Senate Approves New START Treaty

On December 22, 2010, the Senate approved the New START nuclear reduction treaty in a strong, bipartisan 71-26 vote. The new treaty reduces our stockpile of nuclear weapons, puts inspectors back on the ground in Russia and places the U.S. concretely on the path towards a world without nuclear weapons. 

With New START in place, we've paved the way for global cooperation to address urgent threats -- including stopping Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs and preventing nuclear terrorism. And, we've proved that, with determination and cooperation, change is really possible in the halls of Washington, D.C.

After the vote, Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione said in a statement:

"Today’s approval of New START demonstrates that a new security consensus has solidified among a strong bipartisan majority of military and national security leaders. They understand the most effective way to strengthen U.S. security is to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world and improve our ability to secure and track those that remain."

Ploughshares Fund played a key role in securing Senate approval of New START, starting with a January meeting that convened more than fifty senior think tank and advocacy experts to develop a coordinated strategy.  As Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy reported, "The meeting was about marshalling organizations' combined resources and preparing a full-on campaign to press their shared goals."

And that's exactly what we did.

We partnered with the best organizations around the country to hammer out a unified strategy to get New START ratified. We rallied former officials, military officers and esteemed experts to back the treaty. We leveraged our high-level access on Capitol Hill and within the Obama Administration to help move the treaty through halls of Congress. We partnered with grassroots organizers to mobilize public support for the treaty. Then, brick by brick, we built a strong public case for New START by stressing the urgent national security need to approve the treaty.  

This is a victory for that reaffirms America's role as a global leader AND makes the world a safer place to live in. The momentum is now decidedly in our favor. In the upcoming year, with your help, we fully intend to consolidate our victories and continue to work toward the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.