Overview New START does not impose limits on non-strategic warheads. No previous arms control agreement has limited these weapons. While experts agree that tactical weapons present difficult challenges, there was not sufficient time to reach an agreement on nonstrategic forces during this round of negotiations. The best way to address tactical nuclear weapons is to […]
New START and Missile Defense
Overview According to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, New START “will not constrain the United States from deploying the most effective missile defenses possible, nor impose additional costs or barriers on those defenses.” While Russia is concerned about U.S. missile defense plans, the Obama administration kept missile defense on a separate track from reductions in […]
Fissile Material Working Group calls for Congress to fully fund non-proliferation programs
Earlier this year, both relevant House and Senate subcommittees decided to fully fund non proliferation programs despite competing funding demands. However, the Continuing Resolutions passed to keep the government running through December funded most government programs, including non-proliferation programs, at last year’s levels. In response, the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG) put together a letter […]
New START Key Issues and Responses to Critics
New START and Missile Defense According to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, New START “will not constrain the United States from deploying the most effective missile defenses possible, nor impose additional costs or barriers on those defenses.” While Russia is concerned about U.S. missile defense plans, the Obama administration kept missile defense on a separate […]
What the 2010 elections mean for national security issues
by John Isaacs Published in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on November 29, 2010. It goes without saying that the mid-term elections were a disaster for Democrats: Republicans took control of the House of Representatives — winning over 60 seats — and also picked up six Senate seats. The Senate will remain in Democratic hands, […]
