Van Hollen, Young Release Statements on New START Anniversary

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) released the following statements regarding the ninth anniversary of the implementation of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). The treaty, which will expire a year from today, preserves crucial caps on Russia’s nuclear capabilities. In August, Senators Van Hollen and Young introduced bipartisan legislation to extend the Treaty until 2026.

“It’s crucial that we preserve effective, verifiable limits on Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The New START Treaty is the only surviving nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia, and failure to preserve it will allow Russia to build up its nuclear forces and hamper our ability to monitor their nuclear operations,” said Senator Van Hollen. “I’m proud to work alongside Senator Young to urge bipartisan action on this issue.”

“Nine years ago, the New START Treaty went into effect, and without action, next year it will expire. Today, New START remains critically important as relations between the U.S. and Russia become increasingly strained and with our own nuclear arsenal in desperate need of modernization. With nuclear threats emanating from Russia and emerging from China, it is paramount that we work together to curb the threats posed by nuclear war and extend the New START Treaty,” said Senator Young.

The New START Treaty was implemented in 2011, and has since provided stability, predictability, and critical intelligence insights over more than ninety percent of the world’s nuclear weapons. New START is the only remaining nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia, following the dissolution of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.