WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will begin upgrading the ninth and final Russian nuclear warhead site that it was assigned under the 2005 joint statement between Presidents Bush and Putin in Bratislava. Under the 2005 statement, the United States and Russia agreed to cooperate on nuclear security issues, and subsequently, NNSA was designated as the lead organization to upgrade nine Russian nuclear warhead facilities that needed improved security.

"NNSA's main nonproliferation goal is to secure weapons and nuclear material as close to the source as possible. Significant progress has been made to upgrade and improve security at sites within Russia, and with this final site, NNSA will take another significant step towards meeting its commitments under the 2005 Bratislava agreement," said William H. Tobey, NNSA's deputy administrator for nuclear nonproliferation.

NNSA, through Sandia National Laboratories, completed the security upgrade design work and finalized contract negotiations under its Material Protection, Control, and Accounting Program in order to complete the work by December 2008.

The security upgrades that will be installed at the site, which is under the control of the 12th Main Directorate, are designed to protect against the risk of theft or attack by terrorists, and include installing physical protection systems, such as intrusion detection sensors, access controls and hardened defensive positions .

NNSA has previously provided security upgrades at 61 military-affiliated sites in the Russian Federation, and has contracts in place to install security systems at 23 additional sites by December 2008.

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Media contact(s):
NNSA Public Affairs (202) 586-7371