Significant Surpluses: Weapons and Ammunition Stockpiles in South-east Europe

140 Pages·2011·2.25 MB·English

by  Small Arms Survey

Special Report
December 2011
Significant Surpluses:
Weapons and Ammunition
Stockpiles in South-east Europe
Pierre Gobinet
Copyright
Published in Switzerland by the Small Arms Survey
© Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development
Studies, Geneva 2011
First published in December 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the
prior permission in writing of the Small Arms Survey, or as expressly permitted
by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organi-
zation. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should
be sent to the Publications Manager, Small Arms Survey, at the address below.
Small Arms Survey
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
47 Avenue Blanc, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Copy-edited by Alex Potter ([email protected])
Proofread by John Linnegar ([email protected])
Cartography by Jillian Luff, MAPgrafix
Typeset in Optima and Palatino by Richard Jones ([email protected])
Printed by coprint in Geneva, Switzerland
ISBN 978-2-9700771-2-1
ISSN 1661-4453
2 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 3
The Small Arms Survey
The Small Arms Survey is an independent research project located at the Gradu-
ate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
Established in 1999, the project is supported by the Swiss Federal Department
of Foreign Affairs and current contributions from the Governments of Australia,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway,
Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Survey is grateful for
past support received from the Governments of France, New Zealand, and
Spain. The Survey also wishes to acknowledge the financial assistance it has
received over the years from different United Nations agencies, programmes,
and institutes.
The objectives of the Small Arms Survey are: to be the principal source of
public information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence; to serve
as a resource centre for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and activists;
to monitor national and international initiatives (governmental and non-
governmental) on small arms; to support efforts to address the effects of small
arms proliferation and misuse; and to act as a clearinghouse for the sharing of
information and the dissemination of best practices. The Survey also sponsors
field research and information-gathering efforts, especially in affected states
and regions. The project has an international staff with expertise in security
studies, political science, law, economics, development studies, sociology, and
criminology, and collaborates with a network of researchers, partner institutions,
non-governmental organizations, and governments in more than 50 countries.
Small Arms Survey
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
47 Avenue Blanc, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
p [phone] f [phone]
e [email protected] w www.smallarmssurvey.org
2 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 3
About the RASR Initiative
The Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction (RASR) is a long-term, coordi-
nated, regional approach to address the threats posed by excess, unstable, loosely
secured, or otherwise at-risk stockpiles of conventional weapons and munitions.
RASR encourages affected governments and relevant organizations to develop a
proactive, coordinated, regional approach to securing and destroying small arms
and light weapons by building local capacity, sharing best practices and lessons
learned, and synchronizing resources in order to maximize their efficiency.
The ultimate aim of the RASR initiative is to prevent disastrous explosions or
destabilizing diversions of conventional weapons and munitions.
For more details, visit www.rasrinitiative.org or email [email protected].

4 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 5
Table of contents
List of figures, maps, and tables ................................................................................................................... 10
About the author ........................................................................................................................................................... 14
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................... 15
Abbreviations and acronyms ......................................................................................................................... 17
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 19
National transparency and data on surplus stockpiles ................................................... 21
Main findings of the study ................................................................................................................................ 24
Surplus volume estimates 24
Storage sites and conditions 26
Location 26
Condition of stockpiles 27
Surplus value 29
Estimated cost to defence budgets 30
Priorities for destruction 31
Albania ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Background 32
Surplus volume 35
Storage sites and conditions 37
Surplus value 38
Sales 39
Donation 40
Recycling 40
4 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 5
Estimated cost to the defence budget 42
Storage costs 42
Personnel costs 42
Demilitarization costs 43
Priorities for destruction 44
Bosnia and Herzegovina ...................................................................................................................................... 45
Background 45
Surplus volume 47
Storage sites and conditions 48
Surplus value 54
Sales 54
Donation 56
Recycling 56
Estimated cost to the defence budget 57
Storage costs 57
Personnel costs 57
Demilitarization 59
Priorities for destruction 59
Bulgaria .................................................................................................................................................................................... 61
Background 61
Surplus volume 63
Storage sites and conditions 66
Surplus value 67
Sales 68
Donation 69
Recycling 69
Estimated cost to the defence budget 70
Storage costs 71
6 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 7
Personnel costs 71
Demilitarization costs 71
Priorities for destruction 72
Croatia ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 73
Background 73
Surplus volume 74
Storage sites and conditions 76
Surplus value 78
Sales 78
Donation 79
Estimated cost to the defence budget 79
Storage costs 79
Personnel costs 80
Demilitarization costs 80
Priorities for destruction 80
Macedonia ............................................................................................................................................................................. 81
Background 81
Surplus volumes 81
Storage sites and conditions 83
Surplus value 86
Sales 86
Donation 86
Recycling 86
Estimated cost to the defence budget 87
Storage costs 87
Personnel costs 87
Demilitarization costs 87
Priorities for destruction 88
6 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 7
Montenegro ......................................................................................................................................................................... 89
Background 89
Surplus volumes 91
Storage sites and conditions 92
Surplus value 94
Sales 95
Donation 95
Recycling 97
Estimated cost to the defence budget 97
Storage costs 98
Personnel costs 98
Demilitarization costs 98
Priorities for destruction 98
Romania ............................................................................................................................................................................... 100
Background 100
Surplus volumes 101
Storage sites and conditions 101
Surplus value 103
Sales 103
Donation 104
Recycling 104
Estimated cost to the defence budget 104
Storage costs 104
Personnel costs 105
Demilitarization costs 105
Priorities for destruction 105
Serbia ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 106
Background 106
Surplus volumes 109
8 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 9
Storage sites and conditions 111
Surplus value 113
Sales 113
Donation 114
Recycling 114
Estimated cost to the defence budget 115
Storage costs 115
Personnel costs 115
Demilitarization costs 115
Priorities for destruction 115
Slovenia ................................................................................................................................................................................. 116
Background 116
Surplus volumes 116
Storage sites and conditions 117
Surplus value 117
Sales 117
Donation 117
Recycling 117
Estimated cost to the defence budget 118
Storage costs 118
Personnel costs 118
Demilitarization costs 118
Priorities for destruction 118
Endnotes 119
Bibliography 127
8 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 9
List of figures, maps, and tables
Figures
Figure 1
Repartition of the Albanian contribution to the Albania III project 44
Figure 2
Age analysis of AF BiH ammunition stocks, 2007–14 53
Figure 3
Serbia: removal of surplus ammunition from open-air storage,
2006–11 112
Maps
Map 1
AF BiH ammunition storage sites 51
Map 2
Macedonian MoD storage sites 85
Tables
Table 1
Surplus ammunition stockpiles in RASR participating
countries, 2011 (metric tonnes, unless stated otherwise) 25
Table 2
Small arms and light weapons surplus stockpiles in RASR
participating countries, 2011 (pieces) 26
Table 3
DTRA ammunition condition coding 28
10 Small Arms Survey Special Report Gobinet Significant Surpluses 11