Cooperative Threat Reduction Stories

By William M. Moon

Republished with the permission of the Stimson Center | 2020-21

From 1992-2014, William M. Moon was the Global Nuclear Security Program Manager for Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) programs with Russia, China, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. He retired from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in February 2019 after 30 years of federal service. William’s stories of his work on CTR programs, below, highlight the importance of cooperation, even with adversaries, on common objectives of nuclear security.

Read the CTR stories:

• 2002 Russian Ministry of Defense Nuclear Security Exercise
  An exercise demonstrating how Russians would respond to a terrorist attack against their nuclear weapons.
• 2000 Russian Ministry of Defense Visit to Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
  A Russian delegation visit to the U.S. in 2000 highlights lessons on engaging former adversaries for strong nuclear security cooperation.
• The Story Behind U.S. Access to Russian Nuclear Warhead Storage Sites
  Under the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, nuclear security served as a common objective for the United States and Russia.
• What It’s Like to Visit a Russian Nuclear Warhead Storage Site
  Four Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program officers make a final visit to a Russian nuclear warhead storage site.
• Russian-American Cooperation on Personnel Reliability: Nuclear Security Depends on People
  Looking back on the Cooperative Threat Reduction program assistance in improving Russian personnel reliability programs provides valuable insights for today’s experts.
• Inventory Management Cooperation: A Core Function of Nuclear Security
  Understanding technical exchanges conducted between the United States and Russia on inventory management provide insight into how to address current nuclear security challenges.