State Dept. official on Trump’s vision for nuclear arms control – By PBS NewsHour Staff (PBS Newshour) / March 11 2020
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Judy Woodruff:
The New START treaty is the only remaining limit on U.S. and Russian offensive nuclear weapons. It is set to expire next February.
So far, the Trump administration has been unwilling to begin negotiations. Instead, the U.S. says it wants to explore a broader agreement, to include China, but critics fear that strategy, that it might risk the treaty altogether.
Here’s Nick Schifrin.
Nick Schifrin:
On Monday, 50 miles off Alaska, a large Russian reconnaissance aircraft, and another one behind it, are trailed by American jets. The Air Force says the U.S. jets told the Russians, stay out of U.S. airspace.
It’s a cat-and-mouse game right out of the Cold War. And, today, there’s another Cold War practice, spending billions on new nuclear capacity.
In 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled a half-dozen new weapons systems, including a nuclear cruise missile he called Invincible. The U.S. is replacing aging nuclear bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and recently fielded a new nuclear warhead like this one that could be launched by submarine.
Former President Ronald Reagan:
Today, on this vital issue, at least we can see what can be accomplished when we pull together.
Nick Schifrin:
Back in the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia negotiated arms control agreements to limit nuclear weapons.
The last of those agreements was signed in 2010 by President Obama and then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, limits the number of deployed warheads and their delivery systems, intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers.
And it includes verification measures, such as movement notifications, data exchanges, and on-site inspections. It also expires in 11 months.
But the treaty doesn’t cover some of those new Russian weapons or limit China’s nuclear arsenal at all, so the Trump administration says it wants to create a new framework.
But some arms control experts, and members of Congress, fear New START could expire and spark a new arms race.
And to discuss New START, as well as other issues, I’m joined by Chris Ford, assistant secretary of international security and nonproliferation at the State Department.
Chris Ford, welcome to the “NewsHour.” Thank you very much.
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