The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) was established by Ted Turner and former Senator Sam Nunn as a charitable organization in January 2001. NTI's mission is to strengthen global security by reducing the risk of use and preventing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

NTI is working to close the growing and increasingly dangerous gap between the threat from weapons of mass destruction and the global response to that threat by taking direct action to reduce the threat through start-up, pilot, and model initiatives that the government and private sector could replicate on a larger scale and by encouraging others to take action to reduce the threat by being a catalyst for action, working to promote dialogue, building common ground, and increasing public awareness of the gaps between the threat and the response.

NTI is an operational organization actively engaged in developing, shaping and implementing the projects it funds. Among its efforts, NTI seeks to bring nuclear, biological and chemical weapons materials under secure control and reduce their quantities; restrict the spread of weapons know-how; reduce the risk of intentional or accidental use of weapons of mass destruction; develop better strategies and means to guard against the threat from biological weapons; bring about changes in nuclear forces to enhance safety, security and stability; and increase public awareness, encourage dialogue, catalyze action and promote new thinking about reducing the dangers from weapons of mass destruction on a global basis.

Although NTI has a worldwide mission, much of its effort is focused on Russia. NTI's has three main program goals in Russia. They are to secure, consolidate and reduce fissile material; leverage support to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction and associated materials, infrastructure and know-how; and improve US-Russian cooperation on security goals.

In this presentation, NTI will discuss these goals and the projects it is funding in Russia.