Bush Administration Backtracks on U.S. Nonproliferation Programs in Russia
March 21, 2001
In a clear reversal of promises made during his campaign, President Bush will reportedly slash fiscal 2002 funding for nonproliferation programs in Russia conducted by the Department of Energy. The reductions threaten to undercut U.S. security and defy the recommendations of a bipartisan, blue-ribbon panel.
During his campaign, Bush supported threat reduction (Nunn-Lugar) programs, stating on November 19, 1999, “I will ask the Congress to increase substantially our assistance to dismantle as many of Russia’s weapons as possible as quickly as possible.”
During a February 16, 2000 Jim Lehrer News Hour interview, Bush reiterated his support, “We must continue to fund Nunn-Lugar and to dismantle those strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.”
In reversing his position, President Bush has dealt a significant blow to U.S. security. It is imperative that Congress and the administration fully restore funding for cooperative threat reduction programs because they are the best line of defense against the serious threats posed by Russia’s enduring nuclear weapon and fissile material stockpiles.
WHAT ARE THE CUTS?
The Department of Energy nonproliferation programs are part of a larger multi-agency effort pursued in cooperation with the Department of Defense and the State Department to reduce the threat to the United States from weapons of mass destruction and weapons-usable materials in the former Soviet republics.
While the budget for the DOE nonproliferation programs was slated to reach $1.2 billion in fiscal 2002, Bush instead plans to cut funding to around $800 million from $872 million.
- The Materials Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A) program, which improves physical security at Russian nuclear weapons facilities, will reportedly be cut $31 million to around $170 million.
- The Nuclear Cities Initiative, a program to prevent Russian “brain drain” by creating civilian jobs for weapon scientists at “closed” nuclear cities, will be reduced by $20 million to around $6 million.
- The Plutonium Disposition Program, which assists Russia in constructing a facility to disassemble nuclear warheads and another facility to convert weapons-usable plutonium into reactor fuel, will receive a small increase, but far less than the doubling of funds that was expected.
The fate of two other programs in other agencies has not yet been determined:
- The Pentagon’s Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program, created in 1991 by Senators Sam Nunn (D-GA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) assists the former Soviet republics in the dismantlement of nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
- The State Department’s International Science and Technology Centers in Moscow and Kiev provide grants and contracts that enable former Soviet weapons experts to engage in civilian research projects.
WHAT THE PROGRAMS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED
Over 5,000 former Soviet nuclear weapons and hundreds of intercontinental ballistic missiles have been dismantled. Hundreds of missile silos and long-range bombers have been eliminated. Security upgrades have been completed at 35 fissile material storage sites in Russia and are underway at another 20 sites. Railcars and trucks used to transport nuclear materials have been made more secure. Last summer NCI helped inaugurate the Avangard Technopark, a new industrial complex created on the site of the former Soviet nuclear weapons facility at Sarov.
Despite these successes, Russia still possesses approximately 22,000 deployed and “hedge” nuclear weapons, over 1,000 metric tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU), and at least 150 metric tons of weapon-grade plutonium. The stockpiles of fissile materials represent the equivalent of more than 80,000 potential nuclear weapons. Weapons experts and soldiers suffering from low morale or financial hardship may be tempted to sell nuclear weapons, weapon-usable materials, or expertise to would-be proliferators. Russian law enforcement officials have intercepted several such attempts.
BAKER-CUTLER REPORT
In mid-January, a bipartisan task force led by former Senator Howard Baker (R-TN) and former White House Counsel Lloyd Cutler released a report echoing the need for an expansion of cooperative security programs in Russia. The panel also included former Idaho Republican Senator James McClure and former Wyoming Republican Senator Alan Simpson.
The report, “A Report Card on the Department of Energy’s Nonproliferation Programs with Russia,” concluded that:
“The most urgent, unmet national security threat to the United States today is the danger that weapons of mass destruction or weapons-usable material in Russia could be stolen and sold to terrorists or hostile nation states and used against American troops abroad or citizens at home.”
The Baker/Cutler report concludes that the scope and funding of current nonproliferation programs in Russia fall well short of levels needed to address these continuing threats. Its major recommendation is that the U.S. should develop and implement an eight to ten year, $30 billion strategic plan to neutralize all nuclear weapons-usable materials in Russia and to prevent the outflow of Russian scientific expertise that could be used for nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction. At roughly $3 billion a year, the DOE’s programs would still operate for less than one percent of the U.S. defense budget.
According to the task force, the strategic plan must include specific goals, criteria for success, and exit strategies, and will depend on increased transparency and access to Russian facilities. The task force also proposes establishing a high-level leadership position within the White House to improve government-wide coordination and support.
BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS STATEMENTS ON NONPROLIFERATION PROGRAMS
- National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice wrote in the January 2000 issue of Foreign Affairs, “The Nunn-Lugar program should be funded fully and pursued aggressively.”
- Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, in a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February 2001, stated that he would support cooperative threat reduction programs, and added that the Baker/Cutler report would “serve as a useful tool.”
- When asked by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for his opinion on the Baker/Cutler report, Secretary of State Colin Powell, replied: “I think they’re right on. I agree with them entirely.”