struction. But, I think we must do more to deal with this serious problem which threatens our nation and other nations as well.

The bill before us today is designed to strengthen and improve the implementation of these programs by the U.S. Government. S. 673 would create a committee within the Executive Branch with the responsibility of monitoring and coordinating U.S. policies in the former Soviet Union.

I commend Presidents Bush and Putin for their statements yesterday reiterating their strong commitments to cooperation in this area of concern. It is clear that the Bush Administration places a high priority on these programs and is working, as the White House press release stated, to "ensure that existing efforts serve priority threat reduction and nonproliferation goals, as efficiently and effectively as possible.

I look forward to today's testimony on this very important topic and to our future hearings on this subject.

Senator COCHRAN. Mr. Chairman, let me just welcome my good friend and colleague from Nebraska. I appreciate the fact that he is here today to talk about his new initiative in the proliferation area, trying to control more effectively the spread of weapons of mass destruction. I cannot think of a more important subject for him to work on than that, and to looking at who is cosponsoring the legislation with him, it makes me realize that we need to take this very seriously. I am certain that it is a proposal that has been carefully reviewed and thought out and the Congress should pay close attention to this suggestion. We appreciate your taking time to come and testify before the Subcommittee.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Senator Cochran.

Again, I want to welcome you, Senator Hagel, and I want to thank you for taking the time to be with us today to discuss S. 673, the Nonproliferation Coordination Assistance Act of 2001. If you are ready for your statement, we will be glad to hear it.

Senator HAGEL. I am, Mr. Chairman.

Senator DOMENICI. Mr. Chairman, could I become a cosponsor? Would you let me do that today and you note it in the record? Senator, I would like to be a cosponsor.

Senator HAGEL. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Fine.

Senator DOMENICI. Thank you very much.

TESTIMONY OF HON. CHUCK HAGEL,1 A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEBRASKA

Senator HAGEL. Mr. Chairman, thank you, and to my friends, Senator Cochran, and Senator Domenici, thank you. What I am going to present today, Mr. Chairman, is essentially an effort that has worked from and off of the leadership of Senators Domenici, Lugar, Nunn, and Cochran and so many of my senior colleagues who have been not just working on this general issue, but trying to frame it in a way to call attention to the relevancy and the real dynamic of the threat of terrorism. That, of course, as Senator Domenici noted, has now been moved from a threat to a reality as of September 11, and hence, the timeliness and the importance of these kinds of issues, most specifically nonproliferation, is beyond just urgent but it is now of necessity that the Congress of the United States deal with this.

1 The prepared statement of Senator Hagel with an attachment appears in the appendix on

What I have done in the bill that I put together a few months ago was essentially reframe much of the work of Senators Domenici, Lugar, Biden, Cochran, and others with their support, with their concurrence, and with their encouragement. And so I want to acknowledge them as I begin to lay out what my bill would do, Mr. Chairman, because essentially, it is because of their efforts and those who have gone before me that I have been able to do this. A few months ago, I introduced, as you noted, the Nonproliferation Assistance Coordination Act to address the coordination of nonproliferation efforts in Russia and the former Soviet Union. Senators Lugar and Biden were original cosponsors of this legislation and we will include, of course, Senator Domenici, as well.

This legislation was divided into eight sections. Section four of this bill establishes a Committee on Nonproliferation Assistance at the assistant secretary level or higher, to be chaired by a senior representative of the National Security Council and comprised of representatives from the Departments of State, Defense, Commerce, and Energy.

I would also note, Mr. Chairman, that I take no particular pride in my colleagues' or others' efforts to strengthen, improve, restate, and restructure what I have laid out here and I am certain that can be done. I introduced this bill not because of any territorial sense of prerogatives as to who chairs anything, but rather to try to bring some accountability to this issue, and you will hear from witnesses, especially GAO and other administration witnesses that you noted later on, that will have their own sense of this bill and will come forward, I am sure, with a more effective way to structure the bill.

