Stand down nuclear forces to be reduced under the Moscow Treaty

Meeting -- and exceeding -- and the treaty

Updated: Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 | By Kevin Robillard

During the campaign, Barack Obama pledged to "immediately stand down all nuclear forces to be reduced under the Moscow Treaty and urge Russia to do the same."
The Moscow Treaty was signed by former President George W. Bush and then-Russian Federation President Vladmir Putin (who is now that nation's prime minister) in May 2002. The treaty, also referred to as SORT, called for both countries to cut their number of deployed nuclear warheads to 2,200 by the end of 2012 -- a two-thirds reduction. Deployed warheads are those that are ready to be launched, because they're attached to either a bomber or a missile.

That goal has been achieved. The Bush administration's progress gave Obama a major assist -- there were only 2,246 deployed warheads shortly before the new president took office and the number of U.S. deployed warheads dropped below 2,200 just weeks after he was sworn in.

As for the Russians, they are under no obligation to reach 2,200 until December 31, 2012, and the U.S. estimate on the number of deployed Russian warheads has not been publicly released. It's worth nothing the Moscow Treaty contained no inspection or verification procedures , so neither nation knows for certain if the other fulfilled its obligations.

But after meeting in April to discuss arms reduction, Obama and current Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev issued a joint statement that said a new extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty -- or START, the main U.S. - Russia arms control pact -- would include "record levels of reductions in strategic offensive arms that will be lower than those in the 2002 Moscow Treaty." In July, they said the extension -- which is still being negotiated -- would aim to reduce the number of deployed warheads to somewhere between 1,500 and 1,675 for each nation.

So we find Obama has fulfilled the promise. He has taken action to "stand down" the forces required under the Moscow Treaty (he didn't have far to go, thanks to the Bush administration) and he has joined with Russia in an effort to further reduce nuclear weapons. Promise Kept.

Sources: The Washington Post, U.S. Ahead of Moscow Treaty Schedule in Reducing Its Nuclear Arsenal , By Walter Pincus, February 13, 2009

Interview with Darryl Kimball, Executive Director of Arms Control Association, January 5, 2010

U.S. Department of State, 2009 Annual Report on Implementation of the Moscow Treaty , August 11, 2009

The White House, Joint Statement by Dmitriy A. Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, and Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, Regarding Negotiations on Further Reductions in Strategic Offensive Arms , April 1, 2009

Arms Control Today, A New START , By Darryl Kimball, December 2009