Technical Status of Russia’s Plutonium Disposition Program

On August 29 and September 1, 2000 the United States and the Russian Federation signed The Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Russian Federation Concerning the Management and Disposition of Plutonium Designated as No Longer Required for Defense Purposes and Related Cooperation (the 2000 Agreement). Under the terms of the 2000 Agreement, each party is to dispose of no less than 34 metric tons of surplus weapon-grade plutonium withdrawn from nuclear weapon programs. This paper provides an overview of the activities that have transpired since the Agreement was signed, the current status of implementation, and future possibilities.