WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bob Bennett said Tuesday he worries that the Year 2000 computer bug might push over the edge an already teetering Russian economy and government.
And other U.S. officials said during a hearing by Bennett's Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem that they're concerned about how Y2K will affect Russia's missile defense systems, its security against nuclear warhead theft and its operation of nuclear power plants.Several Clinton administration officials said they are offering advice and money to help last-minute Russian efforts to prevent disasters -- but Bennett, R-Utah, warned that the United States had better prepare how to respond to Y2K-caused emergencies there.
The Y2K computer bug comes because older programs allowed only two digits for four-digit years. So when the year 2000 arrives, those programs could interpret the "00" as 1900. That could cause computers to crash or misinterpret data.
"Y2K failures in key infrastructures such as power, banking, telecommunications and defense might have serious negative impacts on the stability of the Russian economy and political environment," Bennett said.
For example, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. -- considered an expert on Russia -- said the American Chamber of Commerce this year predicted widespread and dire consequences from Y2K in Russia because a bad economy led it to do little work to address the bug.
"Utilities will operate at 40 percent of capacity for the first two months of 2000; transportation will be disrupted 80 percent of the time and telecommunications 50 percent of the time for a three-month period; hospitals will be forced to treat only emergencies for at least two months," Lugar said the report indicated.
"The shock from serious Y2K failures could exacerbate Russia's downward economic spiral," Bennett said. "We must proactively consider how we should respond to these failures if and when they occur."
Bennett also warned, "The U.S. does not have the resources to save the world," and said officials should start thinking through now what priorities they will assign to the help it can offer others.
Meanwhile, Clinton administration officials reported they are helping with Russian efforts to protect their early warning missile defense systems, nuclear warhead stockpile and nuclear power plants from Y2K foul-ups.
They reported that Russian and U.S. officials will jointly open a center in Colorado to ensure that Y2K problems in early warning systems of either country do not lead to false reports of missile launches and retaliatory strikes.
They are taking that step even though "experts in both countries agree that the likelihood of Y2K failures in computer systems associated with our nuclear weapons . . . and early warning systems is extremely remote," said Assistant Secretary of Defense Edward Warner III.
He added that the United States is also offering $15.5 million for equipment Russia says it needs to better manage its nuclear weapons stockpile and protect it against theft.
Ken Baker, an assistant secretary of energy, said the United States has also helped to assess and fix potential Y2K problems at Russian-designed nuclear reactors throughout eastern Europe. He said U.S. officials have little fear about a nuclear accident in Russia, but worries that safety systems that shut down plants could cause widespread blackouts in the middle of winter.