Its expiration, combined with Russian cheating on the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty (INF) which triggered the United States to withdraw from INF; Russia’s failure to adhere to the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty that limited the number of Russian and American military capabilities fielded in Europe; and China’s refusal to engage in arms-control discussions, suggests that arms control may in fact be “dead.” When combined with the Russian nuclear arsenal—which today has roughly 1,800 more nuclear weapons fielded than the United States—then the United States is at an acute disadvantage compared to the current and future combined arsenals of Russia and China. That NPR assumed a relatively benign future global security environment—one in which China would retain roughly 150 nuclear weapons, the United States and Russia would negotiate future treaties that would bring the number of nuclear weapons down even lower, and that all three nations would cooperate to address the scourge of “nuclear-armed terrorism.”
Author: RealClearWire
Published at: 2026-03-29 20:30:19
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