Decommissioned Russian Nuclear Submarines and International Cooperation

With the end of the Cold War, Russia’s submarines were no longer needed to deter or fight Western navies and were very expensive to operate and maintain. Older submarines were taken out of service in large numbers, but without firm plans and infrastructure in place to remove and adequately care for their nuclear components, problems soon developed over the disposition of spent fuel assemblies. Problems arose also of course between Russia and the international community as to the best way to respond to the challenge. This book looks at those problems, first discussing Russia’s economy, its environment, and the Russian Navy, and then covering in detail the spent fuel of Russian submarines and related nuclear problems. The engagement of the international community on the issue is then addressed. A theoretical analysis is offered on how Russia’s fellow nations can help remedy a troubling environmental problem in a difficult country.

Charles Krupnick of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, investigated the Russian submarine spent fuel issue from 1997 to 1999 as part of his research into post–Cold War European security cooperation. Prior to his academic pursuits, he served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear submarine officer and gained technical insight into Russian submarines and nuclear spent fuel.

Charles Krupnick
Foreword by William J. Perry
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 270
Bibliographic Info: photos, maps, tables, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2001
pISBN: 978-0-7864-0912-9
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5044-2
Imprint: McFarland

“a great achievement…very convincing analysis”—Journal of Peace Research.