Despite their  limited impact on the CTR program, most of these projects can be used to  support dismantlement of Russia’s general purpose nuclear submarines,  according to DOD officials. One of Eight AMEC Projects Had a Direct Impact on CTR’s Efforts to Dismantle Russia’s Ballistic Nuclear Submarines

Only one of eight AMEC projects established to support and complement  CTR’s program for the dismantlement of Russia’s ballistic missile nuclear  submarines has directly benefited the program. According to CTR officials, however, only one AMEC project, the  development of a prototype 40-metric ton container used to store and  transport spent nuclear fuel from dismantled Russian ballistic missile  nuclear submarines, was able to meet CTR program objectives. U.S. and foreign officials also asserted that another important aspect of  AMEC is that it facilitates military-to-military cooperation with Russia. AMEC Member Countries Have Contributed About $56 Million to the Program

From 1996 to April 2004, AMEC member countries contributed about $56  million to the program. The United States has been the largest contributor,  providing about $31 million or about 56 percent of the total, with Russia,  Norway, and the United Kingdom contributing the remainder. Program Contributions to AMEC Have Declined

The overall U.S. contribution to AMEC decreased from fiscal year 1999 to  fiscal year 2004, as U.S.-funded projects have been completed and as other  AMEC member countries have increased their assistance. AMEC’s proposal to  improve submarine base security may be contrary to U.S. policy. DOD Has Not Adequately Justified Its Proposed Initiative to Expand Its Technology Development to Submarine Dismantlement Activities into Russia’s Pacific Region

In response to Russia’s request for assistance to address environmental  problems resulting from military activities in the Pacific, DOD plans to  expand its technology demonstration efforts to that region by developing a  program similar to AMEC. However, DOD has neither adequately analyzed  the condition of Russia’s radioactive waste problems resulting from, among  other things, decommissioned and dismantled nuclear submarines in the  Pacific nor their impact on the environment. Furthermore, DOD has not  identified specific projects that would be needed beyond those already  being done for the Arctic region. However, in  commenting on our draft report, DOD raised several concerns and  observations, including: (1) AMEC’s primary role is not to support the  Cooperative Threat Reduction program (CTR) but to minimize the  ecological security risks associated with military activities in the Arctic; (2)  DOD’s program plan submitted to the Congress in 1999 did not state that  AMEC projects would support the goals of the CTR program; (3) our report  did not adequately capture AMEC’s impact on and relationship to other  U.S./multinational programs such as the G-8 Global Partnership initiative;  (4) AMEC’s draft plan is a work in progress and is currently undergoing  coordination with partner countries; and (5) our report does not capture  the trend that shows increased partner country funding. DOD incorrectly asserted in its technical comments that our draft report  did not address two aspects of section 324 of the National Defense  Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 that required us to review AMEC: (1)  the extent to which the AMEC program supports the G-8 Global  Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass  Destruction Initiative and (2) the current and proposed technology  development and demonstration role of AMEC in U.S. nonproliferation  efforts.
Why GAO Did This Study

Norway, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States participate in the Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation (AMEC) program, a multilateral effort that seeks to reduce the environmental impacts of Russia's military activities through technology development projects. AMEC has primarily focused on Russia's aging fleet of nuclear submarines. Section 324 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 required GAO to review AMEC, including its relationship to the Department of Defense's (DOD) Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program. In accordance with the act, GAO (1) assessed the extent to which AMEC supports and complements the CTR program, (2) identified AMEC member countries' financial contributions to the program, (3) assessed AMEC's future program objectives, and (4) evaluated DOD's proposal to expand its technology development activities to Russia's Pacific region.

What GAO Found

In a 1999 program plan to the Congress, DOD stated that AMEC projects would support the goals of the CTR program. However, we found that only one of eight AMEC projects designed to support CTR's objective of dismantling Russia's ballistic missile nuclear submarines has done so. This project involved development of a prototype 40-metric ton container to store and transport spent (used) nuclear fuel from Russia's dismantled submarines. Despite AMEC's limited contribution to CTR, DOD officials, including CTR representatives, said that most of the projects can be used to support dismantlement of other types of Russian nuclear submarines. In addition, U.S. and foreign officials cited other benefits of U.S. participation in AMEC, including promoting U.S. foreign policy objectives, particularly with Norway, and facilitating military-to-military cooperation with Russia. From 1996, when the program was established, to April 2004, AMEC member countries had contributed about $56 million to the program. The United States has been the largest contributor, providing about $31 million, or about 56 percent of the total. However, the overall U.S. contribution has decreased from fiscal year 1999 to fiscal year 2004 as U.S. funded projects have been completed and as other AMEC member countries have increased their assistance. In May 2004, AMEC developed a draft strategic plan to guide its future efforts. The plan, which is currently being reviewed by AMEC partners, proposes improving the security of Russia's nuclear submarine bases and securing spent nuclear fuel from dismantled submarines. However, securing bases could be contrary to U.S. policy, which preclude assistance to most operational Russian military sites that contain nuclear weapons, including certain naval facilities. DOD wants to expand its dismantlement technology development efforts to Russia's Pacific region, but has not adequately analyzed the condition of Russia's decommissioned nuclear submarines in the Pacific and their impact on the environment. Furthermore, DOD has not identified specific projects that would be needed beyond those already done in the Arctic region.