Legislative Update

Nunn-Lugar funding increased by $80 million

Senator Lugar welcomed increased funding for the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program in the Conference Report to accompany the Department of Defense Appropriations bill that unanimously passed the Senate on November 8, 2007.  Nunn-Lugar will receive $80 million more than the Bush Administration had requested.

On April 11, 2007, Senator Lugar testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee urging a $100 million increase because “without a substantial funding increase, important biological projects will go unfunded and dangerous pathogens such as anthrax, plague, smallpox, hemorrhagic fever, and avian influenza will be left unprotected and vulnerable to theft or diversion… With these funds, we could begin projects in seven additional countries.”  These findings were supported earlier this year by a study released by the National Academy of Sciences which encouraged the United States to increase its funding and engagement in biological weapons and disease pathogen projects.

The Conference Report agreement states that the Nunn-Lugar program will receive $428,048,000 for Fiscal Year 2008 (see pages 236/7 of the Conference Report).  In addition, the Conference Report directs $5 million of the Nunn-Lugar budget to be appropriated for chemical weapons destruction in Libya.  Specifically, the report requires that the funding be used as initial funding for a chemical weapons incinerator in Libya.

On Monday, November 5, 2007, Senator Lugar addressed the U.S.-Libya Business Association.  He encouraged the U.S. Senate to confirm an Ambassador to Libya and fully establish the Embassy.  He also addressed the need for increased U.S. involvement in destroying Libyan chemical weapons: “The United States must reexamine its response to Libya’s request for aid in destroying its extensive chemical stockpile. This was an opportunity that should have been seized with enthusiasm by the United States. Bilateral negotiations on a destruction agreement proceeded slowly, even though Libya still possesses enough precursor chemicals to make more chemical weapons. Late last year, the deal was effectively scuttled when the United States refused to consider an increase in its contribution to the destruction effort. I have communicated frequently with the Bush Administration about this, and remain hopeful that the United States will play a constructive role.”

In November 1991, Senator Lugar and Senator Sam Nunn authored the Nunn-Lugar Act, which established the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. This program has provided U.S. funding and expertise to help the former Soviet Union safeguard and dismantle its enormous stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, related materials, and delivery systems. In 2003, Congress adopted the Nunn-Lugar Expansion Act, which authorized the Nunn-Lugar program to operate outside the former Soviet Union to address proliferation threats. In 2004, Nunn-Lugar funds were committed for the first time outside of the former Soviet Union to destroy chemical weapons in Albania.

The Nunn-Lugar scorecard now totals 7,206 strategic nuclear warheads deactivated, 667 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) destroyed, 486 ICBM silos eliminated, 119 ICBM mobile launchers destroyed, 615 submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) eliminated, 456 SLBM launchers eliminated, 30 nuclear submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles destroyed, 155 bomber eliminated, 906 nuclear air-to-surface missiles (ASMs) destroyed, 194 nuclear test tunnels eliminated, 370 nuclear weapons transport train shipments secured, upgraded security at 12 nuclear weapons storage sites, and built and equipped 12 biological monitoring stations.  Perhaps most importantly, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan are nuclear weapons free as a result of cooperative efforts under the Nunn-Lugar program.  Those countries were the third, fourth and eighth largest nuclear weapons powers in the world.

Beyond nuclear, chemical and biological elimination, the Nunn-Lugar program has worked to reemploy scientists and facilities related to weapons of mass destruction in peaceful research initiatives. The International Science and Technology Centers, of which the United States is the leading sponsor, engaged 58,000 former weapons scientists in peaceful work. The International Proliferation Prevention Program has funded 750 projects involving 14,000 former weapons scientists and created some 580 new peaceful high-tech jobs.