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Russia I: U.S. Remains Concerned Over Security of Russian Nuclear Weapons and Materials By Mike Nartker While Russia has emplaced physical, procedural and technical security measures to protect its nuclear weapons against an external threat, they are outdated and not designed to protect against a threat from an insider, the CIA report said. This internal threat is considered the “preeminent threat faced today,” the report said. Russia has been able to maintain control of its nuclear weapons, but decreased funding for the military has hurt the system, according to the report. Even with a weakened system though, there is little concern over an unauthorized launch or accidental use of a Russian nuclear weapon. “Our concerns about possible circumvention of the system would rise if central political authority broke down,” the CIA report said. Russian Nuclear Materials Security Security for Russian nuclear materials varies widely among facilities, with the weakest level of security at facilities that contain weapon-usable nuclear material. These facilities often receive low funding, poorly trained security personnel and do not have adequate equipment for securely storing nuclear materials, the report said. According to the report, both weapon-usable and weapon-grade nuclear materials have been stolen from Russian facilities over the past 10 years. U.S. intelligence has been able to determine that some nuclear material smuggling has occurred, but not the extent, the report said. Past incidents of theft of Russian nuclear materials include: * More than a kilogram of weapon-grade uranium stolen from the Luch Production Association in 1992; * Three kilograms of weapon-grade uranium stolen in Moscow in 1994; and * Four grams of highly enriched uranium seized in Bulgaria in 1999. The material was likely of Russian origin. Russian Security Improvements Russia has taken steps to improve the security of its nuclear materials and to better prevent against theft, according to the report. In the past three years, Russian authorities ordered security increases at nuclear facilities because of concerns of a terrorist attack related to the war in Chechnya. Following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials worked to provide assurances that terrorists did not acquire Russian nuclear weapons or materials.
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