New START nuclear treaty
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: DD News
Subject: International Relations
Context: The New START nuclear treaty, the last remaining arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, is set to expire on 5 February 2026, with no successor treaty in place.
About New START nuclear treaty:
What is the New START nuclear treaty?
• The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is a bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia that places legally binding limits on strategic nuclear weapons.
• It governs weapons designed to strike an adversary’s core political, military, and industrial centres in the event of a nuclear war.
Background:
• Signed: April 2010
• Entered into force: February 2011
• Signed by: US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
• Duration: 10 years, with a single five-year extension, exercised in 2021
In February 2023, Russia suspended participation in New START following the Ukraine conflict, halting inspections and data exchanges, though both sides continued to observe core numerical limits.
Aim of the New START treaty:
The treaty was designed to:
• Prevent a strategic nuclear arms race
• Enhance predictability and transparency between the two largest nuclear powers
• Reduce the risk of miscalculation or accidental escalation
• Contribute to global strategic stability and nuclear risk reduction
Key features of the New START treaty:
• Warhead limits: Caps each side at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads.
• Delivery system limits: Maximum 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers 800 total launchers, deployed and non-deployed combined
• Maximum 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers
• 800 total launchers, deployed and non-deployed combined
• Verification and transparency: On-site inspections Regular data exchanges Notifications on movements and deployments
• On-site inspections
• Regular data exchanges
• Notifications on movements and deployments
• Predictability mechanism: Creates shared expectations that shape nuclear force planning even during political hostility.
Why does the expiry of New START matter?
· End of nuclear limits: Its expiry would remove the last formal constraint on US–Russia strategic nuclear forces.
· Risk of a new arms race:
Without limits, both sides could:
• Upload additional warheads onto existing missiles
• Expand delivery systems based on worst-case assumptions