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Massive stockpiles of relatively unguarded Soviet-era weapons were littered throughout the countryside of Georgia. Southfive was an active participant in the resulting effort to ensure that these advanced conventional munitions are secured and ultimately destroyed.
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As a result of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili’s decisions to deploy combat troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo, his nation found itself on al-Qaeda’s lists of potential targets. Evidence gathered by experts who have visited several bases and other facilities testified to massive Soviet arsenals, including those with radioactive components, left behind with little or no security arrangements in a region where terrorists – groups and individuals alike – were known to operate. Preliminary surveys identified several stockpiles of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) in poorly secured bases. Moreover, it was apparent from the presence of tire tracks leading away from some caches and the sight of individual weapons left near the stockpiles that thefts and attempted thefts had already taken place.
It was imperative that terrorists, secessionists, and members of organized crime be prevented from using these instruments of death against the democratically elected and pro-Western government.
Southfive worked to promote awareness in Congress, the administration, and select media so that steps would start being taken to avert a potential catastrophe.
For additional information, please read A Former Superpower’s Hazardous Legacy.
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