Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Indiana - The Nunn-Lugar Program
Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Indiana
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The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program

Lugar celebrates opening of largest Nunn-Lugar WMD destruction project

Shchuchye, Russia -- On Friday, May 29, Senator Dick Lugar joined Russian officials in Siberia, Russia to open the the Nunn-Lugar Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility. At the ceremony, Senator Lugar said the facility is a testament to U.S.-Russian “cooperation and our shared dedication to addressing the threats posed by weapons of mass destruction.”

During a visit to the chemical weapons depository at Shchuchye, Russia in December 2000, Senator Lugar demonstrated the proliferation risk by placing an 85mm chemical shell into an ordinary briefcase. More than 1.9 million chemical munitions are housed at Shchuchye.

More than a decade in the making, the facility will destroy nearly 2 million chemical weapons shells and nerve agent that has been stored here since Soviet days. It is arguably the largest facility in the world destroying chemical munitions, and is currently the only operating facility that can accommodate the destruction of 2 million munitions.

“The experience of the Nunn-Lugar program in Russia has demonstrated that the threat of weapons of mass destruction can lead to extraordinary outcomes based on mutual interest. As new dangers emerge in third countries, the U.S. and Russia must work together around the world and aggressively pursue any non-proliferation opportunities that appear. Together we can utilize the Nunn-Lugar concept to address global threats,” Senator Lugar said.

“The path to peace and prosperity for both Russia and the United States depends on how we resolve the threats posed by the arsenals built to fight World War III. Thankfully that confrontation never came. But today we must ensure that the weapons are never used, and never fall into the hands of those who would do harm to us or others. The United States and Russia have too much at stake and too many common interests to allow our relationship to drift toward conflict. Both of our nations have been the victim of terrorism that has deeply influenced our sense of security,” Lugar said in his speech commemorating the event.

On at least a dozen occasions over the past decade Lugar has interceded to keep the Shchuchye project on track. The program was challenged by congressional opposition and restrictions, contractual problems, cost over runs, and delays.

“Our own national security is bolstered by a vigorous international campaign to contain and eliminate all chemical weapons stockpiles. Global terrorists remain on the prowl, looking for new targets and, no doubt, new weapons. Destroying the huge cache of weapons at Shchuchye will make Americans safer,” Senator Lugar said.

For video demonstrating the proliferation threat of the Shchuchye facility, watch footage from a 2002 Nunn-Lugar oversight visit and watch a segment from ABC's 20/20 program that aired in 2003.

History of the Nunn-Lugar Program

In November 1991, Senator Lugar (R-IN) and former Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) authored the Nunn-Lugar Act, which established the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.

This program has provided U.S. funding 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. On January 30, 2008, Senator Lugar delivered a speech at a Defense Threat Reduction Agency conference, saying arms control has suffered significant setbacks. An excerpt from the speech follows:

"The United States lacks even minimal confidence about many foreign weapons programs. In most cases, there is little or no information regarding the number of weapons or amounts of materials a country may have produced, the storage procedures they employ to safeguard their weapons, or plans regarding further production or destruction programs. We must pay much more attention to making certain that all weapons and materials of mass destruction are identified, continuously guarded, and systematically destroyed."

Latest Nunn-Lugar News

The Nunn-Lugar Program 15th Anniversary

In August 2007, Senator Lugar and former Senator Nunn traveled to Russia to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar program. Read the Nunn-Lugar program 15th anniversary trip report The Adobe Reader logo..

Press releases from the 15th anniversary trip:

This program has provided U.S. funding 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 the Nunn-Lugar Expansion Act, which authorized the Nunn-Lugar program to operate outside the former Soviet Union to address proliferation threats.

Nunn-Lugar in Albania

Through an expansion effort led by Senator Lugar, the Nunn-Lugar program extended its cooperative reach beyond the former Soviet Union for the first time in 2004.

The Albanian government requested American assistance in destroying newly found chemical weapons.

On July 19, 2007, the Albanian Defense Ministry announced destruction of its chemicals weapons stockpile utilizing the Nunn-Lugar program.

Senator Lugar wrote an op-ed about the success in Albania in August 2007 that ran on the Scripps Howard News Service wire. Additional photos are available in the Nunn-Lugar photo gallery.

The Nunn-Lugar Scorecard

The Nunn-Lugar Scorecard.The Nunn-Lugar scorecard now totals 7,514 strategic nuclear warheads deactivated, 752 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) destroyed, 498 ICBM silos eliminated, 143 ICBM mobile launchers destroyed, 643 submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) eliminated, 476 SLBM launchers eliminated, 31 nuclear submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles destroyed, 155 bomber eliminated, 906 nuclear air-to-surface missiles (ASMs) destroyed, 194 nuclear test tunnels eliminated, 438 nuclear weapons transport train shipments secured, upgraded security at 24 nuclear weapons storage sites, and built and equipped 18 biological 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.

Nunn-Lugar Program Fiscal Year Funding

Beyond nuclear, chemical and biological elimination, the Nunn-Lugar program has worked to reemploy scientists and facilities related to weapons of mass destruction in peaceful research initiatives. The International Science and Technology Centers, of which the United States is the leading sponsor, engaged 58,000 former weapons scientists in peaceful work. The National Nuclear Security Administration's Global Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention program has funded over 750 projects, engaging thousands of former weapons scientists at over 180 facilities and resulting in the creation of  2,300 new peaceful high-tech jobs.

Nunn-Lugar definition of terms
ICBM – Intercontinental ballistic missile
SLBM – Submarine launched ballistic missile
SSBN – Nuclear submarine capable of launching ballistic missile
ASM – Air-to-surface missile

Nunn-Lugar Trip Reports

Nunn-Lugar Links