616 Serra St., Second Floor, Stanford, CA
Feb. 13	Time TBA, ICAS Liberty Foundation, "The Korean Peninsula Issues." Location TBA, Capitol Hill, Washington
Feb. 14-22	House and Senate Presidents Day recess
Feb. 15	President reports to Congress on how the Cooperative Threat Reduction (Nunn-Lugar) program can contribute to implementing the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), or "Moscow Treaty," and to securing Russian nuclear weapons and material (Treaty Document 107-8, Sec. 2(1)).
Feb. 15	Defense Department's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation reports to Congress on the effectiveness of the ballistic missile defense system (10 U.S. Code 2431 note).
Feb. 15	Energy Department reports to Congress on the mixed oxide (MOX) plant at the Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC (Public Law 107-314, Sec. 3182).
Feb. 16	Presidents Day (federal holiday)
Feb. 19-20	NATO defense ministers informal meeting. Krakow, Poland
Feb.	Czech and Polish legislatures vote on the agreements for the proposed U.S. missile defense sites (possible). Prague, Czech Republic and Warsaw, Poland
March 2-6	International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors meeting. Vienna, Austria
March 5	NATO foreign ministers meeting
March 6	Federal continuing resolution, which funds most of the federal government, expires.
March 13-16	Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, VA (March 13-15), and Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol St., NE, Washington (March 16)
March 15	President reports to Congress on Russian proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile items to Iran and to other countries of proliferation concern (22 U.S. Code Sec. 5952 note).
March 16	Due date for comments on the Energy Department's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership draft PEIS (Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement). Comments can be submitted online.
March 27	Conference on Disarmament first session for 2009 ends. Geneva
March 31	Energy Department reports to Congress on its plutonium "pit" production plan (Senate Report 108-105, p. 110).
March	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory completes the National Ignition Facility. Livermore, CA
March or April	President Obama submits a budget amendment to Congress for fiscal year 2010 (estimate).
April 1	Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, chaired by former Defense Secretary William Perry, issues its final report to Congress (Public Law 110-181, Sec. 1062 and Public Law 110-417, Sec. 1060).
April 1	NATO 60th anniversary summit. Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany
April 1	Defense Department reports to Congress on nonnuclear prompt global strike technologies (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 257).
April 4-19	House and Senate spring recess (House recess is through April 20.)
April 5-6	Friends Committee on National Legislation, spring lobby weekend. Washington
April 6-7	Carnegie International Nonproliferation Conference, Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington. Register online.
April 8	Passover begins at sundown.
April 10	Good Friday
April 12	Easter
April 12	Director of National Intelligence reports to Congress on Iran's capability to produce nuclear weapons (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 1234).
April 13-May 1	UN Disarmament Commission annual meeting. United Nations
April 14	Energy Department reports to Congress on a research and development plan to improve nuclear forensics capabilities (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 3114).
April 15	President reports to Congress on the implementation of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), or "Moscow Treaty" (Treaty Document 107-8, Sec. 2(2)).
April 25-29	Alliance for Nuclear Accountability DC Days. Washington
April or May	Indian general election
May 1	Defense Department reports to Congress on counterproliferation programs (22 U.S. Code Sec. 2751 note). (Previous reports are posted on the Defense Department website.)
May 3-5	American Israel Public Affairs Committee, annual policy conference. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl., NW, Washington
May 4-15	Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty preparatory committee meeting for the review conference in 2010. United Nations, New York
May 18	Conference on Disarmament second session for 2009 begins. Geneva
May 20	President reports to Congress on nonproliferation and threat reduction objectives (50 U.S. Code Sec. 2357g).
May 23-31	House and Senate Memorial Day recess (House recess is through June 1.)
May 25	Memorial Day (holiday)
May	House Armed Services Committee, markup of the defense authorization bill, which includes the nuclear weapons programs of the Energy Department (estimate)
May	House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, markup of the defense authorization bill, which includes the nuclear weapons programs of the Energy Department (estimate)
June 4	United Kingdom general elections (possible). (Local and European Parliament elections are scheduled for June 4. General elections may also be scheduled for that day.)
June 12	Iranian presidential election
June 19	President submits a National Security Strategy report to Congress (50 U.S. Code Sec. 404a).
June 22-24	Arab Institute for Security Studies, "Proliferation of Nuclear Energy in the Middle East." Amman, Jordan
June 27-July 5	House and Senate Independence Day recess (House recess is through July 6.)
July 3	Independence Day observed (holiday)
July 3	Conference on Disarmament second session for 2009 ends. Geneva
July 4	Independence Day
July 8-10	G8 summit. La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy
July 16	Anniversary of "Trinity," the first nuclear test. Alamogordo, NM
July	Missile Defense Agency conducts a ground-based missile defense test, FTG-05B (tentative). Kodiak Launch Complex, AK, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA
July or Aug.	Iran begins operating the Bushehr nuclear power plant (possible).
Aug. 3	Conference on Disarmament third and final session for 2009 begins. Geneva
Aug. 6	Anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing
Aug. 8-Sept. 8	Senate August recess
Aug. 9	Anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing
Aug. 21	First day of Ramadan
Aug. 24-28	Biological Weapons Convention, meeting of experts. Geneva
Sept. 1	President releases an unclassified, executive summary of a Global Nuclear Security report to Congress on the security of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon material outside the United States (Public Law 110-181, Sec. 3134).
