Quote:
Originally Posted by wkllaw
I would like to ask you guys just how secure are the russian nuclear weapons?
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The Nunn-Lugar commission raised some questions about inventory security. But, the Russians have mostly addressed those questions. There remain a few unaccounted for weapons, but the probability that they are functional is very low. That is the biggest problem right now for the Russians. Because of years of budget shortfalls, the nuclear forces are in a state of considerable decay. Russia's new found oil wealth might stop that, but at what cost to the rest of the economy? The main problem the Russians face is keeping their scientists at work. Again, Nunn-Lugar has attempted to make money available for them to continue research and thus make an honest living without selling their skills to the highest bidder.