Tuesday, January 28, 2020, from 2:00 to 4:00pm
National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045

On February 5, 2021, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) will expire unless the U.S. and Russian presidents choose to extend it by up to five years.

New START, which has been in force since February 5, 2011, verifiably limits U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals to 1,550 deployed warheads, 700 deployed missiles and heavy bombers, and 800 deployed and nondeployed missile launchers and bombers. Since February 2018, the United States and Russia have met and maintained their obligations under the treaty. Although Russia has indicated its support for a clean, unconditional extension, the Trump administration has yet to officially decide on the future of the treaty. Administration officials have said President Trump is seeking a “new era of arms control” that includes more types of Russian weapons as well as China.

If New START expires without an extension or replacement, there will be no legally binding constraints on the world's two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time in half a century. The treaty’s rigorous monitoring and verification regime, which includes on-site inspections and the exchange of thousands of notifications, would also disappear.

Speakers will outline the case for extending New START and address frequently asked questions about the treaty and the future of arms control.

Speakers will include:
—Madelyn Creedon, former Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy
—Kori Schake, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
—Amb. Alexander Vershbow, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and NATO Deputy Secretary General

The event is open to the public and the press and will be on-the-record.