U.S.-funded security upgrades at a Russian Strategic Rocket Forces base in Siberia were completed Oct. 31, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) says.

Completion of that work means all security work at 25 Russian nuclear missile sites outlined in a 2005 agreement between the U.S. and Russian presidents is finished.

The final base completed, known as GSM-5BR, is part of Russia’s network of bases with intercontinental ballistic missile nuclear forces and personnel.

The security upgrades at the missile bases means the chance of unauthorized access to Russian nuclear weapons is greatly reduced Now that these missile bases in Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces are more secure, a top NNSA official said.

“Completing this security work at the Strategic Rocket Forces sites helps to fulfill President Bush’s commitment under the Bratislava joint statement with Russia, and shows our continued partnership with the Russians,” William Tobey, NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, said. “We remain dedicated to working as quickly as possible to secure nuclear weapons and other dangerous materials in Russia and around the world to prevent unauthorized access.”

Under the 2005 joint nuclear security statement issued by Presidents Bush and Putin at Bratislava, NNSA committed to upgrading the security at 25 Russian nuclear warhead sites in its Strategic Rocket Forces. The agreement covers 25 rocket sites at 11 Russian missile bases, and calls for NNSA to do this work as a part of its overall, annual $1.7 billion global nuclear nonproliferation and threat reduction mission.

Since 2003, NNSA has spent about $150 million to improve security at the 25 Russian Strategic Rocket Forces sites.

Upgrades include state-of-the-art intrusion detection and monitoring systems, metal and explosives detectors, new entry control portals, and nuclear material detectors.

In addition, security guard forces at the sites received strengthened fighting positions, a centralized response facility and look-out towers.

The work was done through NNSA’s Material Protection, Control and Accounting program by experts from Sandia and Oak Ridge National Laboratories.