Ratify the New START Treaty
By Donald Kerrick
Sun Sentinel, 11/21/2010
On Dec. 5, 2009, America lost the ability to inspect Russia’s strategic nuclear arsenals. The verification regime that for 18 years shed an illuminating light on Russia’s nuclear weapons program ended when the first START treaty expired.
Now, after nearly a year in the dark, the Senate has the opportunity to turn the lights back on by ratifying the New START Treaty. The treaty must be promptly ratified for a very straightforward reason — it makes America safe. As a former director for operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency, I can say definitively that this treaty makes an enormous difference to our nation’s security. When President Reagan said, “trust, but verify,” this is precisely what he was talking about.
New START is the follow up to the START I treaty. Negotiated by Ronald Reagan and signed by President George H.W. Bush, START I reduced the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States that ballooned during the Cold War. Signed in April, New START ensures that America and Russia, holders of 90 percent of the world’s nuclear stockpiles, continue to reduce outdated armaments.
