Weapons of Mass Destruction

The U.S. program to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union has succeeded in dismantling nuclear warheads in Ukraine, but significant barriers remain, including the lack of agreement on technology to be used in chemical weapons destruction. This report assesses the Cooperative Threat Reduction program's (1) planning and funding status and (2) recent progress in addressing program objectives in the former Soviet Union--that is, the safe and secure elimination of nuclear, chemical, and other weapons of mass destruction, including missiles and other strategic delivery vehicles; the improvement of controls over nuclear weapons and materials; and the promotion of demilitarization projects.

GAO found that: (1) the CTR program has facilitated Ukraine's weapons dismantlement efforts and has significantly influenced other recipient states' decisions to dismantle weapons of mass destruction; (2) the Department of Defense (DOD) has developed its first comprehensive multiyear CTR plan and has doubled program obligations and tripled program expenditures over the past 11 months; (3) the value of CTR work exceeds reported expenditure levels and program managers are adjusting their reporting systems to reflect the value of work actually performed; (4) DOD has made some progress in conducting audits and examinations in FSU states receiving CTR funds; (5) the specific material impact of CTR assistance has been limited due to the lack of certain storage facilities and the recent delivery of some CTR aid; and (6) the program needs to overcome numerous challenges and problems, such as the lack of agreement over disposal methods, to realize its long-term objectives.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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