Spending boost for materials security

19 July 2007

American spending on programs to improve security at Russia's nuclear weapons complexes has been set at $830 million for FY2008 - some $460 million more than requested.

In FY2006 funding was $423 million; in FY2007, $413 million.

The increased sum for FY2008 was approved by the US House of Representatives by 312 votes to 112 on 17 July. The budget as a whole now awaits President George Bush's approval.

The money would be spent by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on a number of programs meant to improve US security through the protection of radioactive and weapons-usable materials abroad. The programs secure and eliminate vulnerable nuclear weapons, weapons-usable material and other radioactive substances that could be used by terrorists. They also install detection equipment at border crossings to prevent illicit transfers.

Much of the work is carried out at Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency's (Rosatom's) weapons complex facilities, hosted in closed cities, where the NNSA said there were 500 tonnes of 'highly attractive' weapons-usable nuclear materials.

In 2006, program scientists secured 175 buildings and 53 warhead sites while converting 8.6 tonnes of high-enriched uranium to low-enriched forms for use in light-water power reactors.

According to White House figures, security upgrades cost about $5.3 million on average for each tonne of weapons-usable material. By 2008 a 540 tonnes of nuclear materials of concern should be secure at the Rosatom complex sites.

Further information

US National Nuclear Security Administration

---