NBC Weapons: December 16, 2004

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The Co-operative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, established by the United States after the Cold War ended, to help get rid of surplus nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in the former Soviet Union, has established quite a track record. As of this past Summer, CTR has deactivated over 6,000 nuclear warheads, destroyed 500 ballistic missiles, 450 missile silos, 26 ballistic missile submarines, 120 long range bombers, a major biological weapons production plant and 150 tons of highly enriched uranium (that could be used to build atomic bombs). In addition, storage and security of nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union has been much improved. New jobs have been found for some 50,000 weapons scientists from the former Soviet Union. The CTR program is being modified and expanded to cut red tape and allow for it to operate outside the former Soviet Union. For example, CTR money has been used to dismantle a chemical weapons plant in Albania. There have been problems, with Russian bureaucrats and in tracking down a lot of the weapons that were produced during the Cold War. But the world is definitely a safer place because of CTR.

 

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