The United States and Russia both remained in compliance with the New START nuclear arms-control treaty through Sept. 1, with each signatory making only minor changes across their strategic nuclear forces, the U.S. State Department reported in its latest update.
Under the bilateral pact, which entered into force in 2011, the State Department publishes a headcount of treaty-covered warheads and launchers as tallied on the first days of March and September each year.
The biggest year-over-year changes this September were the U.S. deploying fewer warheads and Russia removing some launchers from service, according to a State Department count released Oct. 4.
Source: U.S. State Department.
| US | 9/1/2018 | 9/1/2019 | Year Over Year (US) | Year Over Year (Russia) | 9/1/2018 | 9/1/2019 | Russia |
| Deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, Heavy Bombers | 659 | 668 | 9 | -4 | 517 | 513 | Deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, Heavy Bombers |
| Warheads on deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and counted for Heavy Bombers | 1398 | 1376 | -22 | 6 | 1420 | 1426 | Warheads on deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and counted for Heavy Bombers |
| Deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs, SLBMs and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers. | 800 | 800 | 0 | -18 | 775 | 757 | Deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs, SLBMs and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers. |
Under the treaty, each country may deploy no more than 1,550 warheads across 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers, while possessing no more than 800 deployed and non-deployed bombers, ICBM, and SLBM launchers.
New START will expire in February 2021, unless the presidents of the U.S. and Russia agree to extend the agreement for another five years, into 2026. Despite the departure of the hawkish John Bolton as U.S. national security adviser, President Donald Trump still prefers creating a new a trilateral nuclear arms accord with China and Russia to continuing New START.
The Chinese government has said it will not participate in such a treaty.
The White House, as well as senior military officers and some lawmakers, say a New START follow-on also should place limits on tactical nuclear weapons — those intended purely for battlefield use — and novel nuclear systems Russia says it is developing, such as nuclear-powered cruise missiles and uncrewed, nuclear-powered, nuclear-tipped undersea vehicles.
