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Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)

In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech at his alma mater in which he outlined his plan for national defense. It involved reducing the number of extant nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles (the missiles capable of carrying the warheads). Reagan declared:

"Therefore, our goal is to enhance deterrence and achieve stability through significant reductions in the most destabilizing nuclear systems, ballistic missiles, and especially the giant intercontinental ballistic missiles, while maintaining a nuclear capability sufficient to deter conflict, to underwrite our national security, and to meet our commitment to allies and friends."

The goals outlined in his 1982 speech eventually led to the Strategic Arms Reductions Talks with the Soviet Union. During these talks, Reagan introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative, a move which firmly demonstrated his mission to protect the American people through a strong nuclear arms treaty. This move, however, was unappealing to the Soviets and they eventually pulled out of the negotiations and continued to stockpile nuclear weapons, thus spurring a nuclear arms race between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. for nearly the remainder of Reagan’s administration.

Reagan’s work was not in vain, however, and in July of 1991, President Bush and President Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty. Popularly known as START I, the arms treaty limited the number of warheads on each side to 6000 and the number of delivery vehicles to 1600. The treaty also placed limitations on the number of attack helicopters, artillery pieces, fighter planes, and tanks.

Several months after the treaty was signed, the Soviet Union officially collapsed, leaving in its stead four, new, independent states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. As the Soviet Union’s legal successors, these four countries signed onto the START treaty that the U.S.S.R. had originally signed. This agreement was known as the Lisbon Protocol.

Work continued on U.S.-Russian nuclear arms relations in the following years through a variety of updated treaty attempts. The first of these was START II, a treaty which sought to further reduce “deployed strategic nuclear warheads.” START II was unable to receive Russia’s stamp of approval, however, and work soon began on the Moscow treaty, or SORT. This treaty was signed on May 24, 2002 and solidified START I while further reducing “deployed strategic nuclear warheads to a level of 1700-2200” for each country.

With the expiration of START I looming in December of 2009, President Obama began treaty talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in hopes of implementing a new arms treaty. The two heads of state finally reached an agreement in April of 2010 when they signed New START, a treaty which established a new verification process while limiting deployed warheads to 1550 and deployed delivery vehicles to 700.

Although the official signing process took only minutes to complete, the ratification process took much longer. In the United States, the Senate’s ratification of New START took nine months. The divide over the treaty was largely partisan, and in the end only 13 Republican Senators voted for ratification. The Russian ratification process in the State Duma also took nine months. 

Those who supported New START argued that its ratification was necessary to resume in-person verification of Russia's nuclear capabilities and to increase national security by furthering arms reductions. For individuals like President Obama, the New START treaty also helped to further the goal of a nuclear-free world. In light of this ideal, it was asserted that if the Senate failed to ratify New START, the United States would lose international credibility, that U.S.-Russia relationships would deteriorate, and that the U.S. would lose the moral high ground as leverage for furthering non-proliferation goals in the rest of the world.

Those opposed to New START, however, were concerned that the treaty did not cover tactical nuclear weapons (in which Russia is assumed to have as much as a 10:1 advantage) and that the U.S. nuclear abilities needed upgrading in quality if they were to be restricted in number. Others were concerned about Russia's "out clause," a unilateral statement which declares that the treaty "may be effective and viable only in conditions where there is no qualitative or quantitative build-up in the missile defense system capabilities of the United States of America," and that the "extraordinary events" named in Article IV would include any change on the part of the U.S. that would in any way threaten Russia's strategic nuclear forces. In addition to these various legal loopholes, opponents of New START ratification believed that the United States’ example of arms reduction would actually encourage other rogue nations to build up their nuclear stores in hopes of gaining a strategic advantage over the U.S.

Specifically focusing on New START and its predecessors, this topic covers their history, and offers commentary and research on the various nuclear arms agreements between the U.S. and Russia in the last several decades. This topic also examines the pros and cons of nuclear disarmament in a volatile age.

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This piece suggests that the desire for nuclear weapons is spreading, despite the Obama administration's attempts to reduce nuclear arms worldwide.
Opponents of New START have criticized the treaty’s 'failure' to address Russia’s numerical advantage over the United States in tactical nuclear weapons, which could be as great as 10-to-1.

