Currently, both nuclear superpowers are limited to deploying 1,550 under New START. Should either party choose not to extend by the February deadline (the treaty has a built-in five-year extension if agreed upon) than both are free to ramp up production after "the modernization of their nuclear arsenals,” which Russia has completed. These new arsenals specialize in smaller-yield nukes that could lower the threshold for use on a battlefield.
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Should the US let New START expire in hopes of forcing China to the table post-2021 or extend the current treaty until 2026 with Russia?
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Currently, both nuclear superpowers are limited to deploying 1,550 under New START. Should either party choose not to extend by the February deadline (the treaty has a built-in five-year extension if agreed upon) than both are free to ramp up production after "the modernization of their nuclear arsenals,” which Russia has completed. These new arsenals specialize in smaller-yield nukes that could lower the threshold for use on a battlefield.
It’s important to not let the last thread of arms control snap but the White House is determined to bring China into the negotiations, but Beijing has signaled it won’t do so before the February deadline or without France and the UK’s participation.