The USA’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program
Through the Co-operative Threat Reduction program, the Department of Defense provides equipment, services, and technical advice to Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine to assist them in eliminating (or in the case of Russia, reducing) the weapons of mass destruction remaining from the Soviet era, and preventing proliferation. That means dismantling the associated infrastructure, or transforming portions of it to engage in peaceful civilian activities.
The U.S. objectives in the CTR program as established by Congress are to cooperate with the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union to:
- Destroy nuclear, chemical, and other weapons of mass destruction;
- Transport, store, disable, and safeguard weapons in connection with their destruction;
- Establish verifiable safeguards against proliferation of such weapons;
- Prevent diversion of weapons-related expertise;
- Facilitate demilitarization of defense industries and conversion of military capabilities and technologies; and
- Expand defense and military contacts between the United States and the NIS.
These objectives are inextricably linked with each other. Meeting the objective of safeguarding nuclear weapons in Russia, for example, would also help prevent proliferation, a growing concern in light of ongoing reports of nuclear material smuggling.
CTR has faced significant challenges, not least of which is a level of corruption and non-cooperation that makes success in Russia very difficult.
Contracts and Key Events, 2010-Present
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April 27/11: The US Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program issues 4 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contracts to provide supporting services. The maximum estimated combined total of all 4 contracts will not exceed $950 million over the 5-year base ordering period, with just 1 one-year optional ordering period.
Work will be performed at various locations overseas, and is expected to be complete in April 2020 (April 2021 if the option is exercised). Contract funds involve a $500,000 minimum guarantee for each winner, but after that, each firm will compete for specific task orders. This requirement was competitively awarded through the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 8 offers received by DTRA in Fort Belvoir, VA. And the winners are:
- Bechtel National, Inc. in Frederick, MD (HDTRA1-11-D-0010)
- Raytheon Technical Services Co., LLC in Dulles, VA (HDTRA1-11-D-0007)
- Parsons Global Services, Inc., Pasadena, CA (HDTRA1-11-D-0008)
- URS Federal Services International, Inc. in Cleveland, OH (HDTRA1-11-D-0009)
Nov 19/10: Northrop Grumman Information Technology in McLean, VA receives a $75 million contact for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program advisory and assistance services support. Work will be performed in Lorton, VA, with an estimated completion date of April 26/11. One sole-source bid was solicited, with one bid received by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency in Fort Belvoir, VA (HDTRA1-05-D-0003).
Additional Readings & Sources
- US Sen. Dick Lugar [R-IN] – The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.
- U.S. DoD DefenseLink – CTR
- NTI.org – Russia: Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program in Russia
- NTI.org – Russia: The Defense Enterprise Fund
- Matthew Maly (whistleblower named in the above NTI.org article) – D.E.F. and Dumb: The Scandal of Soviet WMDs
