Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction
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The Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program (occasionally known as Nunn–Lugar based on a 1992 U.S. law sponsored by Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar) is an initiative housed within the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. According to the CTR website, "the purpose of the CTR Program is to secure and dismantle weapons of mass destruction and their associated infrastructure in former Soviet Union states."[1]
CTR provides funding and expertise for states in the former Soviet Union (including Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan) to decommission nuclear, biological, and chemical weapon stockpiles, as agreed by the Soviet Union under disarmament treaties such as SALT II. Under the scrutiny of American contractors, nuclear warheads would be removed from their delivery vehicles, then decommissioned or stockpiled at designated sites in Russia.
In recent years, the CTR program has expanded its mission from WMD at the root source to protecting against WMD "on the move" by enhancing land and maritime border security in the Former Soviet Union.[2]
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[edit] Objectives and Programs
According to the CTR website[3], CTR has four key objectives:
- Objective 1: Dismantle FSU WMD and associated infrastructure
- Objective 2: Consolidate and secure FSU WMD and related technology and materials
- Objective 3: Increase transparency and encourage higher standards of conduct
- Objective 4: Support defense and military cooperation with the objective of preventing proliferation
These objectives are pursued and achieved through a variety of programs.[4] Briefly, these include:
- Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP)
- Chemical Weapons Elimination Program
- Nuclear Weapons Storage Security Program (NWSS)
- Strategic Offensive Arms Elimination Program (SOAE)
- Weapons of Mass Destruction-Proliferation Prevention Initiative (WMD-PPI)
The CTR program is authorized by Title 22 of the United States Code, chapter 68a[1].
The FY 2007 CTR Annual Report to Congress provides a status update on the program as a whole and individual initiatives. It also details future planned endeavors in each area.[5]
[edit] Outcome
Under CTR, the U.S. and recipient states have made considerable advancements in global security against the threat of WMD. For example, weapons deactivated and destroyed under this program include:
- 6,312 nuclear warheads
- 537 ICBMs
- 459 ICBM silos
- 11 ICBM mobile missile launchers
- 128 bombers
- 708 nuclear air-to-surface missiles
- 408 submarine missile launchers
- 496 submarine launched missiles
- 27 nuclear submarines
- 194 nuclear test tunnels
Other milestone results include:
- 260 tons of fissile material received security upgrades
- 60 nuclear warhead storage sites received security upgrades
- 208 metric tons of Highly Enriched Uranium were blended down to Low Enriched Uranium
- 35 percent of Russian chemical weapons received security upgrades
- 49 former biological weapons facilities were converted to joint U.S.–Russian research
- 4 biological weapons sites received security improvements
- 58,000 former weapons scientists employed in peaceful work through International Science and Technology Centers (of which the U.S. is the leading sponsor)
- 750 projects involving 14,000 former weapons scientists and created some 580 new peaceful high-tech jobs; The International Proliferation Prevention Program has funded
- Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan are nuclear weapons free
The impact of CTR, particularly as an aide to the Global War on Terrorism, is undeniable. By securing critical sources and technologies, in conjunction with increasing border security, CTR works to decrease the likelihood of WMD terrorism by denying actors many of the tools needed for wide scale devastation.
[edit] Problems and Politics
The bill's implementation was carefully followed by its sponsors to ensure effectiveness. Senator Nunn left Congress but now heads the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a private organization concerned with nuclear proliferation issues.
Opponents have worried about costs, whether the bill is a Defense Department welfare program, whether money could be better spent on U.S. military capability including weapons and troops, and general suspicion of Russia.[verification needed]
Proponents of CTR say it can be considered defense by other means. Enhancing the security of Soviet successor partner states increases U.S. security because it enables countries to prevent the proliferation of dangerous goods and technologies into the hands of rogue states and non-state actors. The September 11, 2001 attacks and the ongoing concern over possible future terrorist activities are also claimed to show the utility of CTR efforts.
[edit] Russian Initiatives
Volunteers within the Russian social activist network translate or edit English translations of articles on decommissioning, though Western media give it scant attention.[verification needed]
One Nunn–Lugar site, Pavlograd, has dedicated itself beginning in June 2004 to the decommissioning of nuclear missiles without burning their solid rocket fuel, thus preventing dioxins from threatening the local environment and human population. The Pavlograd missile factory PMZ has converted to an advanced astronautics "Space Clipper" program.
[edit] References
- ^ 22 U.S.C. ch.68a — Cooperative Threat Reduction With States Of Former Soviet Union
[edit] External links
- Space Clipper at Federation of American Scientists, Space Policy Project, World Space Guide
- Kenneth Luongo and William Hoehn, "An ounce of prevention", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March/April 2005. Discusses disagreements between U.S. and Russian officials, which the authors argue is undermining cooperative threat reduction programs.
Source: based on information found at Senator Richard G. Lugar's website on the Nunn–Lugar Program [6].
