Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

  • Policy Issues
    • Countries
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Non-Proliferation
    • Nuclear Security
    • Biological & Chemical Weapons
    • Defense Spending
    • Missile Defense
    • No First Use
  • Nukes of Hazard
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Videos
  • Join Us
  • Press
  • About
    • Staff
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials and Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search
You are here: Home / Front and Center / Another Republican Policy Committee Report on New START

May 14, 2010

Another Republican Policy Committee Report on New START

The Senate Republican Policy Committee (RPC) is back with another report on New START.  Recall that the last time the Committee released a report on arms control (in September 2009), it cited the bipartisan Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States 25 times to raise doubts about the New START negotiations, yet omitted the single most important statement the Commission made re: the impending expiration of START I:

“The moment appears ripe for a renewal of arms control with Russia, and this bodes well for a continued reduction in the nuclear arsenal. The United States and Russia should pursue a step-by-step approach and take a modest first step to ensure that there is a successor to START I when it expires at the end of 2009.  Beyond a modest incremental reduction in operationally deployed strategic nuclear weapons, the arms control process becomes much more complex as new factors are introduced.” [emphasis mine.]

The main thrust of the new report seems to be that the Senate should evaluate the new agreement carefully and thoroughly.  The RPC would be hard pressed to find supporters of the treaty who actually disagree with this position.

In general, the new report seems to lack the same vehemence that characterized the last one.  For example, the best the Committee could come up with on verification is that before the treaty annexes were complete, “the Administration was already proclaiming that New START has an “effective verification regime.”  And on the tactical nuclear weapons, the report states: “In the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on the Treaty of Moscow in 2002, Chairman Biden lamented that it did not address tactical nuclear weapons.  Of course, Sen. Biden voted for SORT, as did 94 other Senators.

Perhaps I’m being overly optimistic, but I think this bodes well for the treaty’s prospects, even if a tough fight on conditions, understandings, and declarations on the treaty is on the horizon.  All (or nearly all) the information the Committee asks for will be (or already has been) provided and all the questions it raises on specific issues have answers that have been provided and will continue to be provided by the Obama administration and the many moderates and conservatives who have already come out in support of the treaty.  

Posted in: Front and Center, Nukes of Hazard blog

Tweets by Nukes of Hazard

Recent Posts

  • Iran Is Backing Out of the Nuclear Deal That U.S. Had Already Reneged On for Years June 10, 2022
  • Biden’s mounting nuclear threats from North Korea, Iran June 10, 2022
  • ‘Predictable’ and ‘reinforces’ need for JCPOA: Statement on Iran censure, further limitations June 9, 2022
  • Time to Reset the Narrative on Missile Proliferation? June 3, 2022
  • A World Without Arms Control?  June 1, 2022
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.546.0795

Issues

  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Nuclear Security
  • Defense Spending
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons
  • Missile Defense
  • No First Use

Countries

  • China
  • France
  • India and Pakistan
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

Explore

  • Nukes of Hazard blog
  • Nukes of Hazard podcast
  • Nukes of Hazard videos
  • Front and Center
  • Fact Sheets

About

  • About
  • Meet the Staff
  • Boards & Experts
  • Press
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials and Annual Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Council for a Livable World
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2022 Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Privacy Policy

Charity Navigator GuideStar Seal of Transparency