Right-Sizing the Arsenal: US Nuclear Modernization and Arms Control

The United States faces imminent decisions about strategic nuclear force modernization that will take place over the next several decades. At the same time, the United States and Russia are obligated under the New START Treaty to reduce their respective numbers of operationally deployed warheads and launchers to meet treaty requirements by 2018. Russia as well as the United States anticipates a significant modernization of its strategic nuclear forces. Options exist for the United States and Russia to modernize nuclear forces as they remain open to the possibility of additional, post-New START nuclear arms reductions.