Photo: Wildcat River, Jackson, NH Lois Barber
August 2018 - The 2011 New START Treaty is set to expire in 2021. It caps U.S. and Russian deployed long-range nuclear weapons at 1,550 for each side, and more important, it allows intrusive inspections, so each side can see what the other has deployed. To lose this ability to inspect would likely result in a renewed arms race, as each side prepares to deal with "worst-case scenarios".
This transparency is critical, and is one reason the State Dept. earlier this year concluded that "the New START Treaty enhances the safety and security of the U.S." Pres. Putin has often called for extending the treaty for 5 years, and White House officials have recently said that Pres. Trump is "open" to the idea. He said he would raise it at the summit in Helsinki, although it is not clear that he did. An extension would not require action by the Senate, nor the Duma.
ACTION: Urge President Trump and Defense Sec. Mattis to use the President's friendship with President Putin to forge an agreement to extend the New START Treaty. Point out that the transparency of the New START Treaty has prevented a run-away arms race, and that it enhances the safety and security of the U.S., as stated by the State Dept. If the treaty expires on Feb. 5, 2021, there would be no cap on nuclear strategic weapons, and no way of knowing how many the other side has: A recipe for a nuclear arms race.
CONTACT:
President Trump
- Web: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
- Tel: 202-456-1111
- Mail: President Trump,
The White House,
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,
Washington, D.C. 20500
Defense Secretary James Mattis
- Web: (not available)
- Tel: 703-571-3343
- Mail: Sec. of Defense James Mattis,
1000 Defense Pentagon,
Washington, D.C. 20301-1000
Multiply this Message: Use this information to write a letter to the editor about this important & timely issue. This is a powerful way to educate and mobilize others—our job now & in the coming years!
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