Peace Garden News

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), introduced the No START Treaty Act, which officially declares Russia to be in material breach of the New START Treaty and proposes America withdraw from the agreement. The legislation also aims to strengthen the United States’ nuclear forces by placing limits on future arms control negotiations.

“Russia has made it clear it will not play by the rules when it comes to their nuclear arsenal. It’s time to take a stand and stop tolerating its treaty violations,” said Senator Cramer. “Pulling the U.S. out of New START ensures we are not tying our hands while Russia cheats and China grows unconstrained. We need to modernize and grow our nuclear deterrent, and ensure any future negotiations with both Russia and China, are from a position of nuclear strength.”

“The New START Treaty handcuffed America while Vladimir Putin has taken advantage of the treaty’s flaws for years. President Biden should never have extended this treaty that has only made Russia and China stronger and America weaker. We should withdraw from the treaty and bolster our nuclear forces,” said Senator Cotton.

The No START Treaty Act would:

• Require an evaluation of current and planned U.S. nuclear forces capabilities to address deficiencies in the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
• Require any future arms control agreements with Russia to place numerical limitations on the size of U.S. and Russian arsenals.
• Limit all of Russia’s nuclear forces, including its non-strategic nuclear weapons, which would restrict the nuclear arsenal of China.
• Prohibit unilateral reductions and the bargaining away of U.S. missile defenses.
• Prohibit the use of funds to implement the New START Treaty or any future arms control agreement unless it meets the bill's required provisions.

Joining Senators Cramer and Cotton are Senators James Risch (R-ID), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Ted Budd (R-NC).

Click here for bill text.

Background:

The New START Treaty was established in 2010 to limit the number of strategic nuclear weapons the United States and Russia can deploy and ensures compliance between both countries through nuclear arsenal inspections and verification. However, the treaty fails to address the growing disparity of nuclear arsenals between the U.S., Russia, and China.

Currently, Russia’s estimated stockpile of over 2,000 non-strategic nuclear weapons far outweighs the United States’ inventory. Russia is developing new capabilities like a nuclear-powered cruise missile at a record pace while China’s every-growing nuclear forces are projected to match if not surpass the size of the U.S. deployed nuclear arsenal by 2035.

In January 2023, the State Department found Russia failed to comply with the New START Treaty by refusing to allow mandatory inspections and meet in a Bilateral Consultative Commission. In February 2023, Russia announced it would “suspend” its participation in the New START Treaty. The growth of Russia and China’s nuclear capabilities threatens our nation’s ability to maintain our national security strategy and nuclear deterrence capabilities. As a result, the U.S. needs to increase the size of its nuclear arsenal.

Original source can be found here.