"Now that the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) has finally entered into force, how will the Obama administration achieve further bilateral nuclear reductions with Russia? With tremendous effort, public engagement, and compromise. Negotiating a follow-on agreement promises to be difficult and divisive -- even more so than with New START -- because it will force both countries to...

"Since President Obama took office, the White House has systematically undercut comprehensive missile defense and thereby placed the U.S. homeland at greater risk. On February 1, the Administration released its Ballistic Missile Defense Review Report. The report indicates that it will continue to pursue a less-than-robust effort to protect the American homeland against long-range missile...

"Despite opposition from Russia, China and key US allies to abandoning the cornerstone of Cold War arms control efforts, Bush said he had given Moscow the six months' formal notice the accord requires for withdrawal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the move was expected but Moscow 'nevertheless considers it to be a mistake,' even as he emphasized that Bush's decision is 'not a...

"The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will soon vote on New START, the arms control treaty that has floated in partisan debate limbo since Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed it in April. New START is modest but important—if ratified, it would reduce the number of American and Russian strategic nuclear weapons and launchers and continue the mutual inspection regime in place...

In a recent Wall Street Journal commentary, Vice President Joe Biden argued that the Senate could ratify the New START nuclear deal with Russia with confidence.

"In the final season of the TV show '24,' an idealistic president finds herself sacrificing her principles one by one in an attempt to preserve a 'peace process.' She eventually manages to hammer out a flawed treaty, but can’t bring herself to sign it. In the real world, the Obama administration's overly idealistic pursuit of a reduction in American and Russian stockpiles of nuclear arms has...

If given the opportunity to vote on the matter, 51% of Americans would ratify the START nuclear arms agreement with Russia and 30% would vote against it, while 19% are undecided.
President Obama has presented the new arms control treaty he signed in Prague on April 8 as a 'historic accomplishment' in both nuclear security and U.S. relations with Russia.

"President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday announced a 'large-scale' rearmament and renewal of Russia's nuclear arsenal, accusing NATO of pushing ahead with expansion near Russian borders."

"Russia threatened on Wednesday to deploy missiles to target the U.S. missile shield in Europe if Washington fails to assuage Moscow's concerns about its plans, a harsh warning that reflected deep cracks in U.S.-Russian ties despite President Barack Obama's efforts to 'reset' relations with the Kremlin."

"Russia’s president threatened on Wednesday to deploy missiles to target the U.S. missile shield in Europe if Washington fails to assuage Moscow's concerns about its plans, a harsh warning that reflected deep cracks in U.S.-Russian ties despite President Barack Obama’s efforts to 'reset' relations with the Kremlin."

Describes recent progress and funding for nuclear modernization, and its relationship as one part of a "dual-track approach."

"The New START treaty represents an obsolete approach to national security, a holdover from the Cold War when the Soviet Union was the primary threat to the United States. Today, America has more reason to worry about actual and potential nuclear-missile threats from Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, and China. North Korea’s latest hostile acts against South Korea and reports that Iran has signed...

The United States and Russia have conducted more than 1,000 notifications under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) since its entry into force in February.
Implementation of the New START nuclear arms control treaty has proceeded 'smoothly' since the pact took effect in February
Although New START is important and worthy, circumventing the nation’s Constitution to bring it to fruition is not worth it.
The new strategic arms reduction treaty is beneficial for both Russia and the United States, a Russian military analyst said on Thursday.
If the Senate enters those commitments and understandings into the record of ratification, New Start deserves bipartisan support, whether in the lame-duck session or next year.
There are many reasons why this treaty falls short of those negotiated by President Reagan.
This blog post compiles a variety of quotes from prominent leaders on the START treaty. Many of the quotes express caution and concern over the treaty's implications.

"The bottom line is that when it comes to determining a national nuclear weapons policy, at least to this point, the political system has worked. Debates within the administration between the disarmament camp and the deterrence camp, along with input from Congress, have produced a nuclear policy that wisely balances the desire for fewer weapons with the demands of twenty-first-century...

Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), are trying to rewrite the New START understandings adopted by a 71-26 Senate majority less than six months ago.

