Nuclear Reset - Program on Strategic Stability Evaluation (POSSE)

Chapter 10Non-Strategic <strong>Nuclear</strong>WeaponsAlexei ArbatovThe New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START Treaty)concluded between Russia and the United States on April 8, 2010,in Prague represented a return to the use of legally binding treatiesto cut the numbers of nuclear weapons, clearing the way for furtherdisarmament measures in accordance with Article VI of the NPT.It will become important in the context of further nuclear armsreductions and limitations to expand this process to include nonstrategic(or sub-strategic) nuclear weapons. According to commondefinition, such weapons usually include intermediate-range nuclearweapons and operational and tactical nuclear weapons in general(conditionally generally referred to as TNWs).During negotiations on the New START Treaty, the U.S. Senateinsisted on including TNWs in the cuts; however, that did not happen.The United States expressed particular concern over Russiannon-strategic nuclear weapons in its <strong>Nuclear</strong> Doctrine (as formulatedin the <strong>Nuclear</strong> Posture Review – NPR) and stressed the needto include them in the agenda of future negotiations. 1 Therefore,there is every reason to expect that the United States and NATOwill exert even greater pressure in this area in the future. Severalspecific arguments have been advanced in support of this:• it is commonly assumed that Russia retains a large advantageover the United States and NATO in this class of nuclearweapons; and a reduction of strategic nuclear forces(SNFs) will accentuate this;• this alleged Russian superiority is beginning to worryWashington’s NATO allies;• during wartime, TNWs would be deployed with the generalpurpose troops and could be suddenly become involvedin combat operations, with the risk of a rapid nuclearescalation;