Section five sets out the duties of the Subcommittee. Section six relates to administrative support. Section seven protects confidentiality of information.

Mr. Chairman, it has been 10 years since the Congress took the important step to help reduce the threat of nuclear chaos emerging from the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Under the foresight and leadership of Senators Nunn and Lugar, Congress established the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, authorizing funding through the Department of Defense budget to assist with the safe and secure transportation, storage, and dismantlement of nuclear, chemical, and other weapons in the former Soviet Union.

We are aware of that. It has been alluded to especially in the remarks of Senator Domenici. And upon that first important piece of legislation, we build the next stage of the Nunn-Lugar effort. And as Senator Domenici noted, the next stage of that came in 1996, when Senator Domenici joined with Senators Lugar and Nunn to further define and refine Nunn-Lugar.

Thousands of nuclear warheads have been deactivated and missiles dismantled in Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Russia. In the past 10 years, the Nunn-Lugar initiative has grown into a multi-pronged effort by the Departments of Defense, State, and Energy to ensure that weapons of mass destruction, weapons-usable material and technology, and weapons-related knowledge in Russia and the Newly Independent States remain beyond the reach of ter

The investments we have made in this area have yielded an impressive return. By assisting Russia in this area, we have reduced, not eliminated, nuclear threats we face in the United States and the world and have enhanced our national security. But just as the Nunn-Lugar initiative has changed over the last decade, so, too, has the world changed, especially since the terrorist attacks on this country on September 11.

Nonproliferation is one of the key components of the war on terrorism. On November 6, President Bush stated, “Al Qaeda operates in more than 60 nations, including some in Central and Eastern Europe. These terrorist groups seek to destabilize entire nations and regions. They are seeking chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. Given the means, our enemies would be a threat to every Nation and eventually to civilization itself."

Last January, a bipartisan task force led by former Senator Baker and former White House Counselor Lloyd Cutler, which Senator Domenici mentioned, released a report calling for improved coordination within the U.S. Government on nonproliferation assistance to Russia. In particular, the report noted, "Coordination within and among U.S. Government agencies is now insufficient and must be improved. Although the task force focused on the DOE nonproliferation programs, the members heard from many interlocutors that the programs would be improved and could be improved, as would the counterpart programs in other agencies, if there were more coordination at all levels among all U.S. Government programs."

That, Mr. Chairman, is what my legislation intends to do. President Bush recognized the need for greater coordination in our domestic_security policy, as evidenced by the appointment of Governor Ridge as Director of the Office for Homeland Security. The Baker-Cutler report recommended establishing a new position for nonproliferation coordination within the National Security Council or creating a high-policy-level nonproliferation czar.

My legislation does not impose such a mandate on the President, but instead calls for coordination of our nonproliferation programs through a senior level coordinating committee. And again, I would say that if there are suggestions, particular points that could improve and would improve the structure of this accountability, I certainly would welcome those.

A second aspect of my legislation is the inclusion of efforts undertaken by private sector programs in this area, such as corporations and nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs. And again, Senator Domenici alluded to one of those organizations a few minutes ago. This Subcommittee will hear testimony today from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a private organization founded by Ted Turner and former Senator Sam Nunn to reduce the threat from nuclear weapons. You will also hear from NGOs and their efforts through testimony from a representative of the Russian Newly Independent States Nonproliferation Program at the Monterey Institute. Currently, this private spending is small, but it is registering positive results. It will continue to increase. We should ensure that government and non-government spending on nonproliferation programs

Our previous efforts have yielded significant results, but there is far more work yet to do. Yesterday, Senator Dodd and I wrote in the New York Times that Presidents Bush and Putin should use the current summit as an opportunity to discuss effective ways to ensure that weapons and materials of mass destruction in and around Russia remain safe, accounted for, and secure.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, the discussions between Presidents Bush and Putin are already yielding agreement in this area. As you noted, yesterday afternoon, President Bush noted that the United States and Russia will strengthen our efforts to cut off every possible source of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, materials, and expertise. Presidents Bush and Putin also announced yesterday that they will dramatically reduce nuclear arsenals in both countries. This will probably require more spending from the United States.

