US funding has tightened security at Russian nuclear sites, but whether the stricter controls can be sustained remains to be seen, a US official report said Monday.
Since 1993, the Pentagon and the Department of Energy have helped to provide security upgrades and other assistance for sites in Russia and other countries where weapons-usuable nuclear material and warheads are stored.
The program cost some 2.2 billion dollars in 2006 alone, the report from the US Government Accountability Office said.
The US Department of Energy reported that some 175 buildings had already been secured and there were plans to secure a further 35 buildings by the end of 2008.
Security has been bolstered at some 62 Russian warhead sites, with another 35 such sites to be brought into line by the end of next year.
But the report said the abilities of the two departments "to ensure the sustainability of US-funded security upgrades may be hampered by access difficulties, funding concerns and other issues."
Source: Agence France-Presse