"Much reporting and commentary casts the Senate debate over ratification of the New START nuclear-weapons treaty as driven by partisanship. But New START skeptics are driven by something else: the idea that arms-control treaties should serve our security interests now and in the longer term. New START does neither.

That is why the Senate should consider the full record of the...

Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met in Prague one year ago, on April 8, 2010, to sign the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).
With the White House pushing the Senate to ratify the New START Treaty during the lame-duck session, arms control skeptics and boosters are back in the limelight.
peaking in Prague on April 5, 2009, President Barack Obama announced, 'I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.
For the first time in the history of Soviet-American arms control negotiations, both sides are poised to sign agreements that call for real reductions in the arsenals of the two sides, and radical reductions at that --all this under an administration that has been dismissed as irreconcilably opposed to arms control.
Russia already has met most of its arsenal reduction obligations under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the United States, according to data exchanged by the two countries and disclosed June 1 by the U.S. Department of State.

"Russia is preparing its own military response to the US's controversial plans to build a new missile defence system in eastern Europe, according to Kremlin officials, in a move likely to increase fears of a cold war-style arms race.

The Kremlin is considering active counter-measures in response to Washington's decision to base interceptor missiles and radar installations in Poland and...

The new arms reduction pact, which shrinks the number of strategic nuclear warheads by a third, may well be, as Obama called it in Prague, an 'important milestone for nuclear security and nonproliferation.'

"Russia and the West must reach a suitable agreement on the issue of missile defense in the next decade otherwise Moscow will have to adopt and deploy new strategic weapons, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday."

"Russia's State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee has repealed an earlier decision to ratify the latest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the US after the American Senate made around 30 amendments to the original version."

"One of the enduring problems with Russian-American relations is the mainly negative approach.

Russia and America know very well what the other side should not do. In Moscow’s opinion, Washington should not deploy its missile defence shield in Central Europe, should not press ahead with Nato expansion to the East and should not rearm the Saakashvili regime."

"From the moment President Obama signed New START—the pending strategic nuclear arms control treaty with Russia—one thing has been clear: The treaty’s verification regime has serious shortcomings. These shortcomings have prompted the Administration to spruce up the appearance of the verification regime in order to convince the Senate to rush to consent to the ratification of New START. The...

Although some claim New START is a monumental step along the 'road to zero' (a world without nuclear weapons), a look back at the rocky negotiation process reveals that serious national interests were sacrificed in the interests of this idealistic goal.

"More than a decade and a half after the Cold War ended, the world's combined stockpile of nuclear warheads remain at a very high level: more than 20,500. Of these, some 4,800 warheads are considered operational, of which nearly 2,000 U.S. and Russian warheads are on high alert, ready for use on short notice."

"WHY THE hurry, Mr. President? It’s a question we’ve asked twice before. There was a rush to pass his $787 billion 'stimulus' to hold unemployment below 8 percent. Congress obliged, and now we are saddled with higher unemployment and crushing debt. Then there was his health care assault: no time for our representatives to even read the bill. As ObamaCare has been revealed, it has frightened...

"Failure to ratify the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, would have very serious consequences for our own national security and our European allies’ security, too."

After seven years of delay, the Russian Duma has conditionally approved the 1993 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II (START II) with the United States.
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, was a program first initiated on March 23, 1983 under President Ronald Reagan.

"The nuclear-weapons treaty President Obama has negotiated with the Russians may help him make America’s erstwhile Cold War adversary happy, but it won’t help protect us from the rogue nations that threaten the United States today.

If ratified, the New START treaty would force the U.S. to agree to strategic-nuclear-weapons parity with the direct descendant of a nation that threatened...

As a candidate for the presidency in 1980, Ronald Reagan was vocally unenthusiastic about the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT).

"The current regime in Russia has a terrible record as a reliable partner, yet President Obama wants the nuclear treaty he negotiated with the Kremlin fast-tracked for Senate approval. That makes no sense. Here are 10 reasons why."

A U.S. president goes overseas and signs a controversial nuclear agreement. Now, he must get the deal approved by the Senate. While the attitude of his political opponents ranges from skeptical to hostile, these detractors also know that killing the deal would undercut U.S. influence in the world.

