STORY:
U.S., Russian Experts Fight Y2K Bug

U.S. and Russian military experts agreed to act together to tackle the millennium computer bug amid uncertainty as to whether the onset of the year 2000 would wreak havoc on Russia's nuclear arsenal.

According to the Reuters News Service, the millennium bug was one focus of meetings of a U.S. Defense Consultative Group that joins military officials of the two countries, officials said. U.S. and Russian officials are expected to meet again in March to discuss the issue.

Russia has begun to acknowledge that its military may be affected by the Y2K problem, but it is unclear where the cash-strapped country would get the funds it would need to tackle it, or how it could do so in only ten months' time.

According to Reuters, Alexander Krupnov, the head of Russia's State Communications Committee which is working on the Y2K problem, said Russia needed $2 billion to $3 billion to solve it.

Some experts have warned that if computers run into errors as the year 2000 arrives, an accidental nuclear alert could be triggered, though the Russian Defense Ministry says there is no chance of missiles being launched by mistake.

Source: Reuters (Full Text)

DATE: 2/22/99

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