US-Russia cooperation in the disposition of weapons grade fissile materials

In response to the changes in the international geopolitical scene, the United States and Russia have embarked in new directions regarding their nuclear weapons stockpiles. Both countries have entered a period in which significant numbers of nuclear weapons are being withdrawn from their stockpiles and dismantled. Large quantities of materials usable in weapons, including plutonium, are no longer required for defense purposes. On January 14, 1994, U.S. President Clinton and Russian President Yeltsin issued a statement on ''Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and The Means of Their Delivery,'' in which the Presidents endorsed the goal of irreversibility of nuclear arms reductions and asked their experts jointly to ''study options for the long-term disposition of fissile materials, particularly of plutonium, taking into account the issues of nonproliferation, environmental protection, safety, and technical and economic factors.'' This paper traces the development of international technical cooperation on disposition of Russian weapons-grade plutonium, since disposition of Russian high enriched uranium is already being addressed by downblending into low enriched uranium for nuclear power reactor fuel. Development of options for disposition of plutonium has been addressed by diplomatic contacts between U.S. and Russia, followed by discussions and studies of disposition options by technical experts. This process has evolved into a recently-developed program of small-scale technology demonstrations that will support design of pilot facilities for disposition of plutonium. Experience gained in the operation of the pilot facilities will permit the design of full-scale plutonium disposition facilities to achieve irreversible disposition of plutonium as envisioned by the U.S. and Russian Presidents in their January 1994 statement. For this pressing problem, there remains technical work to be done, there remains political work to be done, and there remains financial work to be done. (author)