"The U.S. and Russia reached a breakthrough agreement Wednesday for a historic treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the former Cold War rivals, the most significant pact in a generation and an important milestone in the decades-long quest to lower the risk of global nuclear war."

"US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, have signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague.

The treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to each reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than the previous ceiling."

"The United States has rejected fresh concerns raised by Moscow about its planned missile defence system."

The New START Treaty is organized into three, increasingly detailed, tiers.

"Arms control has certainly gone off the tracks. For several years what are called arms negotiations have been mostly a public exchange of accusations; and it often looks as if it is the arms negotiations that are driving the arms race. It is hard to escape the impression that the planned procurement of 50 MX missiles (at latest count) has been an obligation imposed by a doctrine that the end...

Krauthammer discusses "what makes START so irrelevant" and what better options are available.

"Nuclear doctrine is quite different from classical military strategy. It assumes that the purpose of the weapons is never to be used, that they exist in order to prevent their being used. This idea of deterrence was developed only gradually after the arsenals were being built.

But there is still no coherent, encompassing doctrine for arms control. What there is, was advanced piecemeal...

"The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), signed by the United States and Russia in April, has garnered substantial support from the U.S. military establishment and former senior national security officials, both Republicans and Democrats. "

A collection of quotes by national security officials regarding New START.

Chart or Graph

Three different games, or scenarios, were played by a group of policy and technical experts not only in the field of nuclear proliferation, but also in regional, country, and alliance issues.
START limits long-range nuclear-capable delivery systems—land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers—in the United States and the four states of the former Soviet Union.

"Estimated deployed nuclear warheads" in the U.S., Russia, France, China, and Great Britain.

The estimated nuclear weapons inventories of Russia, the United States, France, China, Britain, Israel, Pakistan, India, and North Korea.

In a survey on various national security issues, a group of Gen-Y aged individuals was asked to give a specific reason why the New START treaty would or would not weaken the United States.

Comparing the current and New START-mandated inventories of the United States and Russia.

In a survey on various national security issues, a group of mothers was asked to give a specific reason why the New START treaty would or would not weaken the United States.
After reading this description of the New START Treaty, do you think this weakens the national defense of the United States?

"More than a decade and a half after the Cold War ended, the world's combined stockpile of nuclear warheads remain at a very high level: more than 20,500. Of these, some 4,800 warheads are considered operational, of which nearly 2,000 U.S. and Russian warheads are on high alert, ready for use on short notice.

The exact number of nuclear weapons in each country's possession is a closely...

Infographic summarizing warhead and delivery vehicle numbers from 1990 and 2009.

"In an unprecedented event, the Pentagon disclosed on May 3, 2010, that its total stockpile of nuclear weapons included 5,113 warheads, a size very close to what we have estimated on these pages. As of January, the United States maintained a nuclear arsenal of an estimated 2,468 operational warheads. The arsenal consists of roughly 1,968 strategic warheads deployed on 798 strategic delivery...

"The US and Russian leaders signed the New Start treaty at a ceremony attended by hundreds of officials in the lavishly decorated Spanish Hall of Prague Castle, the Czech president's residence.

Under the pact, each side is allowed a maximum of 1,550 warheads, about 30% lower than the 2002 Moscow Treaty.

It also limits the number of deployed delivery vehicles - ballistic missiles...

The last START I data update, which took place in July 2009, showed significant reductions.
The U.S. has 80 percent fewer nuclear weapons than it did in 1987. Since then, Pakistan and North Korea have become nuclear powers, and Iran has aggressively sought to develop nuclear weapons.
If given the opportunity to vote on the matter, 51% of Americans would ratify the START nuclear arms agreement with Russia and 30% would vote against it, while 19% are undecided.
An interactive time-line of Russian-American nuclear achievements and arms control agreements.

Analysis Report White Paper

"New START, the agreement between the United States and Russia on a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, is a historic achievement that will increase the United States’ safety and security. It will help us move beyond the outdated strategic approaches of the Cold War and reduce the threat of nuclear war, and marks a significant step in advancing President Barack Obama’s vision of...

