Russia & US are rushing into new arms race as they run out of time for realistic arms-control deal
The last remaining vestige of Cold War-era arms control agreements between the US and Russia — the New START Treaty — will expire in February 2021. For its part, Russia has been seeking US concurrence in invoking a provision of the treaty which allows for an automatic five-year extension of the agreement without the need to seek any further legislative ratification. The US has balked, indicating that the Obama-era treaty, dating back to 2010, does not include China, and as such places the US at a strategic disadvantage (the US used similar logic to justify its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces — or INF — Treaty.)
New arms, new race
Both the US and Russia are engaged in the early stages of developing new strategic nuclear weapons to replace older systems. These weapons, which will cost trillions of dollars to develop and deploy, are with few exceptions still many years away from entering into service. A five-year extension of New START would provide both nations time to reach an agreement which responsibly addresses the need for strategic nuclear force modernization while continuing the past practice of seeking additional cuts in their respective nuclear arsenals.
Both the US and Russia are engaged in the early stages of developing new strategic nuclear weapons to replace older systems. These weapons, which will cost trillions of dollars to develop and deploy, are with few exceptions still many years away from entering into service. A five-year extension of New START would provide both nations time to reach an agreement which responsibly addresses the need for strategic nuclear force modernization while continuing the past practice of seeking additional cuts in their respective nuclear arsenals.
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