Press Release of Senator Lugar Nunn-Lugar program April update Friday, May 22, 2009 U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar announced the following accomplishments for the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program in April:   ·             10 Submarine launched ballistic missiles; and ·             5 nuclear weapons transport train shipments secured.   On May 29, 2009, Lugar will attend the official opening ceremonies for the Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility in Shchuchye, Russia. Located in Siberia, the new facility was funded by the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program. Nunn-Lugar previously secured the nearly 2 million munitions containing VX nerve agent and other chemicals weapons. The shells now will be drained and destroyed, and the deadly chemicals neutralized.   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,” Lugar said.   More information is available at http://lugar.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=313427&. 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. 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. 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. In 2007, Lugar announced the complete destruction of Albania’s chemical weapons. 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 Lugar makes annual oversight trips to Nunn-Lugar sites around the world.   The Nunn-Lugar program: http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/ The Nunn-Lugar scorecard: http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/scorecard.html   ###