Nunn-Lugar Secures Nuclear, Chemical Weapons

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar announced the following progress in the Nunn-Lugar Global Cooperative Threat Reduction Program during October 2011.

· 4 nuclear weapons train transport shipments secured, and
· 121.66 metric tons of chemical weapons nerve agent destroyed.

On Veteran's Day 2011, Lugar delivered a speech at Indiana University in which he called for increased efforts to stop threats of weapons of mass destruction before they reach our shores. He heralded the future of Nunn-Lugar Global "to protect Americans at home and our service personnel overseas."

"Achieving this mission requires constant vigilance. I will continue my efforts to bolster Nunn-Lugar activities that eliminate threats to U.S. security before they reach our shores," Lugar said.

The Nunn-Lugar scorecard now totals 7,601 strategic nuclear warheads deactivated, 792 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) destroyed, 498 ICBM silos eliminated, 182 ICBM mobile launchers destroyed, 155 bombers eliminated, 906 nuclear air-to-surface missiles (ASMs) destroyed, 492 SLBM launchers eliminated, 674 submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) eliminated, 33 nuclear submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles destroyed, 194 nuclear test tunnels eliminated, 194 nuclear test tunnels/holes sealed, destroyed 2486.9 metric tons of Russian and Albanian chemical weapons agent, 551 nuclear weapons transport train shipments secured, upgraded security at 24 nuclear weapons storage sites, built and equipped 34 biological threat monitoring stations.

Perhaps most importantly, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus are nuclear weapons free as a result of cooperative efforts under the Nunn-Lugar program. Those countries were the third, fourth and eighth largest nuclear weapons powers in the world.

Lugar makes annual oversight missions to Nunn-Lugar Global sites around the world. During his most recent mission, Lugar led a mission to East Africa to expand efforts to secure deadly biological threats.

In November 1991, Lugar (R-IN) and Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA) authored the Nunn-Lugar Act, which established the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. This program has provided U.S. support and expertise to help the former Soviet Union safeguard and dismantle its enormous stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, related materials, and delivery systems. In 2003, Congress adopted Senator Lugar's Nunn-Lugar Expansion Act, which authorized operators outside the former Soviet Union to address proliferation threats. In 2004, Nunn-Lugar funds were committed for the first time outside of the former Soviet Union to destroy chemical weapons in Albania, under a Lugar-led expansion of the program.

The Nunn-Lugar program: http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/
The Nunn-Lugar scorecard: http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/scorecard.html

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