Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Indiana

1992

The Pentagon requests authority for the Nunn-Lugar Program to address threats posed by chemical weapons. Congress grants the authority.

1993 - 1996

Nunn-Lugar cooperating with Russia identifying location and technology to be utilized in destruction of chemical weapons.

1996

The Pentagon chooses Parsons as main contractor for CWDF.

1997

Senator Lugar leads efforts to achieve Senate ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention over strong opposition.

Senator Lugar opposes an amendment to impose limitations on the use of Nunn-Lugar funds for the destruction of chemical weapons. Language is agreed to by Senators Lugar and Kyl permitting the expenditure of funds for chemical weapons destruction. Amendment as modified was agreed to by Voice Vote.

1998

Russian economy collapses. Russia stops contributing to chemical weapons destruction.

1999

House of Representatives seeks to prohibit the construction of the CWDF.

Lugar writes to Defense bill conferees urging them not to stop construction of the CWDF.

Lugar meets with individual and groups of members urging their support for the facility.

Lugar argues in a speech before the Business Executives for National Security that “Nuclear weapons are not the only proliferation threat from Soviet arsenals. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union manufactured enormous stockpiles of chemical weapons. The Russian stockpile is stored in seven sites across that country and the security surrounding it is affected by the Russian economic crisis. We cannot permit these weapons to be stolen or sold to the highest bidders. This material was produced for one purpose, to kill American soldiers. Nunn-Lugar is addressing this threat. It will begin construction of Russia’s first chemical weapons destruction facility at one of their largest storage sites where 5,500 metric tons of VX and other nerve agent are stored in artillery rounds. We hope the Nunn-Lugar destruction plant will be completed by 2003. When operational it will be capable of destroying 500 metric tons of chemical weapons per year.”

Lugar addresses the Charles F. Bonser Distinguished Lectures in Public Policy Series at Indiana University and states that “The Nunn-Lugar program also has facilitated the destruction of Russian chemical weapons. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union manufactured enormous stockpiles of chemical weapons. The Soviet stockpile has been estimated to be a minimum of 40,000 metric tons of deadly agent. Both the United States and Russia, by ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention, have pledged to destroy their stockpiles of these hideous weapons.”

Lugar visits Shchuchye and tours the storage facility holding the 2 million rounds of chemical weapons. The famous picture of Lugar holding the briefcase with the 85mm artillery shell containing VX is taken. The future site of the CWDF is a birch tree forest.

2000

Russia identifies Shchuchye as site for CWDF and provides land use document.

Senate authorizes Nunn-Lugar funding for Shchuchye. The House prohibits funding for Shchuchye. Congress passes language permitting construction if six conditions are met. The Administration determines that the conditions will not permit construction of the CWDF to commence.

The conference report for the Defense Authorization bill prohibits spending on the CWDF.

2001

Bush Administration launches a review of the Nunn-Lugar program. The Bush Administration determines that the project’s success will make important contributions to U.S. national security and urges that it be accelerated.

Lugar continues education and outreach effort to Members of Congress on the importance of destroying the 2 million chemical weapons at Shchuchye. He writes letters to Members of the House Armed Services Committee and works closely with colleagues in the Senate.

The Senate Appropriations Committee cuts $46 million from the Nunn-Lugar program, citing the Pentagon’s unspent balances.

Lugar sends a letter to the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee pointing out that the funding cut “has eliminated funding for construction of a chemical weapons elimination facility at Shchuchye near Chelyabinsk … it is home to a staggering two million chemical artillery shells and warheads. Shchuchye houses 50 percent of the former Soviet modern ground-launched chemical weapons arsenal. The weapons varied from compact 85mm chemical artillery shells to much larger warheads carried on “SCUD” missiles. It is time to utilize the window of opportunity to destroy these dangerous weapons. It is imperative that Russia’s vast stores of chemical weapons do not end up in the hands of rogue nations or terrorists. We are losing precious time to eliminate these dangerous weapons. Securing the necessary authorization and appropriations for the construction of the destruction facility is my highest priority this year. I intend to offer an amendment on the floor to restore these funds to the Nunn-Lugar program.”

Lugar amendment to the Appropriations bill to restore the funds is accepted by unanimous consent.

Lugar hosts breakfast with members of the House of Representatives and Dr. Pak, the head of the Russian Chemical Weapons Destruction Program.

