This section of the NIS Nuclear Profiles Database describes assistance programs that countries and organizations have developed to aid Kazakhstan's nuclear industry and its nonproliferation efforts.  Kazakhstan was an important part of the Soviet nuclear weapons program during the Cold War.  Uranium and other materials were mined and processed, nuclear research was conducted, nuclear weapons were tested, and ICBMs armed with nuclear warheads were deployed throughout the republic.  When the Soviet Union split apart, Kazakhstan began to dismantle the nuclear weapons complex on its territory and to redirect resources to peaceful purposes.  Many countries believe that it is in their own best interests to help Kazakhstan by providing various types of assistance.  Most prominent among these assistance programs is the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program established by the United States. This section of the Database also includes information about Department of Energy (DOE), other US, and international assistance programs.
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