Presidents of the United States and Russia announced today that they will meet in Prague on April 8, 2010 to sign the new disarmament agreement, which has become known as the New START treaty. The key provisions of the treaty that have been disclosed so far are as follows:
Aggregate limits:
- 1,550 warheads. Warheads on deployed ICBMs and deployed SLBMs count toward this limit and each deployed heavy bomber equipped for nuclear armaments counts as one warhead toward this limit.
- A combined limit of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.
- A separate limit of 700 deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs, and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.
The treaty's duration will be ten years, with an option of extending it once for five years. The Moscow Treaty of 2002 will terminate once the New START enters into force.
The treaty will not in any way limit missile defense developments. However, it is expected that Russia will make a unilateral statement asserting its right to withdraw from the treaty in case it decides that the U.S. missile defense program poses a threat to its national interests.
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Comments
Interestingly, the US will be able to “convert” some of the launcher systems to the new “planned United States long-range conventional strike capabilities” (per Washington Post article). Rumor, is 150 Minuteman IIIs will be so “converted”. Pavel, any information or thoughts?
Frank Shuler
USA
"...and each deployed heavy bomber equipped for nuclear armaments counts as one warhead toward this limit."
Sounds as a joke.
I seriously doubt anybody is thinking about 150 conventional Minuteman missiles. Half a dozen sounds more realistic.
Pavel
It does look like the US will have to cut the number of ICBM launchers to meet the treaty limit of 700 deployed launchers. Logically, that would mean Minuteman. Considering the missiles would be “pulled” in groups of 50 from a command-and-control perspective, it does seem logical that 150 fewer Minuteman will be a fair assumption. I guess the US could pull these from the active nuclear inventory and place them in the conventional Global Prompt Strike program. The general thought here is that the US will not have to “destroy” any launchers to comply with the new START agreement.
All speculation but interesting never the less.
Frank Shuler
USA
Personally, I'd rather have 450 conventional Minuteman missiles than 450 nuclear Minuteman missiles. Nuclear missiles are basically counters in a gossamer game of nuclear primacy, while conventional missiles are usable weapons.
With 450 Minuteman III missiles equipped with 3 warheads each, using depleted uranium slugs to compensate for the weight that would have been carried by nuclear warheads, you can eliminate a good chunk of the North Korean threat to Seoul. Or almost the entire Iranian nuclear complex and war machine.
The downside to conventional ICBMs is the risk that Russia or China will misinterpret a C-ICBM strike as a nuclear strike on them. That problem would be solved if you get rid of your nuclear ICBM warheads.