The General Accounting Office (GAO) today released the results of a year-long investigation today on U.S. efforts to improve the security over Russian stockpiles of nuclear warheads, fissile materials, and chemical weapons. The report, "Weapons of Mass Destruction: Additional Russian Cooperation Needed to Facilitate U.S. Efforts to Improve Security at Russian Sites," will be released by GAO today and will be available online at www.gao.gov.

In January 2002, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), as Chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services, requested the report after the September 11th terrorist attacks because "we have feared for many years that Russia offers one-stop shopping for terrorists seeking weapons of mass destruction. We are in a race for time to secure these weapons around the world before they fall into the wrong hands."

Russia has as many as 18,000-25,000 intact nuclear warheads, some 600 metric tons of weapons-usable material, 40,000 metric tons of chemical weapons, and an unknown amount of biological agents. The GAO report found that since 1992 the U.S. has spent some $6 billion on assisting Russia to dismantle and secure its weapons of mass destruction. $1.8 billion of this has been devoted to increasing the security of these weapons.

Senator Akaka said the GAO report showed, "we are less than half way there in securing the large arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and fissile material Russia inherited from the Soviet Union."

The GAO reports that:

• Only thirty-eight percent of percent of Russia's weapons-usable material has had security upgrades.

• Thirty-three of 36 Russian Navy nuclear weapons sites have had security enhancements, but an unspecified number of additional storage sites for other services need to be secured.

• The Defense Department does not know how many sites in Russia have dangerous biological pathogens.

• Only two of seven chemical weapons sites are to receive security assistance; two-thirds of Russia's nerve agent may be left unsecured.

• Lack of access is a major problem impeding U.S. efforts to render assistance.

• There are coordination problems and an absence of consistent plans between the Departments of Defense and Energy in implementing their programs.

"We must do more with Russia to secure Russia's poorly guarded arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and fissile materials," Senator Akaka said. "President Bush needs to redouble his efforts with President Putin to solve the problems with access that have hindered the security assistance program so far.

"The GAO report points out the urgent need for the Departments of Defense and Energy to coordinate their plans to secure Russian nuclear warheads. Given the critical threat posed by terrorists gaining access to weapons of mass destruction, there is no excuse for any delay by the Administration in improving the effectiveness of our assistance programs."