A new video produced
for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies highlights the importance of
the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for U.S. national security.
Since 1972, the U.S. and Russia have been engaged in arms control treaties
limiting the size of their nuclear arsenals and providing predictability,
verification, and transparency regarding each side’s strategic nuclear forces.
Under New START, which entered into force in 2011, the two countries are
limited in their deployed strategic nuclear warheads, and deployed and
non-deployed strategic nuclear delivery vehicles. In addition, both countries
regularly exchange data and carry out on-site inspections to ensure compliance.
However, under its current terms, this vital treaty is set to expire in 2021.
Its expiration would mean an end to limits, data exchanges, and on-site
inspections. But Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have an opportunity
to act now to agree on a five-year extension of this treaty, which could help
prevent a new arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear miscalculation.
Watch the video below to learn more.
Watch this video on YouTube.
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New START, the last remaining arms control treaty capping U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, expires on February 5. This marks the beginning of a dangerous new era. For the first time in several decades, there will be no limits on nuclear weapons, less visibility into Russian nuclear weapons activities, and fewer tools to manage a crisis between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
NTI encourages the United States and the Russian Federation to continue to abide by New START’s limits on intercontinental-range nuclear weapons past its scheduled expiration on February 5, 2026.
Participants examined how NWFZs can be productive geopolitical tools amid mounting challenges, including great power competition, disruptive technologies, and a weakening global nonproliferation and disarmament architecture.
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