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U.S.-Russia: Poor Access to Russian Sites Hinders CTR Programs, GAO Says By Mike Nartker U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) last year requested that the GAO investigate U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction programs. In a statement today, Akaka said he requested the study because “we have feared for many years that Russia offers one-stop shopping for terrorists seeking weapons of mass destruction. We are in a race for time to secure these weapons around the world before they fall into the wrong hands.” Nuclear Weapons In its year-long investigation, the GAO found that the Energy Department’s lack of access to Russian nuclear sites “represents a significant impediment” to the department’s goal of securing all Russian weapon-grade material by 2008. While Energy has had success in securing such material at Russian civilian and naval fuel storage sites over the past decade, it has completed work at only 14 of the 133 buildings in Russia’s nuclear weapons complex, the report says. Because the department lacks access to most of these sites, it has shifted funding in past two fiscal years from installing security systems at buildings containing weapon-grade materials to support programs, such as developing nuclear security regulations, it adds. Energy and the U.S. Defense Department have also experienced difficulties in coordinating their efforts to improve security at Russian nuclear weapons storage sites, according to the GAO report. The two department’s threat reduction activities were brought under a common set of guidelines in January. These guidelines, however, prohibited assistance to operational Russian military sites for fear of enhancing Russia’s military capabilities, the report says. While the Pentagon has made only limited progress to improve security at all of Russia’s nuclear weapons storage sites by 2010, Energy was close to completing its goal of improving security by 2006 at 36 naval sites, until the new guidelines were issued, the GAO report says. In response to the new guidelines and their ban on assistance to operational sites, Energy has been forced to scale back its plans, it says. To address Russian nuclear security concerns, the GAO report recommends that Energy reassess its plans to secure all weapon-grade materials by 2008. In addition, Energy and the Pentagon need to continue to work to ensure ongoing interagency coordination to secure nuclear weapons storage sites. Biological Weapons The GAO report also criticizes the Pentagon for a lack of progress in improving security at the 49 biological sites included in joint U.S.-Russian programs. As of December, the Pentagon had only installed security upgrades at two sites and plans to do so at two other sites, the report says, blaming a lack of access to Russian biological sites for the slow progress. In addition, Russia has provided little information on the locations and present security of its biological facilities, it says. The report recommends that the Pentagon develop specific criteria to identify which Russian biological sites pose the great security risks and should receive the most U.S. assistance. Chemical Weapons The Pentagon’s efforts to secure Russian chemical weapons stockpiles have focused primarily on helping Russia build a weapons disposal facility, instead of improving security at weapons storage sites or in the transit of weapons to such a facility, the GAO report says. “However, the destruction facility will not be completed until 2006, and it could be another 40 years before Russia’s stockpile would be completely destroyed,” the report says. The U.S. defense secretary should reassess the need for improved security at Russian chemical weapons storage sites, and work with Russian officials to develop a safe transit plan for when a disposal facility is built, the report says. It also recommends that Congress consider funding security improvements at the three Russian chemical weapons sites that have so far received no U.S. funding. In his statement, Akaka called on U.S. President George W. Bush to increase U.S. efforts to secure Russian WMD sites. “We must do more with Russia to secure Russia’s poorly guarded arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and fissile materials,” Akaka said. “President Bush needs to redouble his efforts with President [Vladimir] Putin to solve the problems with access that have hindered the security assistance program so far,” he added.
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