"The Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) is a complex system of elements and supporting efforts. The integration of these many elements will enable a robust, layered defense to defend against a hostile missile in all phases of flight."

"An independent assessment by the New START Working Group raises questions about the treaty that should be considered important by all interested in national security and the integrity of the arms control process and its outcomes."

Written nearly ten years before New START, this piece traces the history of START I and also details the attempted START II treaty. The paper goes on to discuss arms control and missile defense issues.
The Obama administration has elevated nuclear disarmament to the center of its nuclear agenda through the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia and the release of the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR).
This fact sheet details current modernization programs in place.
Reducing strategic nuclear arms has played a central role in the Obama administration’s 'reset' policy with Moscow.

"The Duma's resolution on New START was shaped to balance the one adopted by the U.S. Senate. The votes in both countries suggest that further nuclear arms reductions will not be a trivial task."

"The United States and Russia signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on April 8, 2010, in Prague. An assessment by the New START Working Group concludes that New START’s verification measures are less rigorous than in its predecessor treaty, simply called START. This is particularly worrisome because as deployed U.S. strategic nuclear warheads come down under New START,...

This study is part of a series of technical reports commissioned by The Heritage Foundation to examine programmatic issues related to ballistic missile defense.

"Abstract: In a world of multiple nuclear powers, the U.S. government should exchange Cold War–style deterrence for a policy of 'protecting and defending' the U.S. and its allies against nuclear attack. Pursuing such a policy will require both maintaining a credible nuclear posture, which is modernized to meet the strategic needs of the 21st century, and expanding and improving U.S. strategic...

This paper... is based on the submissions by the three U.S. experts for the December meeting. It identifies some 40 possible recommendations for moving forward on nuclear arms reduction, strengthening the non-proliferation regime, and making nuclear energy available in a proliferation-resistant manner.
This piece traces the history of various U.S.-Russia arms treaties, including START precursors SALT I and SALT II. It also discusses SORT, START II, and the various negotiation proceedings of New START.
This report provides a variety of charts and statistics gleaned from a survey of Moms and individuals from Generation Y. The research gives a glimpse into some of the deepest concerns American citizens are facing in 2011, including the economy and national security.
Admittedly, progress in bilateral U.S.-Russian rela­tions, particularly in reducing American and Russian nuclear arsenals, could benefit both powers and the international community at large.

Background information on the circumstances leading up to and the purpose of the Lisbon Protocol.

If New START is ratified and enters into force, the question will then be: what happens in the next round of U.S.-Russian negotiations? This paper examines the issues that will likely arise.

A "who's who" of New START supporters.

President Barack Obama has transmitted a deeply flawed arms control treaty to the Senate for its con­sent to ratification.

"Two important recent events—the signing of New START and the release of the Obama administration’s Nuclear Posture Review—will shape the configuration of the U.S. nuclear arsenal for years to come."

The Obama Administration is asserting that the New START arms control treaty with Russia has a 'robust' verification regime, and that it is effectively verifiable. But it is certainly much less verifiable than the original START.
Is President Obama right? Or, as Heritage experts and other informed analysts argue, will this treaty and the President’s approach to reducing the nuclear threat actually contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons?

Video/Podcast/Media

Baker Spring argues that START II re-codifies "an old adversarial relationship between the United States and Russia" and that Moscow wants to "return to some of the Cold War tensions."

Friedman believes the START treaty does not offer many, if any, benefits to Americans, and only serves to increase their tax burden.
The interview is broken into two parts below. In the first video Yesin talks about how he sees the new agreement as a demonstration of leadership by both presidents that moves us closer to a nuclear-free world.
The White House is predicting victory in its long-running standoff with Republicans on a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia.
While Obama has said the treaty will cut the US and Russia nuclear arsenals by a third, arms-control experts have warned the figure is misleading because the new pact uses different counting rules than previous agreements.
Analyst Marko Papic explains two separate statements made Wednesday that give Russia momentum against U.S. plans for ballistic missile defense in Europe.

"Ed Meese comments on Russia and New START."

"This video takes a look at what could happen if the U.S. Senate votes to ratify the New START Treaty."

