The New START treaty expired—Ploughshares grantees are taking action

Today, New START—the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia—formally expired. For the first time in decades, there are no legally binding limits on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.

At a moment of heightened global tension, the loss of this treaty makes the world even more dangerous.

But just the treaty expired, reports came through that the US and Russia are discussing abiding by New START limits for six months to allow time for negotiations toward a future agreement. This is positive news, but it should have happened months ago.

New START did not avert every nuclear risk, but it provided for stability between the two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals. Letting it lapse without a replacement opens the door to a potential new arms race—and a period that will be less predictable, more expensive, and more dangerous than the last few decades of nuclear reductions. Any diplomatic development is promising, but last-minute negotiations are not a sustainable security strategy.

Ploughshares grantees have been in the thick of public action, advocacy, and research about New START since the beginning. Their wealth of knowledge can address any questions you may have about New START’s provisions, the significance of its expiration, and what comes next. We invite you to explore these resources and share them with your networks both inside and outside of the nuclear threat reduction community.

Grantee Resources

Reports, Briefs, & Polls

• Union of Concerned Scientists: “Nuclear Weapons Without Limits? Avoiding a New Arms Race After New START” by Jennifer Knox
• Federation of American Scientists: Inspections Without Inspectors: A Path Forward for Nuclear Arms Control Verification with “Cooperative Technical Means” by Igor Morić & Matt Korda
• ReThink Media poll: “Americans Across Party Lines Want the U.S. to Keep Nuclear Limits with Russia, New Poll Finds”
• ICAN: “The expiration of New START: what it means and what’s next”
• Win Without War: “Preventing the Next Nuclear Arms Race” (webinar)

Op-eds & Commentary

• Union of Concerned Scientists: “Ask a Scientist: What Happens When There Are No Limits on US and Russian Nuclear Weapons?” (interview with Jennifer Knox)
• Responsible Statecraft: “What will happen when there are no guardrails on nuclear weapons?” by William Hartung
• Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “The Experts Comment” New START series

Statements, Sign-on Letters & Action Items

• Arms Control Association: “The End of New START Requires A More Coherent Approach from the Trump Administration”
• Foreign Policy for America: “Statement on the Expiration of New START”
• Win Without War: “Tell Congress: Choose peace and people over a nuclear arms race”
• Friends Committee on National Legislation: “Faith Communities Urge Congress to Prevent a New Nuclear Arms Race”
• Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction: “After New START: Opportunities for Enhanced Nuclear Arms Control”
• Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility – billboard campaign