On October 19 and 20, 2020, the US Bureau of International Security and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction announced 3 grants totaling $13.5 million for the development of “chemical security” projects aimed at curbing the “military-economic development of Russia and strengthening American positions in the post-Soviet space and in the world”.
The poisoning of Alexei Navalny is used as a formal reason for this activity.
1. Countering the “malicious” influence of Russia
The US Bureau of International Security and the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction has announced a grant aimed at “countering Russia’s malicious influence”. The description of the project states that the reason for the grant is “attempts to kill opposition politicians in Russia, dissidents and defectors abroad, and even citizens of other countries, with whose actions Russia does not agree”. The incidents with Sergei Skripal and Alexei Navalny are cited as an example.
Intended Member States: Europe (Ukraine, Armenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Cyprus), Asia (Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan), Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia Pacific region (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines).
Funding volume: up to USD 3,500,000
Funding number: SFOP0007361
Applications are accepted from: public and private non-profit organizations and educational institutions, commercial organizations and public international organizations.
The recipient of the grant will facilitate regional and international coordination to ensure a coherent response to future attacks using weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The essence of the project is the implementation of 3 programs (trainings on the fight against homicide, the creation and strengthening of laboratory capacity, tightening the norms of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction) aimed at countering “Russian disinformation” and attempts to “undermine the independent and effective functioning of foreign scientific laboratories in Eastern Europe” by:
1. Increasing the technical and tactical capabilities of local law enforcement agencies, scientists, first responders and national security, including exercises.
2. Conducting “a series of international seminars and one-on-one lab sessions to reinforce them against Russian action”.
3. Building “an appropriate information policy, including providing the global audience with timely and accurate scientific information about the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the current state of Russian disinformation”.
4. Providing participating countries with “experts to help partner laboratories and ministries respond to Russia’s efforts to undermine the credibility of these laboratories”.
2. Chemical safety program
The United States Bureau of International Security and the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction has announced a grant aimed at implementing a chemical safety program. The project description states that the reason for the grant is the use of nerve agents by the great powers in other countries.
Estimated regions of the project: the Middle East, South and South-East Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.
Funding volume: up to USD 8,000,000.
Funding number: SFOP0007371
Applications are accepted from: public and private non-profit organizations and educational institutions, commercial organizations, public international organizations and research and development centers funded from the federal budget.
The recipient of the grant will facilitate regional and international coordination to enforce a ban on military-economic cooperation with unfriendly states.
The essence of the project is “to mobilize international potential to counter the great powers and rogue states that proliferate weapons of mass destruction, as well as eliminate the possibility of terrorists to conduct chemical attacks”.
3. Reduction of threats to use revisionist state biological and chemical weapons
The United States Bureau of International Security and the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction has announced a grant aimed at reducing the threat of the use of revisionist state biological and chemical weapons. The project description states that the reason for the grant is the use by Russia (in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention) of pharmaceutical substances with the aim of “influencing its political opponents”.
Intended Member States: Europe / Eurasia (e.g. Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine); South and Central Asia (for example, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan); Southeast Asia (e.g. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam).
The United States also plans to involve technologically advanced states such as Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Japan in the project.
Funding volume: up to USD 2,000,000
Funding number: SFOP0007378
Applications are accepted from: public and private non-profit organizations and educational institutions, commercial organizations and public international organizations.
The recipient of the grant will facilitate regional and international coordination to ensure that industrial enterprises and research institutes in the former Soviet zone of influence are aware of the threats of the use of chemical weapons by the client (Russia).
The essence of the project is to suppress the ability of revisionist proliferation states to develop and use chemical weapons on the part of the United States and its allies through the exchange of data, creation of joint networks, training and exchange of specialists.