Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT) (Moscow Treaty)

Overview

Potential Facility Impacts

Current Activities

Overview

Purpose and Background

The Moscow Treaty [long title: Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions] or SORT, was signed by Presidents Bush and Putin on May 21, 2002, during a Summit meeting held in Moscow. The Treaty obligates each party to reduce the number of operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads to between 1,700–2,200 by December 31, 2012.

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Treaty by a 95-0 vote on March 6, 2003, and the Russian Federation Council approved it on May 14, 2003. The Treaty entered into force approximately two weeks later on June 1, 2003.

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Potential Facility Impacts

Key Verification Measures

Although no verification regime or timetable for reducing strategic nuclear warheads are stated in the Moscow Treaty, use of verification measures implemented under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), bilateral meetings, and annual reporting requirements provide a significant amount of transparency regarding each party’s progress toward fulfilling their treaty commitments.

Using the verification measures and procedures employed under the START Treaty will enable the United States to remove certain strategic nuclear warheads from an “operationally deployed” status and to count these warheads as part of U.S. reductions. These warheads will continue to be subject to the verification provisions of the START Treaty unless the associated intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and their launchers are eliminated or converted in accordance with START procedures.

The Bilateral Implementation Commission (BIC) is an important forum established by Article III of the Treaty. Beginning in 2003, the BIC has been required to meet at least two times each year to discuss issues related to treaty implementation. The first meetings of the BIC were held on April 8-9 and October 14-15, 2004, in Geneva, to officially update each other on their efforts to implement the Treaty. According to a Bush Administration official, the meetings involved an exchange of broadly outlined reduction plans.

Another important forum is the Consultative Group for Strategic Security, which was established by the Joint Declaration on the New Strategic Relationship Between the United States and Russia, signed on May 24, 2002. The Consultative Group is chaired by Foreign and Defense Ministers and includes the broad participation of other senior officials. It is the principal forum where the United States and Russia work to:

• strengthen mutual confidence;
• expand transparency;
• share information and plans; and
• discuss strategic issues of mutual interest.

Finally, annual reporting requirements were mandated under Condition (2) of the U.S. Senate's resolution of March 6, 2003, providing its advice and consent to ratification of the Treaty. These requirements obligate the United States and Russia to report the following information:

• weapons force levels as of December 31 of the preceding year;
• strategic offensive reductions planned for the current year;
• plans for achieving required reductions by the Treaty deadline;
• measures taken or proposed to assure each party of the other's continued intent and ability to achieve the mandated reductions' deadline;
• information relevant to SORT Treaty implementation learned as a result of START verification measures, and the status of considerations for extending the START verification regime beyond December 2009;
• situations potentially calling into question the intent or the ability of either party to achieve required reductions by December 31, 2012; and
• actions taken or proposed to address concerns or improve Treaty implementation and effectiveness.

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Current Activities

Recent Developments

The State Department released its Annual Report on the Implementation of the Moscow Treaty on May 13, 2008. According to the report, the number of U.S. operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads was 2,871 as of December 31, 2007

The report indicated that the United States intends to decrease operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles and at heavy bomber bases. The U.S. strategic nuclear force posture described for 2012 includes:

• 450 Minuteman III ICBMs;
• 14 Trident SSBNs;
• 56 B-52H bombers; and
• 20 B-2 bombers.

Of current concern for the Moscow Treaty is the approaching expiration of the START Treaty on December 5, 2009. On November 17, 2008, representatives of the United States, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine met in Geneva, Switzerland as required by Article XVII Paragraph 2 of the START Treaty, which required the States Parties to meet on the issue of extending the Treaty prior to December 5, 2008. The States Parties did not reach an agreement at this meeting, and negotiations for a new disarmament agreement are ongoing.

As of January 1, 2009, U.S. strategic nuclear forces included: