Lack of Inspections in Russia Put U.S. Security At Risk

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Today's top nuclear policy stories, with excerpts in bullet form.

Stories we're following today: Tuesday, August 17, 2010:

START Expiration Ends U.S. Inspection of Russian Nuclear Bases - The Washington Post [link]

  • For the first time in 15 years, U.S. officials have lost their ability to inspect Russian long-range nuclear bases. The inspections had occurred every few weeks under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. But when START expired in December, the checks stopped.
  • The Obama administration hopes the inspections and messages will soon resume under the New START agreement. But the pact is on hold in the Senate. If it faces long delays, or is voted down, the U.S. government will lose critical insight into Russia's nuclear forces, officials say.
  • "The problem of the breakdown of our verification, which lapsed December 5, is very serious and impacts our national security," said Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.)
  • "I thought we were just going to continue doing business as usual" as the replacement treaty was debated, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said when a reporter noted the inspection cutoff.
  • The Obama administration has emphasized that New START will require the United States and Russia to reduce their nuclear arsenals. But many experts say the verification measures matter even more. 

New START is essential to our national security - Major General Paul Eaton in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer [link]

  • Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson will soon have the opportunity to protect America’s national security by voting in favor of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia.
  • For over 40 years, the United States has pursued strategic stability through an arms control process that has been vigorously supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. The New START Treaty both continues these established principles and tailors them to meet the security needs of the 21st century.
  • Senators Chambliss and Isakson would do well to recognize that when they cast their vote for New START, they will be faced with a choice: Strengthen our national security with a vote in favor of the New START Treaty, or choose to ignore the advice of our nation’s most trusted voices and expose the nation to greater risk due to loss of verification of Russian behaviors and intent.
  • The support for New START from our military is clear. The national security benefits of New START are clear. So is the choice. Senators Chambliss and Isakson must support the New START Treaty and choose a safer Georgia and a stronger America.

Approving the New START Treaty Keeps America Safe - Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) in U.S. News and World Report [link]

  • Ratifying the New START treaty is a common-sense step that will make America safer...the treaty will be a key tool in our efforts to protect the United States against nuclear threats.
  • Opponents of the treaty have yet to convincingly explain why their judgment differs so significantly from that of our current and former military and diplomatic leaders—a long and distinguished list that includes six former secretaries of state, five former secretaries of defense, three former national security advisers, and seven former commanders of our nuclear forces.
  • Why is this treaty less deserving of approval than, say, the original START treaty, whose reductions were significantly more dramatic and which was signed in 1991, at a time of great international upheaval?
  • The opponents of New START cannot provide good answers to these questions. All they can do is stand in the way of common sense—and of our nation's security.

Nuclear Arms Film Viewing - Politico [link]

  • Late last month, the CIA and the National Counterterrorism Center hosted a joint screening of the documentary Countdown to Zero, a Participant Media flick about the escalating nuclear arms crisis.
  • The audience was standing-room only and incuded more than 500 people, including high-level agency reps and analysts who follow nuclear terrorism and counterproliferation issues from the CIA and NCTC.
  • The film has made the Beltway rounds. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) held a screening of the flick and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also screened the film while traveling back from Mexico.

A View from the Dark Side

The New START Treaty Weakens U.S. National Security - Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) in U.S. News and World Report [link]

  • The concessions President Obama made to Russia to get the New START signed are precisely why the Senate should not ratify it.
  • New START is another Obama giveaway at the expense of U.S. citizens. The treaty mandates strategic nuclear weapons parity with the progeny of an old Cold War foe, yet allows the Russians to maintain a 10-to-1 tactical nuclear-weapons advantage.
  • Either Obama was out-negotiated or he was so intent on getting the treaty signed to secure a diplomatic "win" that he didn't mind giving Russia a clear advantage.
  • To secure his first major diplomatic victory, Obama used U.S. missile defense systems as a negotiating tool. But national security is not something to be given away.