Lugar addresses the annual Carnegie Nonproliferation Conference and identifies the CWDF as an area in need of additional attention saying that: “Critics of U.S. involvement argue that the weapons stored at Shchuchye pose no more than an environmental threat to the local Russian population. Nothing could be further from the truth. The size and lethality of the weapons I observed are clearly a threat. A Russian Major and I demonstrated the proliferation threat posed by these weapons by easily fitting an 85 mm shell, filled with VX, into an ordinary briefcase. Room was available for at least two more shells. One briefcase alone, could carry enough agent to kill thousands of Americans.”

Nunn-Lugar starts clearing and putting infrastructure in place the CWDF site.

2002

Lugar visits the proposed site of the CWDF at Shchuchye with former Senator Nunn, Congressmen John Spratt and Chris Shays. The birch forest has been cleared and a few of the auxiliary buildings are under construction.

The House Armed Services Committee cuts Shchuchye funding request in half. The Senate Armed Services Committee provides full funding for Shchuchye.

Lugar offers amendment providing the President with a waiver for congressional conditions relating to the CWDF. It was adopted by unanimous consent.

Condoleezza Rice writes to Senator Lugar endorsing his efforts to provide the President with waiver authority over the Congressional conditions on contributions to the CWDF.

Secretary of State Powell writes expressing his support for Senator Lugar’s efforts on the CWDF.

Lugar issues a Dear Colleague letter sharing Rice’s letter of support.

In December, Lugar writes in Arms Control Today that “The United States and Russia ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. Today, more than five years later, Russia has barely begun to eliminate its estimated 40,000 metric ton stockpile. I have visited Shchuchye, one of the major chemical weapons repositories in Russia where a chemical weapons destruction facility is to be built with U.S. cooperation. At that location there are approximately 2 million shells and warheads filled with sarin, VX, and other nerve gasses ... The possibility that deadly weapons could be lost, stolen, or traded is high. Because of these factors, Shchuchye and the Russian chemical weapon stockpile represent one of the greatest proliferation threats in the world.”

2003

Lugar continues work with House and Senate Members on the need for the Nunn-Lugar Program to construct a chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuchye. Nunn-Lugar starts constructing the CWDF.

2004

Lugar holds roundtable with Ambassadors from countries contributing to the construction of the CWDF at Shchuchye and Russia. The purpose is to better coordinate assistance and to learn the views of the other governments involved in the effort.

Lugar writes an op-ed that appears in the Chicago Tribune in February. He wrote in part: “There is plenty of blame to go around for this lack of progress. In the past, Moscow was unable to pay its share of destruction costs and was suspicious of providing information on its weapons programs. On our side, for three years, funds from the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program designated for Shchuch’ye were blocked by some who assert that Russia's failure to comply with its CWC obligations requires the suspension of joint chemical weapons destruction efforts. We need to keep pressing Russia on these shortcomings, but our frustration with the Russians must not interfere with our national security interests, namely, to eliminate the deadly chemical weapons stockpile. Although Congress granted the president temporary waiver authority to get the money flowing again, the United States lost valuable time on an urgent project. We are in a race to rid the world of these dreadful weapons before terrorists get their hands on them, and we shouldn't let self-imposed bureaucratic hassles slow us down. Some in Congress and in the administration ask why we should spend money to clean up the Russian mess: 'They made their bed, now they can lie in it.' The trouble is, in the meantime terrorists could break into the bedroom, steal weapons of mass destruction, and use them against our armed forces, the United States or our allies.”

Lugar appears before the National Security Subcommittee of the House Policy Committee on nonproliferation to discuss the importance of Nunn-Lugar and the CWDF project.

Lugar briefs the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairmen from the Parliaments of the Nordic and Baltic states urging them to contribute funding to the CWDF at Shchuchye.

2005

Nunn-Lugar efforts to hire subcontractors to work at Shchuchye begin being frustrated by what is suspected intentional contract manipulation of the US contracting process. The US government, through the Parsons Company, submitted two separate requests for proposals to install the destruction equipment in one of two destruction buildings. Unfortunately, despite the best U.S. intentions and meticulous cost analyses and evaluations none of the bids that were received were consistent with US estimates. In each of the two subcontractor bidding processes, early estimates provided by some Russian companies were considered responsible and accurate. Unfortunately, each bidder on each occasion dramatically increased their proposed cost estimate days before the awarding of a contract. Nunn-Lugar staff from the Pentagon and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency suspect intentional and organized contract manipulation. After the Nunn-Lugar Program’s third such experience, the program decided to take a new path.

Lugar writes a letter to Secretary of State Rice urging the Administration to support his efforts to eliminate the Shchuchye certification requirements. Rice expresses her support for the Lugar amendment.

