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Russia to Observe U.S. Nuclear Weapons Exercise By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United States plans to conduct a nuclear weapons security exercise this spring, a U.S. Defense Department spokesman said today (see GSN, Aug. 3, 2004). The “nuclear weapons convoy security exercise” is scheduled to be held in April, the spokesman said. He added that during the exercise, “mounted, dismounted, static and mobile tactics” would be practiced. The spokesman declined to provide further details, such as how many people or what facilities may be involved. According to recent reports, the exercise is to be held in Wyoming. The Defense spokesman, however, could not confirm such information. The United States has extended an invitation for six Russian observers to attend the exercise, according to the Pentagon spokesman. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said yesterday that Moscow has accepted the invitation. “We are pleased to take up this invitation to take part in this … exercise so that the experts of both of the militaries of the two nations could be trained up in a proper way,” Ivanov said during a joint Pentagon press briefing with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Russia’s invitation to observe the exercise provides “graphic evidence” of improved U.S.-Russian cooperation and transparency “in the very sensitive areas of our collaboration,” Ivanov said. Ivanov is in the United States this week to meet with various high-level U.S. officials, and is expected to return to Moscow Saturday. The four-day tip is reportedly not connected to a summit set to be held next month between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. The Russian observers are set to come from the Defense Ministry’s 12th Main Directorate, which oversees Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The deputy head of the directorate, Vladimir Verkhovtsev, has praised international observation of various security exercises as an important “first step” in achieving improved cooperation. “In the second stage of cooperation, one can move to joint activities by specialists from the nuclear states for mitigating and dealing with the consequences of incidents involving nuclear weapons. This is very laborious task, requiring complete understanding and accountability in one’s actions – and with no room for mistakes,” Verkhovtsev was quoted today in a press release from the PIR Center think-tank in Moscow. “Here, the interaction of the personal staffs of the brigades for dealing with the consequences, which will prepare to work together in emergency situations, is most important,” he added. Last year, the Russian Defense Ministry held a similar exercise on protecting nuclear weapons transports from possible terrorist attacks. The exercise, which was observed by representatives from 17 members of NATO, included simulated attacks on road and rail shipments of nuclear weapons. The Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on whether representatives from other countries have been invited to attend the U.S. exercise. Ivanov was quoted yesterday by the Russian media source RIA Novosti as saying, though, that for the first time only Russian observers had been invited.
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