Sept. 1	Defense Department reports to Congress on a review of nonnuclear prompt global strike concepts (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 257).
Sept. 7	Labor Day (holiday)
Sept. 7-11	International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors meeting. Vienna, Austria
Sept. 11	Anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
Sept. 14-18	International Atomic Energy Agency general conference. Yukiya Amano of Japan or Abdul Samad Minty of South Africa will be presented as the new general-director. Vienna, Austria
Sept. 18	Conference on Disarmament third and final session for 2009 ends. Geneva
Sept. 18-20	House and Senate Rosh Hashanah recess
Sept. 18	Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown.
Sept. 21	President Obama addresses the UN General Assembly (estimate). United Nations. Broadcast on CNN and video webcast on the UN website.
Sept. 21	Eid ul-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan
Sept. 22	International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors meeting. Vienna, Austria
Sept. 23-25	Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. United Nations
Sept. 26-28	House and Senate Yom Kippur recess
Sept. 27	German Federal Assembly, or Bundestag, election
Sept. 27	Yom Kippur begins at sundown.
Sept.	U.S. Air Force begins preliminary operations of the Global Strike Command for nuclear missiles and bombers.
Sept.	Annual UN Department of Public Information/NGO Conference entitled "Peace and Disarmament" (tentative). Mexico City, Mexico
Oct. 1	Federal budget year begins.
Oct. 1-Nov. 3	UN General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) meets. United Nations
Oct. 1	National Nuclear Security Administration administrator reports to Congress on a review of the Global Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention program (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 3116).
Oct. 9	5:00 a.m. EDT, Nobel Peace Prize announced (estimate). Oslo, Norway
Oct. 12	Columbus Day (federal holiday)
Oct. 14	President reports to Congress on the inventory of the nuclear arsenals of all countries, an assessment of their risks, and recommendations for improving security and safeguards (Public Law 100-417, Sec. 1044).
Oct. 14	Director of National Intelligence reports to Congress on Iran's capability to produce nuclear weapons (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 1234).
Oct. 18	10th anniversary of the Senate defeat of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
Oct. 24	United Nations Day
Oct. 30	Congress adjourns (tentative).
Nov. 6-8	Swedish Network for Nuclear Disarmament, "Reaching Nuclear Disarmament: The Role of Civil Society in Strengthening the NPT." Stockholm, Sweden
Nov. 9	20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Nov. 11	Veterans Day (federal holiday)
Nov. 11-12	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation foreign ministers meeting. Singapore
Nov. 12-15	Friends Committee on National Legislation annual meeting. Washington
Nov. 14-15	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Singapore
Nov. 26	Thanksgiving (holiday)
Nov. 26-27	International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors meeting. Vienna, Austria
Nov. 30-Dec. 4	Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons annual meeting. The Hague, Netherlands
Dec. 1	Energy Department submits a classified report to Congress on the U.S. current and projected: (1) number of nuclear weapons of each type in the active and reserve stockpiles, (2) strategic rationale for each type, and (3) past and projected future total direct lifecycle cost of each type (House Report 110-921, p. 125).
Dec. 1	Yukiya Amano of Japan or Abdul Samad Minty of South Africa takes office as the new International Atomic Energy Agency director-general. Vienna, Austria
Dec. 5	START nuclear arms reduction treaty expires.
Dec. 7-11	Biological Weapons Convention annual meeting. Geneva
Dec. 11	Hanukkah begins at sundown.
Dec. 25	Christmas (holiday)
Dec. 31	Defense Department, in consultation with the Energy and State Departments, completes a U.S. nuclear posture review (Public Law 110-181, Sec. 1070). However, the report does not have to be submitted to Congress until Feb. 1, 2010.
Dec. or Jan.	International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, chaired by former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans and former Japanese foreign minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, issues its report. Location TBA
2010
Jan. 1	Beginning of a Fourth Disarmament Decade (United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/61/67)
Jan. 5	Noon, Congress convenes (estimate).
Jan. 15	Defense Department's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation reports to the Defense Department and Congress on the status of the Airborne Laser System of the missile defense system (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 235).
Jan. 31	Defense Department reports to Congress on U.S. ballistic missile defense policy and strategy (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 234).
Jan.	Global Zero, world summit to eliminate nuclear weapons. Location TBA
Late-Jan. or early Feb.	President Obama delivers the State of the Union address. Broadcast and video and audio webcast on C-SPAN, and broadcast on other networks.
Feb. 1	President submits the federal budget to Congress.
Feb. 1	Defense Department submits the Quadrennial Defense Review to Congress (10 U.S. Code Sec. 118).
Feb. 1	Defense Department, in consultation with the Energy and State Departments, submits a U.S. nuclear posture review to Congress (Public Law 110-181, Sec. 1070).
March 1	10th anniversary of the National Nuclear Security Administration
March 5	40th anniversary of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty entering into force
April 14	Energy Department reports to Congress on the implementation of a research and development plan to improve nuclear forensics capabilities (Public Law 110-417, Sec. 3114).
April 26-May 21	Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference. United Nations

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The editor is David Culp. The publication is made possible by generous contributions from the Colombe Foundation, the Educational Foundation of America, the Lippincott Foundation, the Ploughshares Fund, the Town Creek Foundation, and the individual contributors and supporters of the Friends Committee on National Legislation and the FCNL Education Fund.