Many of these weapons were located outside Russia, but have since beenreturned to storage areas in Russia. It includes a brief listing of the cooperative programs and assistance theUnited States has provided to Russia and the other former Soviet states in an effort to addressconcerns about the safety and security of nuclear weapons and materials. (1)

	Sources of Concern

		Location of Nuclear Weapons in the Former Soviet Union

When the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, it possessed, according to most estimates, more than 27,000 nuclear weapons. Strategic Nuclear Weapons in the Non-Russian Republics
Source: U.S. Department of Defense. Concerns about Command, Control, Safety, and Security

Many in the United States and Russia have voiced concerns about safety, security, and control over nuclear weapons in Russia. These concerns center on three general areas -- concerns aboutweaknesses in Russia's command and control system; concerns about the possible loss of nuclearwarheads due to lax security or accounting at nuclear weapons facilities; and concerns about the lossor theft of nuclear materials from the former Soviet Union's nuclear weapons facilities. In early 1997, Russia's Defense MinisterRodionov stated that he feared a loss of control over Russian strategic nuclear forces in the futureif additional funding were not available to maintain and modernize the communications links in thenuclear command and control structure. Safety and Security of Stored Nuclear Warheads. Many in the United Statesremain concerned about the level of security at these facilities and some fear that, as a result of poorsecurity and inadequate record-keeping, Russia may not be able to keep track of all its warheads. General Eugene Habiger, the former Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Strategic Command, visited nuclear weapons storage facilities in Russia to observe safety and security procedures on twooccasions, in October 1997 and June 1998. Some in Congress have also expressed concern about Russia's stockpile of nonstrategic nuclear weapons. They also denied, on several occasions,that any Russian nuclear weapons were missing. The United States provides nearly $1 billion per year inassistance, through programs in the State Department, Energy Department, and Defense Department,to help the former Soviet states secure and eliminate nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, tohelp secure and eliminate the materials used in these weapons, and to help provide alternativeemployment for the scientists and engineers who had been a part of the Soviet Union's weaponscomplex. Department of Energy Programs

Although the Nunn-Lugar CTR program, in its early years, focused on securing nuclear weapons, it did include some funding for materials control and protection. Many observers praised this agreement as an overduesign that the United States and Russia no longer consider each other enemies.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, it reportedly possessed more than 27,000 nuclear weapons, and these weapons were deployed on the territories of several of the former Sovietrepublics. All of the nuclear warheads have now been moved to Russia, but Russia still has around5,500 strategic nuclear weapons and perhaps as many as 12,000 warheads for nonstrategic nuclearweapons.
Many analysts in the United States and Russia have expressed concerns about the safety, security, and control over these weapons. Some of these concerns focus on Russia's nuclearcommand and control structure. Financial constraints have slowed the modernization andreplacement of many aging satellites and communications links, raising the possibility that Russiamight not be able to identify a potential attack or communicate with troops in the field if an attackwere underway. Some fear that the misinterpretation of an ambiguous event might lead to thelaunch of nuclear weapons. Some also expressed concern that the year 2000 computer bug couldaffect Russia's command and control system, but it did not.
Some concerns are also focused on the safety and security of nuclear warheads in storage facilities in Russia. Press reports and statements by Russian officials about possible missingwarheads have added to these concerns. However, General Eugene Habiger, former Commander-in-Chief of theU.S. Strategic Command, stated that he had no major concerns about security at Russiannuclear storage facilities after he visited several storage sites in Oct. 1997 and June 1998.
The United States and Russia are cooperating in many fora to improve the safety, security, and control over Russia's nuclear weapons and materials. Through the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative ThreatReduction (CTR) Program, the U.S. Department of Defense has provided assistance worth nearly$2 billion to help Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus safely transport and store weapons andeliminate launchers under the START Treaties. The Department of Energy's Materials Protection,Control and Accounting Program is helping Russia and other former Soviet republics secure nuclearmaterials at research and other facilities in the former Soviet Union. The nations have also heldbilateral meetings to identify ways in which they might cooperate to improve security and resolveconcerns.
This report will not be updated. For current information on U.S. and Russian efforts to address concerns about the safety and security of Russian nuclear weapons and materials see CRS Report RL31957 , Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance: U.S. Programs in the Former SovietUnion.