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Tactical Nuclear Weapons. The
United States and Russia continue to maintain large arsenals of
tactical nuclear weapons,
which have never been addressed in a
formal treaty. According to
one estimate, the United States possesses between
1,670 and 3,300 tactical nuclear weapons, and Russia, between 3,000
and 4,000. Russia's tactical nuclear weapons, in particular, are of
concern to the United States
because they are portable and because they are kept at locations
in need of improved security, increasing their vulnerability
to theft. Russia's unwillingness to disclose the size of its
tactical nuclear weapon arsenal makes it more difficult for the
United States to work with Russia to improve security arrangements
for these weapons. If these weapons were addressed in a formal
treaty, however, the United States and Russia could better counter
the threat posed by these weapons.
In 1991, the Soviet Union proposed to the United States negotiations
on limiting tactical nuclear weapons. The United States rejected
that proposal. When the United States suggested similar negotiations
later in the 1990s, Russia rejected the U.S. proposal.
Some argue that SORT should have mentioned tactical nuclear weapons. Others
claim that SORT is a step in the right direction, and improved
relations between Russia and the United States as a result of SORT
could lead in the future to a separate treaty that specifically
addresses tactical nuclear weapons. Because tactical nuclear weapons
have never been formally addressed, negotiations could take months
or even years to define the category and agree upon accounting,
security, and possible reduction procedures.
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Further Reading:
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CRS, Amy Woolf,
"Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons" |
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Swedish Defense
Research Agency, Gunnar Arbman & Charles Thornton,
"Russia's Tactical Nuclear Weapons" |
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Alistair Millar,
"The Pressing Need for Tactical
Nuclear Weapons Control" |
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NTI, Eli Corin,
"Presidential Nuclear Initiatives: An Alternative Paradigm for Arms
Control" |
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Arms Control
Today, Daryl Kimball,
"Obsolete Relics of a Dead Conflict" |
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Center for Arms Control and
Non-Proliferation,
"Briefing Book on Tactical Nuclear Weapons" |
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David Ruppe,
GSN,
"Officials Praise Nuclear
Reductions Treaty for Requiring No Cuts" |
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NTI, Nikolai Sokov,
"Tactical Nuclear Weapons" |
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Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament,
"U.S. Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Europe" |
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