3/26/10

This morning President Obama and Russian President Medvedev finalized the terms of a new treaty replacing the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that expired late last year.  They will meet in Prague on April 8 to sign the treaty.  The completion of the agreement, which is the largest arms control agreement nearly two decades, demonstrates clear and concrete action in both protecting American security and advancing our global nonproliferation goals while restoring America’s international leadership and standing.

Prominent national security leaders and foreign policy experts from both sides of the aisle have expressed strong support for this treaty, urging its passage through the Senate.  Yet despite this broad support, which dates back to a long history of bipartisan backing, from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, some extreme conservatives are attempting to politicize the debate in an attempt to deny President Obama a victory.  With negotiations completed and the debate moving to the Senate, efforts to derail this crucial treaty will be both dangerous and put our national security at risk.

Leaders finalize new START agreement, improving global security and advancing American leadership. The New York Times reports that, “President Obama finalized a new arms control treaty with Russia on Friday that will pare back the still-formidable cold war nuclear arsenals of each country. The agreement brings to fruition one of the president’s signature foreign policy objectives, just days after he signed into law the most expansive domestic program in decades. Ending a year of sometimes topsy-turvy negotiations, Mr. Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia sealed the deal in a morning telephone call, confirming resolution of the last outstanding details. They then announced they will fly to Prague to sign the treaty on April 8 in a ceremony designed to showcase improved relations between the two countries.”

At a press conference with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, President Obama said: “Today, we have taken another step forward in leaving behind the legacy of the 20th century while building a more secure future for our children. We have turned words into action. We have made progress that is clear and concrete. And we have demonstrated the importance of American leadership – and American partnership – on behalf of our own security, and the world’s. Broadly speaking, the new START Treaty makes progress in several areas. It cuts – by about a third – the nuclear weapons that the United States and Russia will deploy. It significantly reduces missiles and launchers. It puts in place a strong and effective verification regime. And it maintains the flexibility that we need to protect and advance our national security, and to guarantee our unwavering commitment to the security of our Allies. With this agreement, the United States and Russia – the two largest nuclear powers in the world – also send a clear signal that we intend to lead. By upholding our own commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty, we strengthen our global efforts to stop the spread of these weapons, and to ensure that other nations meet their own responsibilities.” [NY Times, 3/26/10. Barack Obama, 3/26/10]

There is strong bipartisan support for the new START agreement and its passage through the Senate.  In the past, nonproliferation efforts have enjoyed broad bipartisan support, and there is a strong legacy of leaders from both political parties reaching across the aisle to promote nuclear security.

Former Secretaries of State George P. Schultz and Henry A. Kissinger, former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, and former Democratic Senator Sam Nunn released a statement in response to today’s announcement saying: “We strongly endorse the goals of this Treaty, and we hope that after careful and expeditious review that both the United States Senate and the Russian Federal Assembly will be able to ratify the Treaty.” [Statement George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger, and Sam Nunn, 3/26/10]

Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “I know there has been a partisan breakdown in recent years, but we can renew the Senate’s bipartisan tradition on arms control and approve ratification of this new treaty in 2010. I know that can happen. This is a moment for statesmanship. As soon as the President sends the agreement to the Senate, we will appeal to all our colleagues to set aside preconceptions and partisanship and consider the treaty on its merits. We can’t squander this opportunity to reset both our relations with Russia and our role as the world leader on nuclear nonproliferation. This is a major commitment by both countries to reduce their nuclear arsenals and an important step in solidifying our relationship with Russia. Let’s get it done.” [John Kerry, 3/26/10]

Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN): "First, it is vital that the START Treaty with Russia be renewed. When the Senate gave its consent to ratification to the Moscow Treaty in 2002, it did so knowing that the United States could rely on START Treaty's verification regime. It provides important assurances to both sides." [Senator Richard Lugar, via the NY Times, 1/13/09]

Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Ted Kaufman (D-DE), and Al Franken (D-MN):"Without a clear commitment to our nonproliferation responsibilities through a new START agreement, it will be increasingly difficult for the U.S. to secure international support in addressing the urgent security threats posed by the spread of nuclear weapons," said Senator Casey.  "This treaty would reduce deployed nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Russia and would provide crucial verification measures that would allow a window into the Russian nuclear program." "The Senate should take action on a START follow-on treaty as soon as possible in order to keep Americans safe and protect global security," Senator Kaufman said in his remarks.  "And for anyone who has doubts, rest assured that the President and his negotiating team are working hard to finalize a treaty that - first and foremost - advances U.S. security interests." "I am confident the successor to START will be equally historic," said Senator Franken.  "The world has changed, and this will be a new treaty for a new world with a new set of nuclear challenges. But the bottom line for the new treaty remains the same as it was for the original START: The treaty must--and it will--advance our national security interests." [Senators Casey, Kaufman & Franken, 3/19/10]

Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee: "But the Cold War ended almost twenty years ago, and the time has come to take further measures to reduce dramatically the number of nuclear weapons in the world's arsenals. In so doing, the United States can - and indeed, must - show the kind of leadership the world expects from us, in the tradition of American presidents who worked to reduce the nuclear threat to mankind.  As the Administration reviews its nuclear weapons posture, it should, I believe, seek to reduce the size of our nuclear arsenal to the lowest number possible consistent with our security requirements and global commitments. This means a move, as rapidly as possible, to a significantly smaller force." [Senator John McCain, 6/3/09]

Ambassador Richard Burt, the original Chief START Negotiator during the George H.W. Bush administration and U.S. Chair of Global Zero: “A year ago Presidents Obama and Medvedev declared their joint commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons.  Today with the conclusion of the new START agreement – the first significant arms reduction agreement in nearly two decades – they took a major step toward achieving their goal of global zero.  This agreement will set the stage for further cuts in US and Russian arsenals and multilateral negotiations for reductions by all nuclear weapons countries. [Richard Burt, 3/26/10]

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates:  "We have addressed the concerns there may have been on the Hill ... I think the prospects on the Hill are quite good." [Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 3/26/10]

Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee: “The President’s announcement that the U.S. has reached a nuclear arms agreement with Russia is a welcome addition to our continuing work to strengthen U.S. national security. …. I view this agreement as a positive development that should benefit U.S., Russian, and global security as whole.   The agreement will send a clear message to the world, and should assist President Obama in his efforts to impose stiffer punishments on nations accused of violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty when he meets with that treaty’s signatory nations in May.”

