On the recordDecember 21, 2010
I rise today and proudly stand among the long, bipartisan list of Senators, statesmen, and military leaders in support of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The New START treaty is critical to our Nation's security because it places limits on U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, supports an improving bilateral relationship with Russia, and advances international nuclear nonproliferation efforts. Over the last three decades, both the United States and Russia have benefited greatly from the bilateral reduction of nuclear weapons. Through the efforts of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, the two superpowers embarked on gradual nuclear disarmament, agreeing to reduce the number of their strategic warheads and deployed delivery vehicles through the negotiation and signing of the first START treaty. Under President Obama's leadership, we are now considering the New START treaty, which, when ratified, will reduce these numbers even more in both countries. The ratification of the New START treaty is vital to our national security.
