Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons
Abstract
During the Senate debate on the new U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in 2010, many members noted that this treaty did not impose any limits on nonstrategic, or shorter-range, nuclear weapons. Many also noted that Russia possessed a far greater number of these shorter-range systems than did the United States. Some expressed concerns about the threat that Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons might pose to U.S. allies in Europe; others argued that these weapons might be vulnerable to theft or sale to nations or groups seeking their own nuclear weapons. In response to these concerns, the Senate, in its Resolution of Ratification on New START, stated that the United States should seek to initiate within one year, "negotiations with the Russian Federation on an agreement to address the disparity between the non-strategic (tactical) nuclear weapons stockpiles of the Russian Federation and of the United States and to secure and reduce tactical nuclear weapons in a verifiable manner." The United States and Russia have not included limits on nonstrategic nuclear weapons in past arms control agreements. Nevertheless, the attention paid to these weapons during the debate on New START indicates that some members in the 112th Congress may press the Administration to seek solutions to the potential risks presented by nonstrategic nuclear weapons. This report provides basic information about U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It begins with a brief discussion of how these weapons have appeared in public debates in the past few decades, then summarizes the differences between strategic and nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It then provides some historical background, describing the numbers and types of nonstrategic nuclear weapons deployed by both nations during the Cold War and in the past decade; the policies that guided the deployment and prospective use of these weapons; and the measures that the two sides have taken to reduce and contain them.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA584465
Entities
People
- Amy F. Woolf
Organizations
- Library of Congress