Uzbekistan Flag for Uzbekistan

Country Spotlight

Uzbekistan does not possess nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. When part of the USSR, Uzbekistan provided much of the uranium for the Soviet nuclear weapons program. Today, it is a member of all relevant arms control treaties including the Central Asia Nuclear Weapons Free-Zone Treaty.

See Uzbekistan’s performance in:

Region   Former Soviet Union


$13 billion Estimated cost of proposed Russian-supplied nuclear power plant

63 Kilograms of highly enriched uranium returned from Uzbekistan to Russia in 2006

5th Global rank in uranium oxide production

Nuclear

  • Possesses two nuclear research reactors from the Soviet era; one remains operational, while the other was decommissioned with the help of the IAEA in 2019
  • Has ongoing plans to build a small modular reactor with Russian assistance
  • Has been a major uranium supplier since the Soviet era and continues to mine and export uranium globally
  • Joined and originally proposed the Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (CANWFZ)

Biological

  • Inherited numerous biological weapons facilities from the Soviet era, including the Aralsk-7
  • Despite efforts under the U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program there remain serious concerns over the safety of the remaining biological agents in these facilities

Missile

  • No known ballistic missile program, but possesses the industrial and technological capability to produce components
  • Party to the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC)

Chemical

  • Does not possess a chemical weapons program

Treaties and Regimes Memberships

See all Treaties & Regimes

Central Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ)

The Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ) made formerly-Soviet Central Asia, a Nuclear-Weapons-Free-Zone under the Semipalatinsk Treaty.

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Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

The BTWC mandates the elimination of existing biological weapons and prohibits developing, stockpiling, or using biological and toxin weapons.

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NPT

The NPT is a treaty aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons through the three pillars of non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

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Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosion tests on Earth. It needs eight key countries to ratify before entry into force.

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Unpacking the 76th NATO Summit

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Unpacking the 76th NATO Summit

With force modernization as a topline issue, it was clear that the changing security landscape is reshaping the NATO members’ vision of the nuclear alliance.


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