New START: Will Russia and the US Achieve a “Nuclear Compromise”?

After testing the new intercontinental ballistic missile Minuteman III, the United States declared the full combat readiness of the American nuclear forces to perform any tasks. Earlier, the Pentagon postponed the launches of this missile, allegedly in order not to spoil relations with Moscow and Beijing, which are already strained to the limit. After testing the Russian intercontinental missile “Sarmat”, US President Joe Biden announced the need to resume negotiations on a new strategic offensive arms treaty (START). The current contract, already the third in a row, expires in 2026. What is included in the START? And are Russia and the US ready for arms reduction? Talks about it Security Council program with Igor Shevchuk on REN TV.

What is included in START

The first treaty on the reduction of strategic offensive arms was signed in Moscow in 1991. By this time, the USSR and the USA had produced so many nuclear weapons that they could destroy the entire planet. The idea was to gradually reduce the accumulated arsenal.

Strategic offensive weapons include ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile systems, nuclear submarines with nuclear warheads and long-range bombers with nuclear weapons on board. The START treaty regulates the total number of nuclear warheads on combat duty in Russia and the United States. Both countries should have the same number of them: 1550 nuclear warheads and no more than 700 missiles.

It is worth noting that the remaining members of the so-called “nuclear club” – Great Britain, France and China – do not join the treaty.

“Great Britain has no other carriers than sea ones. France has land-based carriers and aircraft that are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, but the missiles are not intercontinental, and the aircraft do not have a range greater than tactical”– said military expert Vladimir Evseev.

Recall that North Korea, India, Pakistan and unofficially Israel also possess nuclear weapons.

US violates START-3 treaty

The current START-3 treaty provides for a system of mutual checks – to date, this is the most effective method of deterrence. Russia fulfills all the terms of the START reduction treaty, this was also confirmed by the US State Department in May 2022. What can not be said about the States themselves. So, for example, according to the terms of the agreement, the Americans on submarines should have 56 less Trident SLBM launchers. And Russia reminded the United States of this back in 2021.

Trident is the only missile with nuclear warheads on US and UK submarines. The Americans have 14 Ohio submarines, and the British have four Vanguards. The last American boat “Ohio” was launched in 1997. Soon they should be replaced by Columbia submarines. The new nuclear-powered ship will carry 16 Trident missiles, which is eight fewer than on the Ohio.

Will cruise missiles be considered

In Russia, strategic nuclear-powered ships successfully tested the Zirkon hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile. But the Americans have not yet been able to test a sea-based hypersonic missile. And this is one of the reasons why the United States may insist that the new START reduction treaty not only limit nuclear capabilities, but also hypersonic ones. It is possible that the new document will also take into account cruise missiles.

“Previously, sea-launched missiles of the Tomahawk type did not fall into the treaty. Then it was understandable, because only the United States had such missiles. Now both we and they have these missiles. We have Caliber-type sea-launched cruise missiles. American Tomahawk-type missiles have superiority in number, but Russia has an advantage in hypersonic weapons.Evseev explained.

How the Americans did not “count” the rocket launchers

At the same time, there is no guarantee that the Pentagon will reduce the number of Tomahawks in parallel with the reduction of Russian hypersonic weapons. At least now the terms of the current treaty are being interpreted by the United States in their favor. For example, the Americans “forgot” to count the 41 rocket launchers on the B-52 bombers. It is believed that the Americans allegedly converted the unaccounted launchers in such a way that they became unsuitable for the use of nuclear weapons. But it is impossible to verify this.

Four more missile silos in the Pentagon were called training. They were also not counted, violating the parity of nuclear forces. If you take into account all the known violations of the treaty by the United States, it turns out that the Pentagon has 101 more nuclear weapons than it needs.

Minuteman and UR-100

The ground part of the American nuclear triad is the Minuteman intercontinental missiles. They have been in service since 1970 and have not been radically modernized during this time. The Minuteman has been compared to the Russian UR-100 missile, which has been on combat duty since 1975. It carries six warheads and can overcome the missile defense system.

Gradually, Soviet missiles will be replaced by the latest Sarmats, the most powerful and largest intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world. They weigh five times more than their NATO counterparts and fly much faster.

The flight range of the Sarmat is 18 thousand kilometers, which allows it to go around the globe in an arbitrary trajectory in flight. The warhead consists of 15 blocks – such an arsenal is enough to destroy an entire country.

Russian “Topol”

In 1985, the Strategic Missile Forces received the Topol mobile missile system. He lingers in one place for several minutes to launch a rocket and disappears in a direction unknown to the enemy. Now almost half of Russian nuclear warheads are on wheels. The Americans tried to create a similar Midgetman mobile complex, but they never adopted it.

Topol-M is the second generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles of this family. The project was completed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and was put into service in the mine version only in 2000. Now “Topol” have become the main strike force.

American dominance at sea could end

Russia can use nuclear weapons only in response – this principle is spelled out in military doctrine. On February 27, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation ordered the containment forces to be transferred to a special mode of combat duty. That is, silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines and aviation, which are strategic offensive weapons, have switched to increased combat readiness.

Each crew has a combat duty area. Tanker planes follow the bombers. Similar orders are given to submarine commanders. Submarines patrol the world’s oceans with hundreds of nuclear weapons on board.

Mine launchers must launch intercontinental ballistic missiles within five minutes. It is the ground component of the Russian nuclear triad that is considered the most powerful in comparison with the American one.

The United States, in turn, focuses on the maritime component. But in the near future, American dominance at sea may end. Underwater drones with a Poseidon nuclear warhead will appear on board Russian submarines. An unmanned torpedo can deliver a nuclear charge to the enemy’s coast and cover the coastal area with a radioactive tsunami or destroy the entire aircraft carrier group.

About military secrets, amazing army techniques, weapons, brutal gadgets and much more, see the Security Council program with Igor Shevchuk on REN TV.