| March 26, 2010 |  |
What the New START Treaty Numbers Mean
WASHINGTON (March 26, 2010) — The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today called a new nuclear weapons agreement between the United States and Russia "a critical first step" to reduce the global nuclear threat. The so-called NEW START agreement will be signed on April 8 in Prague, Czech Republic, to coincide with the historic speech President Obama delivered there nearly one year ago calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.
"NEW START is a critical first step in a nuclear risk reduction agenda that has been embraced by countless world leaders and a bipartisan chorus of foreign policy heavyweights and former U.S. government officials," said David Wright, co-director of UCS's Global Security Program. "There is a growing recognition that nuclear weapons are now a liability, not an asset, and they don't make the world safer or address today's threats."
The treaty places limits on the total number of delivery systems, rather than just the deployed number. The total number of these delivery systems—land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and nuclear-capable, long-range bombers—is limited to 800, of which 700 may be deployed.
"Limits on total numbers of delivery systems are necessary to prevent either nation from being able to easily deploy a large number of additional weapons," said Wright. "The next treaty will need to extend this principle to warheads and limit the total number of warheads, not just the number deployed."
According to the State Department, as of January 2009, the United States and Russia had a total of 1,198 and 814 delivery vehicles, respectively. It is estimated that the United States deploys 798 delivery vehicles. Russia is estimated to deploy 566 delivery vehicles.
Under the agreement, the United States and Russia each will be limited to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads. The new treaty counts each deployed missile warhead as one, and each deployed bomber as one warhead. Under these counting rules, currently the United States has 1,762 warheads and Russia has 1,741.
The treaty does not cover the thousands of warheads both countries have in storage.
In order for the treaty to go into effect it must be ratified by the Russian Parliament and the U.S. Senate. A two-thirds majority of the Senate must approve the treaty.
"This treaty will send a powerful, unambiguous message to the rest of the world that the United States and Russia are serious about reducing the nuclear threat," said Sean Meyer, project manager of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy Initiative at UCS's Global Security Program. "And the timing couldn't be better, given President Obama is hosting an international nuclear security summit in April and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in May."
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
