New Regime for U.S-Russia Nuclear Weapons

Two decades after the end of the Cold War, the United States and Russia still possess more than 20,000 nuclear weapons—95 percent of the world’s total. And, more than two months after the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) lapsed, the two global powers have agreed to historic, new terms regarding nuclear weapons. Reportedly, the follow-on agreement would mandate that each nation cut its deployed strategic warheads from 2,200 to no more than 1,600 while slashing the number of weapon launchers down to 800. Steven Pifer, senior fellow and director of the Brookings Arms Control Initiative, says the follow-on to the treaty is vastly important.