"The Secretary of Defense's representative to the new START negotiations Ted Warner explains the history of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty during an interview with the Pentagon Channel December 22."

"Obama administration officials testified about the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), focusing on implications for national security programs. Among the issues they addressed were the Russian commitment to arms reduction, provisions for missile defense improvements, and verification issues."

"The Russian military says it has successfully tested the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb. The device is said to be as potent as an atomic explosion, but without radioactive fallout. Until now, the U.S. had the most powerful vacuum bomb, which was tested in 2003."

"Russia has announced the development of a stand-alone nuclear warhead capable of penetrating any existing or projecting missile defense system. The revelation comes just as the Russian government has ratified the START nuclear arms reduction treaty."

"Russian television news covered U.S. Senate passage of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)."

"Senators debated an amendment to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia."

"Senator Lamar Alexander spoke in support of the ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)."

Presidents Obama and Medvedev give speeches after signing the New START.

"Henry Kissinger testified on the new U.S.-Russia nuclear arms reduction treaty, START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). The treaty calls for both the U.S. and Russia to reduce the number of deployed nuclear missiles to 1,550, down from 2,000. Secretary Kissinger said the failure of the Senate's ratification of the treaty would be particularly upsetting, and that the treaty would not be an...

Beginning at 11:05, President Obama speaks about U.S. policy regarding arms control and nuclear weapons.

"Russia and the US have agreed on strategic arms reduction and on the signing of a new treaty to replace the current one, known as START. Joint media conference after today's meeting at the Kremlin, the presidents also noted the importance of developing ties between the two countries."

The President says ratifying the New START, a pivotal treaty with Russia on nuclear weapons, must happen this year.

Primary Document

"The United States raised six new compliance issues during the period of this report. The United States considers four of these to have been closed. However, several previous -- often long-standing-- compliance issues remain unresolved.
...
Russia has failed to declare certain road-mobile launchers of ICBMs when they first leave their production facility, as required by the Treaty...

I wish more than anything there were a simple policy that would eliminate that nuclear danger. But there are only difficult policy choices through which we can achieve a stable nuclear balance at the lowest possible level.

"Notwithstanding the overall success of START implementation, a number of long-standing compliance issues that were raised in the START Treaty's Joint Compliance and Inspection Commission (JCIC) remained unresolved when the Treaty expired on December 5, 2009.
...
The United States raised new compliance issues since the 2005 Report. The United States considered several of these to...

I would like to talk to you about a subject that is at the heart of the United Nations: the pursuit of peace in an imperfect world.
As the Senate considers the New START Treaty, I want to share with you my views on the issue of missile defense, which has been the subject of much debate in the Senate's review of the treaty.
I want to acknowledge an important step forward today that will advance our national security. This afternoon the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of the new START Treaty, and I am pleased that it did so with strong bipartisan support.
The path to this moment has been long and hard. More than a decade has passed since the first negotiations on the START I treaty. But perseverance, courage, and common sense have triumphed.

Senator Kyl discusses his specific objections to New START, as well as his general objection to the process by which the treaty was being pushed through the Senate.

"The Atomic Energy Commission has announced that the Soviet Union is continuing the testing of nuclear weapons. This continued testing by the Soviet Union has occurred despite the fact that negotiations for the suspension of testing of nuclear weapons have since October 31 been under way at Geneva."

Official letters between the United States and the Russian Foreign Ministry discussing the proposed START II.

"MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, the Secretary of State of the United States of America Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov are signing a protocol and exchange of instruments of ratification of the treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on measures for reduction and modification of strategic offensive arms. With this...

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, START, which President Gorbachev and I signed last July was the culmination of almost a decade's work. It calls for substantial stabilizing reductions and effective verification.
I am transmitting herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, the Protocol to the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the Protocol) signed at Lisbon, Portugal, on May 23, 1992.
I am pleased that the Senate today gave its consent to the ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, START.
I commend the Senate's action to give its consent to ratification of the Moscow Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions that President Putin and I signed on May 24, 2002, in Moscow, Russia.

Transcripts of the hearings leading up to the Senate ratification of New START.

