SORT and Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Tactical Nuclear Weapons. The United States and Russia continue to maintain large arsenals of tactical nuclear weapons, which have never been addressed in a formal treaty. According to one estimate, the United States possesses between 1,670 and 3,300 tactical nuclear weapons, and Russia, between 3,000 and 4,000. Russia's tactical nuclear weapons, in particular, are of concern to the United States because they are portable and because they are kept at locations in need of improved security, increasing their vulnerability to theft. Russia's unwillingness to disclose the size of its tactical nuclear weapon arsenal makes it more difficult for the United States to work with Russia to improve security arrangements for these weapons. If these weapons were addressed in a formal treaty, however, the United States and Russia could better counter the threat posed by these weapons.

In 1991, the Soviet Union proposed to the United States negotiations on limiting tactical nuclear weapons. The United States rejected that proposal. When the United States suggested similar negotiations later in the 1990s, Russia rejected the U.S. proposal.

Some argue that SORT should have mentioned tactical nuclear weapons. Others claim that SORT is a step in the right direction, and improved relations between Russia and the United States as a result of SORT could lead in the future to a separate treaty that specifically addresses tactical nuclear weapons. Because tactical nuclear weapons have never been formally addressed, negotiations could take months or even years to define the category and agree upon accounting, security, and possible reduction procedures.

Further Reading:

	CRS, Amy Woolf, "Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons"
	Swedish Defense Research Agency, Gunnar Arbman & Charles Thornton, "Russia's Tactical Nuclear Weapons"
	Alistair Millar, "The Pressing Need for Tactical Nuclear Weapons Control"
	NTI, Eli Corin, "Presidential Nuclear Initiatives: An Alternative Paradigm for Arms Control"
	Arms Control Today, Daryl Kimball, "Obsolete Relics of a Dead Conflict"
	Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, "Briefing Book on Tactical Nuclear Weapons"
	David Ruppe, GSN, "Officials Praise Nuclear Reductions Treaty for Requiring No Cuts"
	NTI, Nikolai Sokov, "Tactical Nuclear Weapons"
	Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, "U.S. Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Europe"