Lugar offers amendment in the Senate to eliminate the Shchuchye certification requirement. The amendment is adopted 78 – 19. The House version of the bill does not eliminate the certification requirements.

The conference report for the Defense Authorization bill does not eliminate the certification requirements.

2006

Nunn-Lugar subcontracting problems continue.

The Senate Armed Services Committee provides Shchuchye with waiver authority but does not eliminate the certification requirements.

Lugar offers amendment in Senate to eliminate the Shchuchye certification requirements. The amendment is adopted by unanimous consent.

National Security Advisor Steve Hadley endorses Senator Lugar’s bill.

The Lugar legislation is not adopted as part of the conference report for the Defense authorization act.

Senate Appropriators cut $8 million from the Bush Administration’s Supplemental request of $45 million for the Nunn-Lugar program. Senator Lugar offers an amendment to restore this funding. His amendment is adopted by unanimous consent. The conference report includes full funding.

2007

Lugar visits Shchuchye for the third time. Lugar and Nunn are in Russia celebrating the 15^th anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar Program. They visit the railroad bridge built in part with funds from the Nuclear Threat Initiative and tour the CWDF under construction.

Lugar testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the importance of the CWDF in reducing the threat posed by the 2 million chemical weapons shells at Shchuchye.

Senator Jack Reed asks Lugar a Question for the Record on Shchuchye: Senator Lugar answers that he had “visited the Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility at Shchuchye on three occasions ... The facility is made up of 14 old wooden warehouses. Some have broken windows covered over with chicken wire. The high fence and the military guards are the only hint of what is inside—one of the world's largest stockpiles of deadly nerve gas, nearly two million easily portable artillery shells and missile warheads filled with lethal sarin, soman and VX ... There is plenty of blame to go around for the delays we have encountered in destroying the chemical weapons munitions at Shchuchye. In the past, Moscow was unable to pay its share of destruction costs and was suspicious of providing information on its weapons programs. For three years, funds from the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program designated for Shchuch’ye, were blocked by some in Congress who asserted that Russia's failure to comply with its CWC obligations requires the suspension of joint chemical weapons destruction efforts. Although Congress granted the president temporary waiver authority to get the money flowing again, the United States lost valuable time on an urgent project. We are in a race to rid the world of these dreadful weapons before terrorists get their hands on them, and we shouldn't let self-imposed bureaucratic hassles slow us down ... Despite the strong support from the President and the administration, Congress continues to place six conditions on US assistance to the chemical weapons destruction program at Shchuch’ye. Current law requires that the President certify that Russia has met each of these six conditions. Absent such a certification, funds cannot be obligated and cannot be expended until or unless the Administration certifies that cooperation is ongoing or a waiver is put in place. In a number of circumstances, they cannot certify that these conditions are being met and consequently, they have to request waiver authority so that the conditions can be waived and funding can go forward. As I indicated in my testimony these certification requirements need to be eliminated. While well intentioned, these conditions delay and complicate efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction. As recently as 2003, Shchuchye funding was not available for expenditure until more than half of the fiscal year had passed before the bureaucratic process was concluded. None of these certifications justifies stopping the destruction of the stockpile at Shchuchye. We must eliminate, not preserve, mechanisms that slow down our work.”

The Nunn-Lugar program and the Russian Government reach agreement on a strategy to avoid disagreements on contracting costs. The Nunn-Lugar program will provide funding directly to the Russian Government who will be responsible for hiring the contractors to install the destruction equipment. The total amounts Nunn-Lugar will provide are capped at the estimates originally devised to guide the U.S. contracting strategy.

Lugar offers legislation to repeal the certification requirements for Shchuchye.

Lugar writes to Senators Levin and McCain, Chairman and Ranking Member of Armed Services, urging them to support his efforts to eliminate the certification requirements for Shchuchye.

The Armed Services Committee includes an elimination of the Shchuchye certification projects in the committee-passed bill as supported by Senator Lugar.

The last authorization and appropriations authority for Shchuchye is requested and approved by Congress.

2008

Lugar testifies before the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism and outlines the threat posed by the chemical weapons awaiting destruction at Shchuchye.

The Senate and House Armed Services Committees authorize $1 million for Shchuchye to keep the authorization line open in cases there is a need for additional funds at the CWDF.

2009

The CWDF runs several tests on live chemical weapons at Shchuchye to ensure that the process works as designed. The tests are successful.

Lugar attends the opening ceremonies of the CWDF at Shchuchye.

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