Raytheon Technical Services Company is recognizing the anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar Program, also known as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program - which Raytheon has supported almost since its inception.

This month, President obama participated in a National Defense University Symposium and marked the 20th anniversary of the program by characterizing the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program as one of the country's most successful national security programs.

The Nunn-Lugar Program - which is named after its sponsors, Former Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia and Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana - establishes the framework for partners to cooperatively engage to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

In 1991, the CTR Program initially provided U.S. funding to assist the former Soviet Union's (FSU) four nuclear successor states in consolidating, safeguarding, relocating and/or eliminating strategic nuclear weapons and their associated delivery systems.

The program has expanded to include other forms of WMD (chemical, radiological and biological) and has broadened its geography to include other FSU countries.

"Raytheon began supporting the program in 1994 and has provided services that included securing CTR facilities; dismantling armaments; preventing proliferation of weapons technology; and ensuring treaty compliance," said John Harris, RTSC's president. "our company is committed to the success of the CTR mission and recognizes the 20th anniversary as a milestone in creating a more secure world."

Raytheon has performed CTR-related work for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency under a number of contracts. The most recent contract was the CTR Integrating Contract (CTRIC II), a multiple award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract, awarded April 27, 2011.

During Raytheon's 18 years of support, more than 680 expatriates, continental U.S. and local national employees have contributed to the overall success of the CTR Program.

Additionally, Raytheon has provided CTR support in 73 recipient nations and delivered 4,317 shipments of equipment and material to 16 countries, while accounting for more than 98,000 items of U.S. government property in 490 locations.

In 2005, the CTR program moved outside the FSU to address the worldwide threat of WMD, and continues to expand today into Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.