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Publish Date : 26 December 2016 - 14:35  ,  
News ID: 1642

End of New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty at Hand

TEHRAN (Basirat)- Expanding U.S. nuclear capabilities thus could mean busting out of New START. That would have dangerous consequences.

Expanding U.S. nuclear capabilities thus could mean busting out of New START. That would have dangerous consequences.


The Washington-based Brookings Institution think tank said recently  in a report:

According to the latest data exchange mandated by the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), as of September 1 the United States had 1,367 deployed strategic nuclear warheads on 681 deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers. The vast bulk of these are warheads on ballistic missiles, which can be launched in a matter of minutes. The warheads have yields ranging from 100 to 455 kilotons (the bomb that devastated Hiroshima had a yield of just 14 kilotons).

In addition, the U.S. military has several thousand other nuclear warheads, making up a total stockpile of about 4,500. And that does not count another 2,000 to 2,500 weapons that have been retired and are in the dismantlement queue.

Some U.S. systems are aging. The Obama administration has put in place a modernization program that will address all three legs of the U.S. strategic triad. In the 2020s, the Pentagon plans to buy new ballistic missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and bombers, all with the goal of maintaining strategic forces that will be safe, secure, and effective.

When it comes to nuclear weapons, Russia is America’s sole peer competitor. It is estimated to have about 4,500 total nuclear warheads. According to the latest New START data exchange, Russia on September 1 had 1,796 deployed warheads on 508 deployed missiles and bombers. No third country has more than 300 nuclear warheads.


It is not clear what Mr. Trump means when he says he wants to "expand” U.S. nuclear capability. As of February 2018, the United States and Russia will each be limited by New START to no more than 1,550 deployed strategic warheads on no more than 700 deployed strategic missiles and bombers. Current Pentagon plans call for U.S. strategic forces at precisely those levels.

Expanding U.S. nuclear capabilities thus could mean busting out of New START. That would have dangerous consequences.

But the real consequence of an arms race would be that the sides would, at great expense, pile up lots more nuclear weapons…and gain nothing in terms of improved security. In fact, the result could well be diminished security. That’s what led Washington and Moscow in the 1960s to conclude that arms control made sense in the first place.

Moreover, if the United States and Russia launch a new nuclear arms race, what would they expect countries such as China, Pakistan, and North Korea to do? The world could become an even more complex and dangerous place.

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