Alexander Golts: An Illusory New START
[Alexander Golts is deputy editor of the online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal.]
As soon as the details of the new START follow-up agreement were made public on Friday, two points became clear: First, despite the overblown rhetoric, there will be no significant reductions in nuclear arms, and, second, Moscow gave in to practically all U.S. demands. The treaty allows each side to maintain 700 deployed nuclear delivery vehicles (ballistic missiles, submarines and fighter bombers), as well as 100 “undeployed” delivery vehicles (for example, nuclear submarines that are dry-docked for repairs).
This preserves U.S. superiority over Russia in nuclear weapons. According to the data exchanged in accordance with the requirements of the START treaty, Russia has 608 nuclear delivery vehicles and the United States has 1,188. Thus, Moscow has no need to make cuts to reach 700 delivery vehicles. On the contrary, it will struggle to even come close to reaching 700 during the 10-year span of the treaty since the number of vehicles that will need to be decommissioned as a result of old age will heavily outnumber the quantity of new vehicles that Russia will be able to manufacture.
Moscow originally sought to limit U.S. ability to refit its nuclear strategic delivery vehicles with non-nuclear warheads, but it has apparently given in on this issue. The exact numbers have not yet been released, but in all likelihood after the United States reduces its number of nuclear delivery vehicles to 800, most, if not all, of its remaining delivery vehicles will be re-equipped with conventional warheads. This means that the United States will not likely have to destroy any of its strategic delivery vehicles, except for those that would need to be decommissioned in any case.
Finally, although there will be a declarative statement in the treaty that defines a link between nuclear weapons and missile defense, there is nothing in the treaty that would limit the United States from developing a strategic missile defense system. This is a big propaganda defeat for Russia since it had made missile defense such an important issue during negotiations.
Both sides were quick to praise the new agreement’s 30 percent reduction in nuclear warheads, but this number is deceiving. The limit of 1,550 warheads in the new agreement refers to deployed warheads only. But if you count the number of stored warheads — most of which are located in the United States — the total reduction will be far less than 30 percent...
Read entire article at Moscow Times
As soon as the details of the new START follow-up agreement were made public on Friday, two points became clear: First, despite the overblown rhetoric, there will be no significant reductions in nuclear arms, and, second, Moscow gave in to practically all U.S. demands. The treaty allows each side to maintain 700 deployed nuclear delivery vehicles (ballistic missiles, submarines and fighter bombers), as well as 100 “undeployed” delivery vehicles (for example, nuclear submarines that are dry-docked for repairs).
This preserves U.S. superiority over Russia in nuclear weapons. According to the data exchanged in accordance with the requirements of the START treaty, Russia has 608 nuclear delivery vehicles and the United States has 1,188. Thus, Moscow has no need to make cuts to reach 700 delivery vehicles. On the contrary, it will struggle to even come close to reaching 700 during the 10-year span of the treaty since the number of vehicles that will need to be decommissioned as a result of old age will heavily outnumber the quantity of new vehicles that Russia will be able to manufacture.
Moscow originally sought to limit U.S. ability to refit its nuclear strategic delivery vehicles with non-nuclear warheads, but it has apparently given in on this issue. The exact numbers have not yet been released, but in all likelihood after the United States reduces its number of nuclear delivery vehicles to 800, most, if not all, of its remaining delivery vehicles will be re-equipped with conventional warheads. This means that the United States will not likely have to destroy any of its strategic delivery vehicles, except for those that would need to be decommissioned in any case.
Finally, although there will be a declarative statement in the treaty that defines a link between nuclear weapons and missile defense, there is nothing in the treaty that would limit the United States from developing a strategic missile defense system. This is a big propaganda defeat for Russia since it had made missile defense such an important issue during negotiations.
Both sides were quick to praise the new agreement’s 30 percent reduction in nuclear warheads, but this number is deceiving. The limit of 1,550 warheads in the new agreement refers to deployed warheads only. But if you count the number of stored warheads — most of which are located in the United States — the total reduction will be far less than 30 percent...