Russia Completes Security Measures at Missile Bases

U.S.-funded security improvements have been finished at 25 Russian nuclear missile sites as part of a joint effort to prevent terrorists from stealing nuclear weapons, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced today (see GSN, June 29).

At a 2005 summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their commitment to threat reduction efforts in Russia that began following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

“Completing this security work at the Strategic Rocket Forces sites helps to fulfill President Bush’s commitment under the Bratislava joint statement with Russia and shows our continued partnership with the Russians,” said William Tobey, NNSA deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation.  “We remain dedicated to working as quickly as possible to secure nuclear weapons and other dangerous materials in Russia and around the world to prevent unauthorized access.”

The recently completed security upgrades were installed at 25 missile sites at 11 Russian missile bases, according to a press release.  The upgrades included intruder detection systems, entry portals, nuclear material detectors, guard towers and other measures (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, Oct. 31).

The improvements were completed two years ahead of schedule, suggesting that some areas of U.S.-Russian relations remained strong while higher profile disputes — such as U.S. plans to deploy missiles defenses in Eastern Europe — have dominated news headlines, the New York Times reported.

Tobey said other U.S.-funded nonproliferation efforts in Russia were also ahead of schedule, including plans to deploy radiation detectors at all border crossings (see GSN, June 1) and a program to replace Russia’s three remaining plutonium-producing nuclear reactors with fossil fuel power plants (see GSN, Aug. 15, 2006; C.J. Chivers, New York Times, Oct. 31).

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