All of the CTR and nonproliferation programs in Russia are working reasonably
well, and all have identified how they could spend additional money effectively.
Greater funding now would mean that less money would be needed later. Tripling
the U.S. budgets over the next several years is not as expensive as it appears,
given the possible international security returns.
Opponents
Say: The Current Level of CTR
Funding is Adequate.
Many of the CTR and nonproliferation programs in Russia face bureaucratic
obstacles that would preclude faster progress even if they had larger budgets.
For example, the Russians are not
providing access to some key sites where nuclear materials are stored.
These restrictions make it impossible for the United States to verify that
money for enhanced physical security measures is being spent properly.
Many of the CTR programs have not spent all of the funds allocated in previous
years. This backlog should be eliminated before the programs seek large budget
increases.
U.S. national security depends on having a balanced budget. Other budget
priorities in the area of national defense also require increased spending,
and these competing requirements must be balanced. The current level of CTR
funding is adequate given the rate of progress the programs are making.
