Seek verifiable reductions in nuclear stockpiles

Obama moving toward reducing nuclear arsenal

Updated: Friday, September 25th, 2009 | By Robert Farley

With START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) scheduled to expire in December 2009, the United States and Russia have begun to lay the groundwork for a follow-up treaty to further reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles. On April 1, President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met in London and agreed to pursue a new agreement before the end of the year to reduce strategic offensive arms.

After several months of meetings between Russian and American negotiators, Obama and Medvedev signed a Joint Understanding that commits the United States and Russia to reduce the number of strategic warheads from the current 2,200 to somewwere between 1,500 and 1,675, and the number of strategic delivery vehicles from the current 1,600 to somewhere between 500 and 1,100. 
 
In his defining speech on nuclear weapons as president, Obama in April spoke to an audience in Prague about his long-term vision for a world free of nuclear weapons.

"So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said. "I'm not naive. This goal will not be reached quickly — perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change. We have to insist, 'Yes, we can.'

According to a July news release from the White House, the new START "will enhance the security of both the U.S. and Russia, as well as provide predictability and stability in strategic offensive forces. A follow-on agreement to START directly supports the goals outlined by the president during his speech in Prague and will demonstrate Russian and American leadership in strengthening the Non-Proliferation Treaty."

On Sept., 24, 2009, the U.N. Security Council unanimously co-sponsored and adopted a resolution committing to work toward verifiable nuclear arms reduction and disarmament.

According to a White House fact sheet, the resolution supports "a revitalized commitment to work toward a world without nuclear weapons, and calls for further progress on nuclear arms reductions, urging all states to work towards the establishment of effective measures of nuclear arms reduction and disarmament. " It also supports a strengthened Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a Review Conference in 2010 to reach "realistic and achievable goals."

While the START follow-on has yet to be finalized, there has been plenty of progress on this promise. More than enough to move it to In the Works.

Sources: White House Web site, press release: "Addressing the Nuclear Threat: Fulfilling the Promise of Prague at the L’Aquila Summit," July 8, 2009 Time, "Signs At Obama's Speech in Prague," by Michael Scherer, April 5, 2009 U.N. Security Council, "Historic Summit of Security Council Pledges Support for Progress on Stalled Efforts to End Nuclear Weapons Proliferation:  Resolution 1887 (2009) Adopted with 14 Heads of State, Government Present," Sept. 24, 2009 White House Web site,  Fact Sheet: The Joint Understanding for the START Follow-on Treaty , July 6, 2009 White House Web site,  Fact Sheet on the United Nations Security Council Summit on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Disarmament  UNSC Resolution 1887 , Sept. 24, 2009