This paper ... summarizes the Bush Administration's plan for nuclear forces; in addition, it develops and analyzes two options for implementing the START II treaty
I renew my call to the Senate of the United States to ratify the SALT II treaty.
This is a terrific lineup for any hearing but obviously, particularly for this hearing on the START treaty – our top diplomat, our top Defense official and our top military official.

The Lisbon Protocol confirmed Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia as the legal successors of the U.S.S.R. and the four new countries' role as parties to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

the New START treaty is perhaps the first bilateral treaty that resulted in U.S. unilateral reductions in nuclear forces.

"The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), negotiated between the United States and the Russian Federation, is a follow-on agreement to the original START Treaty between the U.S. and the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan that expired in December 5, 2009. Signed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev on April 8, 2010, New START significantly advances our leadership on...

Text of, protocols and supporting documents for the New START.

"We would like the European anti-missile defence to develop according to clear rules. It must be clear to everyone that anti-missile defence is a way to form blocs or reduce strategic opportunities for many nations. When they tell us, 'This is not aimed against you,' I take note of it, but I understand that other nations that are referred to in this case do not currently have the opportunities...

"During the Senate debate on the new U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in 2010, many Senators raised questions about Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons and noted their absence from the treaty limits. The United States and Russia have not included limits on these weapons in past arms control agreements. Nevertheless, Congress may press the Administration to seek...

"On May 24, 2002, President Bush and Russia’s President Putin signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (known as the Moscow Treaty). It mandated that the United States and Russia reduce their strategic nuclear weapons to between 1,700 and 2,200 warheads by December 31, 2012. The U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to ratification on March 6, 2003; the Russian Parliament did the...

President Obama addresses the Czech Republic about the possibility of an agreement for a U.S. missile shield in their country.

Testimony by the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation.

Coolidge describes the foreign policy of America as the "Good Samaritan," avoiding entangling alliances but still working toward worldwide peace.

"Russia is ready to work on strengthening the missile non-proliferation regime with countries that are interested in it. I shared my ideas of the possible architecture of the European missile defence system at the recent Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon. This architecture would merge the potentials of Russia and NATO, protecting all European countries from missile strikes. We have started a joint...

A question and answer session with Prime Minister Putin at the end of the calendar year.

"Today the Senate took a great step forward in enhancing our national security by providing its advice and consent to ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation." Remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

This document contains remarks from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President George H. W. Bush at the signing of the first START treaty.

"Daschle argued that failure to ratify the treaty not only would blind the United States to Russia’s nuclear activities but would also undermine international support for cooperation on nuclear nonproliferation and especially for preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."

I am honored to be back here in the Czech Republic with President Medvedev and our Czech hosts to mark this historic completion of the new START Treaty.

President Ronald Reagan presents his plan for START.

"I want to speak today to this audience and the people of the world about America's program for peace and the coming negotiations which begin November 30 in Geneva, Switzerland. Specifically, I want to present our program for preserving peace in Europe and our wider program for arms control."

Today marks the close of round 10 of the nuclear and space talks between the United States and the Soviet Union.
I have directed the U.S. START negotiator in the nuclear and space talks in Geneva to present to the Soviet Union at today's meeting of the START negotiating group a draft treaty which provides for 50-percent reductions in U.S. and Soviet strategic offensive nuclear arms.

"Remarks as Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, U.S. Capitol, Thursday, June 17, 2010" before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

List of Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings during 1991-1992 regarding START I.

This report provides background information about the START Treaty and reviews the discussions about a possible successor to START.

The text of, protocols for, and various documents pertaining to START I.

In these remarks, Ellen Tauscher describes President Obama's desire to have a world free of nuclear weapons.

"The United States and Russia signed the New START Treaty on April 8, 2010. New START provides the parties with seven years to reduce their forces, and will remain in force for a total of 10 years. The New START Treaty limits each side to no more than 800 deployed and nondeployed ICBM and SLBM launchers and deployed and nondeployed heavy bombers equipped to carry nuclear armaments. Within that...

START II was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation that was abandoned by both sides before coming into force.
The approximately 475-word treaty states that the United States and Russia each will reduce their numbers of operationally deployed nuclear warheads to between 1,700-2,200 within the next 10 years.

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