{"id":86253,"date":"2026-02-06T11:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=86253"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:31:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T06:01:00","slug":"end-of-new-start-treaty-explained-us-russia-nuclear-arms-control-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/end-of-new-start-treaty-explained-us-russia-nuclear-arms-control-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"End of New START Treaty Explained: US\u2013Russia Nuclear Arms Control Collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>New START Treaty Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The expiry of the <\/span><b>New START Treaty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> marks the end of five decades of binding nuclear limits between the US and Russia, raising global concerns about strategic stability and the risk of a renewed nuclear arms race.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Cold War Arms Control Efforts<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the late 1960s, at the peak of the Cold War, the Soviet Union began expanding its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) arsenal to match the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In January 1967, US President <\/span><b>Lyndon B. Johnson<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> warned that Moscow was developing an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system around its capital, raising fears of a destabilising first-strike capability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>SALT Talks and Early Treaties<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To curb the escalating arms race, Washington and Moscow launched the <\/span><b>Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in November 1969.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These negotiations produced two key agreements:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which capped missile defence systems at 200 (later reduced to 100) per side.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An interim <\/span><b>SALT accord<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under which both sides agreed not to expand their ICBM capabilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>SALT II and Its Collapse<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Negotiations for a follow-up pact, SALT II, began in 1972 and culminated in a 1979 agreement limiting nuclear delivery vehicles\u2014such as ICBMs, submarine-launched missiles, and strategic bombers\u2014to 2,250 each.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, US President Jimmy Carter withdrew the treaty from Senate consideration, and it was never ratified.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Unravelling of Controls<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Years later, the US unilaterally exited the ABM Treaty in 2002, arguing it constrained defences against terrorist and rogue-state missile threats.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This marked an early step in the gradual erosion of Cold War-era arms control frameworks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Post\u2013Cold War Nuclear Arms Reduction<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the Cold War, the US and Russia signed the <\/span><b>Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 1991.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It required both sides to cap deployed strategic delivery systems at 1,600 and reduce nuclear warheads to 6,000.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crucially, START I mandated the destruction of excess missiles and bombers, backed by an intrusive verification regime that included on-site inspections, data exchanges, and satellite monitoring.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of the Soviet Union\u2019s collapse and efforts to denuclearise former Soviet states, implementation took longer than expected.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reductions were completed only in December 2001, and the treaty expired in 2009.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>START II: An Unfulfilled Follow-on<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A second agreement, START II, was signed in January 1993. It aimed to cut strategic warheads further, to 3,000\u20133,500 by 2003.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the treaty never entered into force due to delays in ratification in both countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, Russia formally withdrew from START II, and plans for a START III agreement collapsed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>SORT: A Temporary Bridge<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In May 2002, the two countries adopted the <\/span><b>Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, committing to reduce operationally deployed warheads to 1,700\u20132,200.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SORT came into force in 2003 after legislative approval in both countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was conceived as an interim arrangement and was later superseded by the New START treaty in 2011.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">A New Phase in US\u2013Russia Arms Control<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2010, US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agreement came into force on February 5, 2011, marking a renewed commitment to nuclear arms control after earlier treaties expired.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Key Limits and Reductions<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under New START, both countries agreed to cap their strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 and limit strategic delivery vehicles to 800, including both deployed and non-deployed systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These cuts were substantial, requiring about a 30% reduction in warheads and a 50% reduction in delivery vehicles compared to the earlier SORT agreement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Verification and Inspections<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To ensure compliance, the treaty established a strong verification mechanism.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each side was permitted to conduct up to 18 on-site inspections per year of the other\u2019s strategic nuclear facilities, along with regular data exchanges.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Extension and Expiry<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The treaty allowed for a one-time extension. In 2021, after President Joe Biden took office, the US and Russia mutually agreed to extend New START by five years, setting its expiry date at February 5, 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 35px; font-style: inherit;\">After New START: What Lies Ahead<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>End of Legal Limits on Nuclear Arsenals &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the treaty\u2019s expiry, binding caps on US and Russian nuclear warheads cease to exist. As of 2025, the US holds about 5,277 warheads and Russia around 5,449, raising concerns over unchecked expansion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rising Risks and Loss of Transparency &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts warn that the absence of arms control increases the danger of accidental or unintended escalation, especially amid regional conflicts involving Russia or China. Ending limits also reduces transparency over nuclear forces.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Erosion of Nuclear Deterrence &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analysts argue that traditional nuclear deterrence is weakening as a stabilising force. The breakdown of arms control norms signals a shift toward open-ended strategic competition among major powers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Global Implications and Non-Proliferation Concerns &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lapse could undermine restraint worldwide, just ahead of the 2026 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review. While rethinking arms control is possible, experts caution that even limited mutual restraint is safer than unconstrained nuclear rivalry.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-global\/the-last-us-russia-nuclear-pact-ends-today-is-this-the-beginning-of-a-new-arms-race-10515674\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c70l27gy47do\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>End of New START Treaty explained: The expiry of the US\u2013Russia nuclear pact removes binding limits on nuclear arsenals, raising fears of a renewed global arms race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":86271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,3114,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-86253","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-new-start-treaty","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86253"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86275,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86253\/revisions\/86275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}