Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control
Nuclear arms control is the effort to limit, reduce, and monitor nuclear weapons through treaties and agreements. Nuclear-armed countries negotiate these limits, and verification methods let each side check the other's behavior. The president negotiates, the Senate considers treaties, and the State and Defense departments carry out the terms.
People usually ask what arms control treaties do, how countries verify compliance, what happens when a treaty ends, how nuclear testing is treated, and how nuclear risk is managed among major powers.
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All Articles on Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control
Fifty Years of U.S.-Russia Arms Control Treaties Have Ended
For the first time since Richard Nixon met Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow, the United States and Russia have no active treaty framework limiting their…
Without a Treaty, How Does the U.S. Track Russia’s Nuclear Arsenal?
On February 5, 2026, New START expired without replacement. For fifteen years before that, U.S. inspectors had walked through Russian missile silos with measuring…
What the End of New START Means for Nuclear War Risk
On February 5, 2026, the last treaty constraining the nuclear arsenals of the world's two largest nuclear powers expired at midnight. For the first…
Why the U.S., Russia, and China Are Ramping Up Nuclear Testing Activities
The specter of nuclear testing—a practice most Americans associate with Cold War-era footage of mushroom clouds—has returned to the headlines with alarming force. Vague…
America vs Iran: Seventy Years of Conflict
America and Iran once stood as close allies. The United States helped modernize Iran and defended its sovereignty against imperial powers. Today, they are…
Nuclear Proliferation and Nuclear Deterrence
Nuclear proliferation and nuclear deterrence represent two of the most defining concepts of the modern era, shaping global security, international relations, and national defense…
Arms Control Treaties and Department of Defense Compliance
Arms control treaties are international agreements that identify, verify, inspect, limit, control, reduce, or eliminate armed forces and armaments across the spectrum. These treaties…