Why New START Expiry Raises Risk of Nuclear Stand-Off

With New START treaty expired, the US and Russia face a post–Cold War era with no legally binding limits on strategic nuclear forces for the first time, National Defense magazine editor-in-chief Igor Korotchenko tells Sputnik.

Korotchenko warns of the risks:

The US could covertly and quickly reinstall nuclear warheads previously removed from land- and sea-based ballistic missiles under New START, significantly boosting its strike capabilities Under New START, both Russia and the US told each other ballistic missile launches for testing or training – but without it, any launch could be interpreted as the potential start of a nuclear attack

Given the risks, Russia may seek to strengthen its retaliatory strike potential — particularly through mobile Yars-class missiles and possibly by starting production of Barguzin rail-based missiles, the pundit said.

There is currently no alternative to New START capable of matching the security architecture and the shifting balance of power, Korotchenko notes. Washington intentionally delayed the extension of the treaty proposed by Russia in an attempt to bind China, the pundit explained, but Beijing thinks that unreasonable given the country’s small nuclear arsenal.

Washington may be aiming "to achieve military-technical superiority over Russia in nuclear weapons — either by expanding their nuclear forces or by simultaneously developing a global missile defense system in North America," Korotchenko warned.

The stakes are high: as soon as tomorrow morning, Russia and the US could wake up to a reality where they have no binding treaties governing strategic arms control, the pundit warns.

Ekaterina Blinova

Source: https://sputnikglobe.com