Michael Bennet: “I rise to support timely ratification of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, often called New START. New START…”

“I rise to support timely ratification of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, often called New START. New START accomplishes critical goals for our national security. It reduces Russia's deployed nuclear warhead stockpile by 30 percent. It reduces the number of deployed and nondeployed launchers to 800. It limits the number of deployed missiles and bombers to 700--fewer than half the number of the original START treaty. It also establishes a stronger system of onsite inspections, allowing us to physically count individual warheads. This is the safest way to ensure that we have an accurate understanding of Russia's nuclear weapons force. Nevertheless, the Senate has failed to take action on what should be noncontroversial--a treaty with bipartisan support that will make our country safer. Today, I wish to talk about the consequences if we fail to ratify New START. Right now, with no treaty in place, our country has virtually no ability to monitor Russia's nuclear weapons. The previous START treaty expired on December 5, 2009, almost a year ago today. Since that time, our inspectors have been shut out of Russia's facilities. We have been making national security decisions in the dark. By contrast, the comprehensive verification system proposed under New START allows our military to make better, safer decisions about our national security. Without these verification measures in place, we will lose track of Russia's nuclear arsenal.”