Nuclear Weapons in Russia: Safety, Security, and Control Issues
Abstract
When the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, it reportedly possessed more than 27,000 nuclear weapons, which were deployed on the territories of several of the former Soviet republics. All of the nuclear warheads have now been moved to Russia, but Russia still has around 6,000 strategic nuclear weapons and as many as 12,000 warheads for nonstrategic nuclear weapons. Many analysts in the United States and Russia have expressed concerns about the safety, security, and control over these weapons. Some of these concerns focus on Russia's nuclear command and control (C2) structure. Financial constraints have slowed the modernization and replacement of many aging satellites and communications links, raising the possibility that Russia might not be able to identify a potential attack or communicate with troops in the field if an attack were underway. Some fear that the misinterpretation of an ambiguous event might lead to the launch of nuclear weapons. Concerns also are focused on the safety and security of nuclear warheads in storage facilities in Russia. Reports of Russian nuclear materials for sale on the black market, when combined with evidence of weaknesses in security systems, have raised concerns about the possible theft or diversion of nuclear materials from these facilities. The United States and Russia are cooperating in many fora to improve the safety, security, and control over Russia's nuclear weapons and materials. Through the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, the U.S. Department of Defense has provided assistance worth nearly $2 billion to help Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus safely transport and store weapons and eliminate launchers under the START Treaties. Also, the Department of Energy's Materials Protection, Control and Accounting Program is helping Russia and other former Soviet republics secure nuclear materials at research and other facilities in the former Soviet Union.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 11, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA477724
Entities
People
- Amy F. Woolf
Organizations
- Library of Congress