New START treaty expires
Change
On February 5, New START expired, ending the last remaining bilateral treaty that constrained deployed strategic nuclear arms between the United States and Russia.
Why it matters
New START capped deployed strategic warheads at 1,550 and imposed limits on deployed heavy bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). The treaty authorized up to 18 on-site inspections per year, prohibited interference with National Technical Means (for example, satellites), mandated regular data exchanges and notifications, and established a bilateral commission for dispute resolution. The treaty had been extended once for five years to February 5, 2026; Russia suspended participation in February 2023 and the United States withheld its own data and notifications. Negotiations for a successor agreement stalled through 2024–2025, and a late-2025 Russian proposal for voluntary one-year informal adherence to the 1,550 limit was not accepted in Washington.
Implications
- • On-site inspections previously authorized under the treaty (up to 18 per year) are no longer treaty-mandated.
- • Mandatory data exchanges and notifications required by New START are no longer treaty obligations.
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