What is the New START Treaty? Know Its Objectives and Salient Features

New START Treaty ( New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ) is a bilateral deal between the U.S and Russia, which was signed by President Barack Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev on April 8, 2010, in Prague before coming into effect on February 5, 2011. 

This is being done to testably reduce previously deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems to levels of 1,550 each, about 74 percent of the Cold War totals, and strengthens stability, and avoids armaments races and still allows modernization.

Negotiations were pursued in the expiry of SORT in 2009; U.S. Senate voted 71-26 (Dec 2010), Russia voted January 2011. By Biden-Putin agreement February 2021, extended further to February 5, 2026.

What are the Objectives of the New START Treaty?

• Goals Cap 1550 strategic warheads, 700 (800 total launchers/bombers) ICBMs/SLBMs/heavy bombers, solid verification through inspections, data exchanges. 

• Motive: To encourage mutual security, post-START I transparency, flexibility in force structure with neither sub-limits nor rapid reload prohibitions.

Important Provisions and Salient Features

• Bombs: 1,550 warheads (a bomber per); 700 delivery vehicles (per); 800 total launchers.

• Personnel count: Real reentry vehicles (RVs) on ICBMs/SLBMs; missile unique identifiers.

• Checks: 18 inspections per year (10 Type One: number of warheads; 8 Type Two: non-deployed); every other year, data exchanges; yearly telemetry on 5 tests; notifications.

• Flexibility/Bans: No kind sub-limit; ICBM/SLBM-to-missile defense conversion forbids quick reload.

• Exclusions: Tactical/non-strategic, non-deployed, conventional prompt strike.

The two sides agreed to central limits on February 5, 2018: U.S. declared having 1,550 warheads, 661 deployed vehicles; Russia, as per mutual evaluations, was not violating its limits. After the reduction, annual updates of compliance were implemented.

What are the Recent Updates on this Treaty?

In response to U.S. support of Ukraine, Russia declared that it would not participate on February 21, 2023 and will stop inspections and data exchanges but claims to be complying with limits. 

The treaty lapses February 5, 2026, without a successor U.S. remains in unilateral compliance, other technical means nationally.

The scope of the deployments includes only American and Russian strategic offensive weapons: land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine ballistics and missiles (SLBMs), and nuclear-capable heavy bombers. 

Omits warheads not in deployment, non-tactical nuclear weaponry, and ballistic missile defenses.

The minimum strategic force levels since the 1960s established by New START have caused low risks in the arms race due to the continued transparency up to 2023. After exiry, it does not impose bi-lateral restrictions and increases uncertainty without confirmation.

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