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On December 27, the Bush administration announced the results of an interagency review into US non-proliferation assistance to Russia. According to a White House statement, the aims of the review, which "examined over 30 different programs, with a combined budget in Fiscal Year 2001 of approximately $750 million", were threefold: to "ensure that existing US cooperative non-proliferation programs with Russia are focused on priority threat reduction and non-proliferation goals, and are conducted as efficiently and effectively as possible", to "examine what new initiatives might be undertaken to further our threat reduction and non-proliferation goals", and to "consider organizational and procedural changes designed to ensure a consistent, coordinated US government approach to cooperative programs with the Former Soviet Union on the reduction pf weapons of mass destruction and prevention of their proliferation." To the general relief of many non-proliferation advocates, alarmed by pre-September 11 spending plans and comments from administration officials portraying much of the assistance as ineffectual, the study resoundingly reaffirmed the importance of a large-scale US commitment to most of the programmes involved: "The review is now complete. It found that most US programs to assist Russia in threat reduction and non-proliferation work well, are focused on priority tasks, and are well managed." The following details of the revitalised policy were then provided:
"The review further identified four programs for expansion:
The Department of Defense will seek to accelerate the Cooperative Threat Reduction project to construct a chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuch'ye (Russia), to enable its earlier completion at no increased expense. We welcome the contributions that friends and allies have made to this project thus far, and will work for their enhancement.
As a result of the review, other programs are being adjusted, refocused or re-examined:
On December 29, the Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed the announcement, while lamenting the negative impact on non-proliferation efforts of the US decision to withdraw from the ABM Treaty: "The Russian side welcomes this statement of the White House and views it as a real step toward forming a new strategic relationship between the two countries. The Russian Federation consistently adheres to the line for strengthening the regimes of non-proliferation of which a key element is the interaction with the US in the sphere of elimination and disposal of the mass destruction weapons being reduced under treaty obligations and means of delivery thereof. Unfortunately, non-proliferation problems are becoming more relevant in the light of the unilateral decision of the US to withdraw from the ABM Treaty."
On January 9, assessing current and projected US funding on non-proliferation assistance, the Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council (RANSAC) succinctly summarised the significant change of approach to the issue, both financial and political, during 2001:
"In April 2001, President Bush proposed to reduce funding for US-Russian nuclear non-proliferation cooperation in his FY 2002 budget request. In particular, the Bush budget cut the Department of Energy's activities by approximately $100 million from fiscal year 2001 levels. The $100 million cut was focused on reducing US-Russian nuclear material security, disposition, and safety efforts. A cut of $40 million below the FY 2001 appropriated level also was made in the Department of Defense's Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, but DOD program managers had requested this reduction.
During the regular congressional appropriations process, much of the DOE funding cut was restored, including an increase of approximately $34 million for the nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting program and an increase of approximately $13 million for the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention and the Nuclear Cities Initiative.
The events related to September 11 also led to the appropriation of emergency supplemental funding for US-Russian nuclear security activities. Following the terrorist attacks, Congress approved $40 billion in emergency supplemental funds for disaster recovery, homeland security, military support, and related anti-terrorism efforts. Of that total, $10 billion was approved with no conditions, while another $10 billion could be spent 15 days after the President submitted a plan for the allocation of those funds. Plans for use of the final $20 billion were submitted by the administration to the Congress in November 2001.
The administration did not designate any of the first $20 billion for nuclear security activities in Russia, nor did it request any funding for these efforts in its proposal to the Congress for expenditure of the second $20 billion component. The Congress, however, allocated $226 million for DOE non-proliferation efforts within the second $20 billion component of the supplemental package, including $120 million for MPC&A, $15 million for the IPP and NCI programs combined, and $10 million for improving safety and security of Soviet-era nuclear power reactors and facilities. An additional $78 million was provided for non-proliferation R&D and $3 million was allocated for program direction.
For FY 2003, the administration has stated that it will propose substantial increases over the regular FY 2002 appropriations for non-proliferation programs. RANSAC has obtained information about the anticipated FY 2003 budgets for the DOE non-proliferation programs, including: $384 million for fissile material disposition (+$82 million from FY 2002), $235 million for MPC&A (+$62 million from FY 02), and $133 million for the arms control programs (+$15 million from FY 02). In addition, the office of international nuclear safety is expected to assume responsibility for a project formerly implemented by the CTR program to eliminate Russian weapon-grade plutonium production. Once DOE assumes control of the program, it is expected that $74 million in prior year unspent balances will also be transferred. The budget request for this effort in FY03 is expected to be $50 million."
In Moscow on November 29, US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev issued a joint statement pledging increased cooperation on efforts to strengthen the protection of nuclear materials in Russia. The statement read:
"Guided by the provisions of the [November 2001] 'Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and President Vladimir V. Putin on a New Relationship Between the United States and Russia', and, in particular, by the call for 'improving the physical protection and accounting of nuclear materials of all possessor states' expressed in it, Secretary Spencer Abraham and Minister A. Yu. Rumyantsev discussed steps to enhance cooperation between the United States Department of Energy and the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy.
The Secretary and the Minister agreed on the necessity of closer cooperation on enhancing the nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime, improving measures on nuclear materials physical protection, control and accounting as well as preventing illegal trafficking and handling of nuclear and radioactive materials.
In this respect the Secretary and the Minister noted the importance of coordinating their efforts and cooperating with other countries and with the International Atomic Energy Agency to increase efforts toward the protection of fissile nuclear material in order to strengthen international security and to bolster safety and security in the peaceful use of atomic power for the benefit of increasing the economic well being and prosperity of the peoples of the world.
The Secretary and the Minister directed their subordinates to analyze the efficiency of the present cooperation and progress in accelerating that cooperation and to prepare appropriate reports for them on how to perfect, enhance and expand the cooperation that they will consider at their next joint meeting."
In Washington on December 21, a Joint Statement by President Bush and Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, observed: "Recognising that Kazakhstan was the first country to renounce its nuclear-weapons status voluntarily, we reaffirm our mutual commitment to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Both sides agree on the need for urgent attention to improving the physical protection and accounting of all nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons materials in all possessor states, and to preventing illicit trafficking in these materials. We pledge our cooperation in these matters under the United States-Kazakhstan Cooperative Threat Reduction Agreement."
See also: Disarmament Documentation, December - January 2002
Reports: US, Russia talk cooperation on nuclear security, Reuters, November 29; Text - US, Russia to step up efforts to safeguard nuclear materials, Washington File, December 4; Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and President Nursultan Nazarbayev on the new Kazakhstan-American relationship, The White Hose, December 21; Russia to get more US help on weapons safeguards, Reuters, December 27; Administration review of non-proliferation and threat reduction assistance to the Russian Federation, The White House, December 27; Bush pledges more aid for Russian arms cuts, Washington Post, December 28; In connection with the White House statement on cooperation with Russia in the sphere of reducing the threat of proliferation of WMD, Russian Foreign Ministry Statement, Document 2451-29-12-2001, December 29; White House seeking funds to dismantle nuclear arms, New York Times, January 9; Preliminary report - anticipated FY 2003 budget request for Department of Energy Cooperative Nuclear Security Programs in Russia, RANSAC Press Release, January 9.
© 2002 The Acronym Institute.