The Nunn-Lugar Weapons Protection, Control, and Accounting Program: Securing Russia’s Nuclear Warheads

In October 2001, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) revealed to the public that “terrorists” had conducted reconnaissance operations on MOD’s nuclear weapon storage sites twice during the previous eight months. General Colonel Igor N. Valynkin, chief of MOD’s Twelfth Main Directorate (12th MD) in charge of maintaining and securing Russia’s nuclear weapons stockpile, further admitted that a ground attack on his storage sites might succeed. Concurrently, Osama bin Laden was making public statements that his al Qaida network had obtained nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Although most analysts dismissed bin Laden’s claims, Russia’s vast nuclear warhead storage and transportation system remains an enticing and vulnerable target for any terrorist organization attempting to acquire nuclear