By Kingston Reif and Ulrika Grufman Shortly after President Obama assumed office in 2009, his Administration announced a reset in relations with Russia, which had soured during the George W. Bush administration. The reset was an attempt to re-engage with Russia and to seek out opportunities for cooperation on a number of issues ranging from […]
Pruning the Nuclear Triad? Pros and Cons of Bombers, Missiles, and Submarines
By Kingston Reif, Travis Sharp, and Kirk Bansak As the United States and Russia contemplate further bilateral reductions in nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles beyond those required by New START, attention must be paid to the composition of each country’s strategic arsenal of nuclear-armed bombers, land-based missiles, and submarine-based missiles. To understand the stability that […]
A Review of the House Version of the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill
by Kingston Reif On May 26 the House approved the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1540). Below is a review and analysis of the nuclear weapons related provisions in the bill, both good and bad. For easier reading, the contents include: I. New START implementation and further nuclear weapons reductions II. Nuclear targeting […]
Missile Defense Update 2011: Questions Remain
by Robert G. Gard The U.S. is engaged in a prolonged, highly expensive and only occasionally successful program to develop a layered, integrated system of systems to defend the homeland, troops and facilities abroad, and some allies from ballistic missile attacks. Defense against ballistic missiles includes short range (less than 1,000 kilometers), medium range (1,000 […]
Analysis of the “New START” Treaty
by John Isaacs and Kingston Reif On March 26, President Obama announced that after nearly a year of tough negotiations, the U.S. and Russia have reached agreement on the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures to Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the “New START Treaty”). Presidents […]
