The Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC) is part of the United States Department of State. Its Russian counterpart in Moscow is the National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center in the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The NRRC was created in 1987 by an agreement between the United States Secretary of State and the Soviet Foreign Minister.[1] Its purpose was to create an additional channel of communication for the prevention of nuclear war, in addition to the Hot Line and diplomatic channels.[2] The NRRC began operations on April 1, 1988.[3] The NRRC is online 24 hours a day and relays information regarding the arms activities of both nations so as to prevent accidental outbreak of nuclear war.
In 2013, the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center was expanded in scope in order to convey inquiries and messages regarding cybersecurity incidents.[4][5] On October 31, 2016, the channel was used to convey a message demanding an end to Russian interference with the United States Presidential election.[6][7]
In 2024, Russia sent a warning to the United States 30 minutes prior to launching a prototype intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) "Oreshnik" at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Ronald Reagan: "Remarks on Signing the Soviet-United States Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers Agreement," September 15, 1987". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
- ^ Kislyakov, Andrei (2003). "Washington-Moscow Hotline". RIA Novosti. Archived from the original on July 19, 2003.
Later dubbed "Hot Line," the Washington-Moscow link was designed to continue to build up trust between the two countries, prevent the use of nuclear weapons as a result of misunderstanding or contradictory information in crisis situations.
- ^ "United States Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC)". Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance. October 24, 2012.
Secretary Shultz, Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze, National Security Advisor Powell, Deputy Secretary of Defense Taft, Senator Nunn, Senator Warner, Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin, and U.S. Ambassador to the USSR Jack F. Matlock opened the U.S. NRRC on March 22, 1988, and exchanged the first message with the Soviet NRRC. The NRRC began formal operations on April 1, and the first treaty notification was transmitted to the Soviet NRRC five days later. The first notification from the Soviet Union was received on June 2, 1988.
- ^ McClure, Andrew (December 19, 2016). "The U.S. Response to Russian Pre-Election Meddling: An Overview". Lawfare. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024.
In 2013, the U.S. and Russia agreed to expand the scope of the NRRC link to exchange inquiries regarding cyber security incidents.
- ^ "FACT SHEET: U.S.-Russian Cooperation on Information and Communications Technology Security". White House Office of the Press Secretary. June 17, 2013. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017.
To prevent crises, the United States and Russia also recognize the need for secure and reliable lines of communication to make formal inquiries about cybersecurity incidents of national concern. In this spirit, we have decided to use the longstanding Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC) links established in 1987 between the United States and the former Soviet Union to build confidence between our two nations through information exchange, employing their around-the-clock staffing at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., and the Ministry of Defense in Moscow. As part of the expanded NRRC role in bilateral and multilateral security and confidence building arrangements, this new use of the system allows us to quickly and reliably make inquiries of one another's competent authorities to reduce the possibility of misperception and escalation from ICT security incidents.
- ^ Ignatius, David (November 15, 2016). "In our new Cold War, deterrence should come before detente". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
The message was sent on a special channel created in 2013 as part of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, using a template designed for crisis communication. "It was a very clear statement to the Russians and asked them to stop their activity," a senior administration official said, adding: "The fact that we used this channel was part of the messaging."
- ^ Kelly, Mary Louise (December 8, 2016). "Trump Skips Intelligence Briefings, Denies Russian Election Mischief". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016.
A second senior administration official reached by phone confirms the U.S. sent Moscow a message back on October 31. It was delivered via the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center through a special channel designed for crisis communication. The message - that cyber intrusions need to stop.
- ^ "Peskov: The Russian Federation sent a notification to the United States 30 minutes before the launch of the Oreshnik - Pravda EN". news-pravda.com. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
External links
edit- Federation of American Scientists information on the NRRCs in Washington and Moscow
- DoS fact sheet on NRRC
 | This United States military article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article related to nuclear weaponry is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- ^ Mori, Koji (2019). "Occupational health in disasters: Valuable knowledge gained from experience with the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident". Journal of Occupational Health. 61 (6): 429–430. doi:10.1002/1348-9585.12084. PMC 6842013. PMID 31502360.
- ^ Hallam, John (2016). "Measures to reduce and eliminate the risk of accidental, mistaken, unauthorized or intentional nuclear weapon detonations" (PDF). European Journal of Geopolitics. 1 (4): 132–152.