Extreme conservative critiques of arms control continue to politicize our national security on new START. While the final text has not yet been released and the new agreement has yet to either be signed or reach the Senate, extreme conservatives have already begun to focus on outdated verification concerns, to misconstrue U.S. programs that keep our nuclear deterrent up to date and to incorrectly link START and missile defense.  Led by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), such baseless political posturing is dangerous and it puts our national security at risk.  Here are the facts:

Verification: As the White House Fact Sheet on the New START Treaty explains, “The Treaty has a verification regime that combines the appropriate elements of the 1991 START Treaty with new elements tailored to the limitations of the Treaty.  Measures under the Treaty include on-site inspections and exhibitions, data exchanges and notifications related to strategic offensive arms and facilities covered by the Treaty, and provisions to facilitate the use of national technical means for treaty monitoring.   To increase confidence and transparency, the Treaty also provides for the exchange of telemetry.”

Further, as President Obama discussed with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, “The New START treaty’s verification regime will provide the ability to monitor all aspects of the Treaty. At the same time, the inspections and other verification procedures in this Treaty will be simpler and less costly to implement than the old START treaty. In part, this is possible due to the experience and knowledge gained from 15 years of START implementation.” [White House Fact Sheet, 3/26/10. White House, 3/26/10]

Missile Defense: START deals with strategic offensive weapons and the United States and Russia have long agreed that the START follow-on will not limit missile defense systems. The White House reiterated this fact today, saying, “The Treaty does not contain any constraints on testing, development or deployment of current or planned U.S. missile defense programs or current or planned United States long-range conventional strike capabilities.” As in previous U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control agreements, the START follow-on will contain a provision in the preamble that acknowledges the "the interrelationship of strategic offensive and strategic defensive arms." This is a standard provision and in no way inhibits President Obama’s upgraded missile defense plans.  After meeting with President Obama and Senator John Kerry on Wednesday, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), the Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Republican explained, "’Missile defense will not be part of the treaty, but in the preamble both parties will state their positions and there will be a mention of offense and defense and the importance of those.’ He added that because the missile-defense statements were outside the main text, ‘they are in essence editorial opinions.’”  In addition, at today’s announcement, Secretary Gates stated that “Missile defense is not constrained by this treaty.” [White House Fact Sheet, 3/26/10. Senator Lugar via The Cable, 3/24/10.]

Modernization: The 2011 national security budget makes 21st century investments to implement the bipartisan agenda for preventing the spread or use of nuclear weapons.  Funding for the people, labs, and facilities that maintain our safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal is set to increase -- with an injection of $600 million, as requested by the President, in the coming fiscal year for nonproliferation and stockpile stewardship programs. Independent technical assessments have already confirmed the reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.  Coupled with the increase in funding, this reinforces our ability to maintain a reliable arsenal for years to come -- without resuming nuclear testing or building newly designed nuclear warheads. Critics have ignored these investments and argued that the U.S. needs to design new warheads -- which would set a dangerous precedent worldwide.

What We’re Reading

All 16 euro zone countries have backed a financing plan – up to 22 billion euros, including some IMF money, to be enacted only if market lending dries up – to help debt-laden Greece.

Israel insisted Friday it would continue construction in contested east Jerusalem, taking an uncompromising stance against U.S. pressure following a tense visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.

The future Pope Benedict XVI was kept more closely apprised of a sexual abuse case in Germany than previous church statements have suggested, raising fresh questions about his handling of a scandal unfolding under his direct supervision before he rose to the top of the church’s hierarchy.

The Pentagon is revamping the way it deploys troops to Afghanistan. A new system will return units to the same parts of the country so they can develop better regional expertise and relationships with local Afghan leaders.

Pakistan said Wednesday that it was satisfied with U.S. pledges, made during a day-long strategic conference in Washington, to increase and streamline the delivery of military and economic aid and to "move from a relationship to a partnership."

Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani demanded that the release of full, final election results scheduled for Friday be delayed because of security concerns.

Pentagon officials unveiled new policies that will cut down on the number of service members expelled each year for being gay and admonished a top U.S. general for publicly opposing changes to the country's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Japan is still seeking to move a contentious American military base off the southern island of Okinawa and will finalize its proposal for Washington by the end of March, the prime minister said Friday.

Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Jose Antonio Medina, dubbed "the king of heroin," who allegedly operated a trafficking network that smuggled 440 pounds of heroin a month across the border into Southern California.

The UN World Food Program has denied a claim that up to half the food aid to Somalia was being diverted to Islamist militants and corrupt contractors.

Commentary of the Day

Sebastian Mallaby writes that Chinese statecraft is still evolving, and the U.S. would do well to let China find its own course – they may well choose Western democracy.

Marc Lynch details what happened in the Iraqi elections and what they mean for the country’s future.

David Kaye makes the case for a torture commission, saying “it’s not enough just to understand what went wrong in the Justice Department. We need to start fixing it, too.”