Press Releases

Rep. Jim Banks Original Co-Sponsor for the New START Treaty Improvement Act

Washington, D.C.— Yesterday, legislation was introduced with Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN) as an original co-sponsor that would limit funding for any extension of the New START Treaty or successor agreement unless it includes the People’s Republic of China and covers all strategic and non-strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation. Russia is using its arsenal of tactical weapons to employ an ‘escalate-to-deescalate’ strategy. Moscow is rapidly modernizing its strategic nuclear systems and developing state-of-the-art hypersonic weapons that fall outside the bounds of New START.  Meanwhile, China has emerged as a regional power with global ambitions, investing heavily in its military and bolstering its nuclear and hypersonic capabilities. The bill, H.R. 2707, was introduced in the House by Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) and in the Senate by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR.)

Said Rep. Banks, “The United States wants to see nuclear non-proliferation agreements reached and extended, if it can successfully prevent future nuclear attacks. To be effective, future treaties must have strict compliance from Russia and China. The late Senator Dick Lugar’s legacy of shrewd negotiation with all nuclear powers must be continued, and the United States must ensure that when we restrict our nuclear capabilities, our adversaries are as well.”

Background

The New START Treaty will expire in 2021 unless both Russia and the U.S. agree to extend the treaty for an additional five years.

The treaty sets out the following limits on strategic arms:

• 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments;
• 1,550 nuclear warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs, and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments (each such heavy bomber is counted as one warhead toward this limit);
• 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.

As the New START Treaty was being ratified in 2010, the Senate underscored Russia’s immense stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons and the lack of any provision within the treaty to limit the numbers of these weapons.

Today, Russia is using its arsenal of tactical weapons to employ an ‘escalate-to-deescalate’ strategy. Moscow is rapidly modernizing its strategic nuclear systems and developing state-of-the-art hypersonic weapons that fall outside the bounds of New START.  Meanwhile, China has emerged as a regional power with global ambitions, investing heavily in its military and bolstering its nuclear and hypersonic capabilities. 

Additionally, Congressman Banks served as Republican lead sponsor of the Richard Lugar Nonproliferation and Arms Control Legacy Resolution builds upon Senator Lugar’s legacy by reaffirming U.S. support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and America’s contributions to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The resolution also calls for an extension of New START in 2021, if it advances U.S. interests, while also recognizing the benefits of including China in future arms control treaties. The bipartisan, bicameral resolution also strongly criticizes Russia for violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which eliminated 2,700 medium-range missiles. The New START Treaty will expire in 2021 unless both Russia and the U.S. agree to extend the treaty for an additional five years.