AFF/THREAT REDUCTION: IMPACTS

UNSECURED RUSSIAN NUCLEAR MATERIALS ARE A HUGE SECURITY RISK

LOOSE RUSSIAN WMD MATERIALS ARE THE #1 NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT

Our principal conclusions are that the most urgent unmet national security threat for the United States today is the danger that weapons of mass destruction or weapons-usable material in Russia could be stolen and sold to terrorists or hostile nation-states, and used against American troops abroad, or citizens at home.

THEFT AND MISUSE OF RUSSIAN NUCLEAR MATERIALS IS THE #1 NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT

St. Louis Post-Dispatch January 11, 2001, SECTION: NEWS, Pg. A4 HEADLINE: U.S. PANEL RECOMMENDS SPENDING $ 30 BILLION ON NUCLEAR SECURITY IN RUSSIA//VT2002acsln

The possibility of Russian nuclear materials being stolen or diverted is "the most urgent unmet national security threat" facing the United States, says a task force of former federal officials. The panel recommends a $ 30 billion program to help Russia secure its nuclear stockpile.

"We have no proof of a diversion of weapons or material from Russia, but there is so much of it and security is so meager ... it is a continuing threat," warned former Sen. Howard Baker, co-chairman of the bipartisan panel.

RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS MAY WELL END UP IN THE HANDS OF AMERICA’S ENEMIES

Howard Baker, a former Republican senator from Tennessee, Lloyd Cutler served as counsel to Presidents Carter and Clinton, January 11, 2001, The Washington Post SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. A27 HEADLINE: An Unacceptable Risk //VT2002acsln

Russia's nuclear stockpile is the most serious national security threat we face today. It includes at least 40,000 nuclear weapons, more than 1,000 tons of nuclear materials capable of being used in weapons and vast quantities of materials for biological and chemical warfare. In Russia's weakened financial condition, the Russian scientists who design and produce this material, and the security guards who protect it, are inadequately paid and are tempted to sell weapons materials and technologies to agents for "wannabe" nuclear weapon states or terrorist groups, many of whom proudly proclaim themselves to be our enemies.

A STOLEN GRAPEFRUIT SIZED LUMP OF PLUTONIUM COULD MAKE A WEAPON LARGE ENOUGH TO LEVEL MANHATTAN

Howard Baker, a former Republican senator from Tennessee, Lloyd Cutler served as counsel to Presidents Carter and Clinton, January 11, 2001, The Washington Post SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. A27 HEADLINE: An Unacceptable Risk //VT2002acsln

The most urgent unmet national security threat to the United States today is that weapons of mass destruction or weapons-usable material located in Russia could be stolen and sold to terrorists or hostile nation states and used against American troops abroad or citizens at home.

In a worst-case scenario, a nuclear engineering graduate with a grapefruit-sized lump of highly enriched uranium or an orange-sized lump of plutonium, along with other items readily available in commercial markets, could fashion a nuclear device that would fit in a vehicle like the van the terrorist parked in the World Trade Center in 1993. Its explosive effects would level lower Manhattan.

Current nonproliferation programs in the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and related agencies have achieved impressive results thus far, but their limited mandate and funding fall short of what is required to fully address the threat.

WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY SO FAR WITH THE FATE OF RUSSIAN WMD COMPONENTS, BUT MUST ACCELERATE EFFORTS TO DENUCLEARIZE RUSSIA

Michael McFaul, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an assistant professor at Stanford University. April 11, 2001, The New York Times SECTION: Section A; Page 23;  HEADLINE: A Step Backward on Nuclear Cooperation //VT2002acsln

Ten years after the Soviet Union's collapse, it is remarkable that the decaying Russian state has not allowed more weapons of mass destruction out of Russia and that there have not been more accidents with nuclear materials. Yet, these threats to American security must not be underestimated. We should in fact be accelerating aid to dismantle this threat, not reversing course. At a time when there appear to be growing strategic conflicts between the United States and Russia, we cannot afford to undercut the one area where there is agreement and cooperation.  

RUSSIA STILL HAS HUGE AMOUNTS OF PLUTONIUM WHICH MIGHT LEAK OUT TO MAKE NUKES

Don Melvin March 30, 2001 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution SECTION: News; Pg. 1B HEADLINE: Nuclear arms risk still high, Nunn says;

He urges U.S. to help Russia shield arsenal //VT2002acsln

More than 1,000 tons of highly enriched uranium and at least 150 tons of weapons-grade plutonium exist in Russia, and many storage sites are poorly secured. Thousands of scientists are still without jobs.

THE TOP PRIORITY IN USA-RUSSIA RELATIONS SHOULD BE THE REDUCTION OF CURRENT STOCKPILES OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

EDITORIAL, The Christian Science Monitor September 17, 1999, Pg. 10 HEADLINE: Arms Control: Still a Must // ln-10/99-acs

One thing hasn't changed since the cold war: The top priority in US-Russian relations remains negotiating reductions in the two countries' vast nuclear arsenals.