If we in Congress are asked to spend more of our budget on this effort, then we must ensure these funds are spent efficiently, effectively, and not on repetitive efforts. And again, Mr. Chairman, that is as much the focus of my legislation as any other part.

I appreciate the Subcommittee's serious review of this timely and relevant issue and I would say, Mr. Chairman, that if there is anything I can do to further that effort, I look forward to working with you and the members of this Subcommittee. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Senator Hagel. Thank you for your leadership in this area. I really appreciate what you have said. It will be helpful to the Subcommittee and with you, too, in looking for ways of preparing us to deal with whatever threats that might be coming, so I thank you very much again for your statement.

Senator HAGEL. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Now you will hear from the real pros.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you.

At this time, I will call our next panel, Ms. Gary Jones from GAO, Ms. Laura Holgate from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and Leonard Spector from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. They have been asked to discuss current nonproliferation programs, how they are coordinated with Federal, private, and international efforts, and how S. 673, the Hagel bill, would make these programs and efforts more effective.

Ms. Jones, please proceed with your statement at this time. I want all of you to know that your full written statements will be entered into the record.

TESTIMONY OF MS. GARY L. JONES,1 DIRECTOR, NUCLEAR AND NONPROLIFERATION ISSUES, NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT, U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

Ms. JONES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are pleased to be here today to discuss our recent work on U.S. nonproliferation programs and to comment on S. 673, a bill to establish an interagency committee to review and coordinate U.S. nonproliferation programs.

As others have said, the events of September 11 have heightened the importance of these nonproliferation programs to our national security. Let me first briefly summarize the results of our work on several of the U.S. Government's nonproliferation programs. We have found that they have achieved some success, but more needs to be done to keep nuclear weapons, materials, and technologies out of the hands of terrorists and countries of concern.

Successes include improved security systems, which have reduced the risk of theft of nuclear material in Russia; the purchase of weapons grade uranium that is equivalent to 4,000 nuclear warheads that has been turned into fuel for commercial nuclear power reactors; and the creation of non-military jobs for some weapons scientists.

But the task is far from over. Hundreds of metric tons of nuclear material remain at some risk because improved security measures have not yet been installed. This is because DOE's program to secure this material has experienced problems with access to sensitive Russian sites. Further, DOE does not know how much and for how long additional assistance will be needed to sustain the operation and maintain the new security equipment already involved. Two DOE programs and one at the State Department share the goal of employing Russia's weapons scientists in non-military work and thereby preventing them from selling their knowledge to terrorists or countries of concern. With hundreds employed by one program and several thousand employed part-time by another, these programs are a long way from reaching the 30,000 to 75,000 senior nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons scientists without full-time employment.

Even when jobs are created, these programs face difficulty in conclusively demonstrating that they are achieving their intended goal of preventing the spread of weapons-related knowledge and expertise. Our reports on these DOD nonproliferation programs made numerous recommendations to improve their overall management and DOE has addressed or is in the process of making changes to address these recommendations.

Let me turn to the bill, S. 673, that the Subcommittee has under consideration. There is some debate among officials, both within and outside government, about the need for more coordination of U.S. nonproliferation programs. To prepare for this hearing, we spoke with representatives from the Departments of Defense, Energy, and State, and some private interest groups. They all believe that coordination among Federal agencies implementing nonproliferation programs is already taking place and the mechanism envisioned by the bill may not be needed.

However, based on our work and the findings of two independent groups that recently examined these programs, the Deutch Commission and the Baker-Cutler Task Force, we believe that additional coordination would be helpful. For example, some officials told us that better coordination is needed between the United States and international programs, such as those implemented by the European Union. Further, program officials have also noted that although coordination does occur at some level, it is frequently informal and subject to changes in program personnel. We believe