On May 1, the United States conducted a test launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). On that day, Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, was in New York City taking part in the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference at the United Nations.
Wayman said, “Violating the Iran Deal. Withdrawing from the INF Treaty. The relative stability of the post-Cold War era is being systematically dismantled by the Trump administration. Testing an ICBM during the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference is a feather in the cap of those who despise international cooperation.”
Willis Jacobson, “Unarmed Minuteman III Missile Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base,” Santa Ynez Valley News, May 1, 2019.
Trump Administration Wants Heavy Revision of New START Treaty
The Trump Administration has stated that it is interested in renewing the New START Treaty with Russia, but only if there are significant revisions. Specifically, the administration has indicated that it wants a pact that China can join, and it also wants new types of weapons, such as Russia’s new nuclear-armed underwater drone, to be covered by the treaty.
Democrats have said that they are eager to preserve one of the last effective arms control treaties that exist, and are urging the Trump administration to do a straightforward five-year extension of the New START Treaty, which is currently set to expire in 2021.
“Those who are calling for bringing new kinds of weapons into the extension process or adding new parties like China are really talking about a new treaty,” said Joan Rohlfing, president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. “It’s disingenuous.”
