Russian Arms Control Cheating and the Administration's Responses

As has been recognized for 4 decades, verifiable arms control agreements can enhance the security of the United States, our allies, and our partners. The Obama administration has continued the longstanding bipartisan approach to arms control with Russia that had its origins in the days of the cold war. Russia's actions in Ukraine, increasingly confrontational posture, and violations of the Intermediate- Range Nuclear Forces (INF) and Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaties have undermined trust and must be addressed. While diplomacy between the United States and Russia continues, no one can ignore that Russia's actions have undermined the very principles upon which cooperation is built. Since the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) entered into force in 2011, the United States has inspected, with boots on the ground, Russian nuclear weapons facilities 70 times. Moreover, the United States and Russian Federation have exchanged more than 7,500 notifications on one another's nuclear forces in the past 4 years. Arms control mechanisms have great importance not only in providing insight and transparency into Russian actions on the ground in and around Ukraine but in demonstrating support for our allies and partners.