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NEWS RELEASE: Russian-American Experts Applaud Bush Administration Budget for Cooperative Nuclear Security Programs

NEWS RELEASE

Russian-American Experts Applaud Bush Administration Budget for Cooperative Nuclear Security Programs

FOR RELEASE: February 4, 2002; CONTACT: Ken Luongo, (215) 523-9041 or Bill Hoehn, (202) 332-1412

(Washington, DC) - Members of the Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council (RANSAC), a leading think-tank dedicated to strengthening U.S.-Russian nuclear nonproliferation engagement, today commended President Bush for his proposed Fiscal Year 2003 budget requests for cooperative programs to secure the Russian nuclear stockpile.

"This is a dramatic and welcome change from last year's budget," said Kenneth N. Luongo, RANSAC's Executive Director, "and signals solid support for keeping nuclear weapons, materials, technologies, and expertise from falling into the wrong hands." Luongo continued, "While some of the programs are funded below last year's final appropriation, overall the 2003 budget shows a new commitment by the Bush Administration to cooperative threat reduction activities. We applaud the Administration and hope improved and accelerated implementation of this agenda will result from this funding."

According to figures released today by the President, over $800 million is requested for programs working with Russia and other former Soviet states to ensure control over weapons of mass destruction, secure nuclear weapons-usable materials, protect WMD scientific expertise, facilitate downsizing of the Russian nuclear weapons complex, and dispose of materials from retired nuclear weapons.

These funds include $416 million for the Defense Department's Cooperative Threat Reduction program (which assists Russia in dismantling strategic delivery vehicles and in protecting nuclear warheads, as well as in biological and chemical weapon security and disposal); $233 million for the Energy Department's nuclear material protection, control, and accounting (MPC&A) program (the leading effort to secure over 600 tons of Russian weapons-usable nuclear materials); $39 million for DOE's Russian Transition Initiatives (consisting of two programs - the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention and the Nuclear Cities Initiative - which assist Russia in creating new jobs for Russian scientists that will be unemployed through downsizing of the Russian nuclear weapons complex); $49 million for efforts to shut-down and convert Russia's three remaining weapon-grade plutonium production reactors; and $34 million to facilitate Russian disposal of its excess weapons plutonium.

The Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council consists of Russian and American experts who have been involved closely in U.S.-Russian cooperative nuclear security programs both inside and outside of government for the past decade.