US State Department will track weapons deals with Russia
The US State Department's Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction has announced a tender for the monitoring of open source information about arms deals involving the Russian Federation and the CIS countries. The data will be collected in Russian, English, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Urdu, and several other languages.
The information will be used for decision-making and planning the sanctions against foreign states. It particularly concerns the violation of UN Security Council resolutions and of international restrictive measures that require states and individuals to refrain from doing business with sanctioned entities and from concluding arms deals with them.
The information gathering and analysis of arms purchases aims to contribute to the efforts of the United States and the international community for proactive monitoring of and compliance with restrictions on such activities.
The project is scheduled to run for one year. Preference will be given to applicants who assess the costs of work at less than $500,000.
In February, after publishing its updated nuclear doctrine, the US confirmed the development of new types of nuclear weapons. Washington plans to spend $400 billion on upgrading the nuclear arsenal through to 2026.