The Implications of a New Era in Arms ControlPerspectives and Analysis

The signing of the Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty (SORT), also called the Treaty of Moscow, by the United States and the Russian Federation marked a new era in arms control. Signed on May 24, 2002, the treaty effectively codified a sea change in the relationship between the United States and Russia. In contrast to the elaborate bilateral arms control agreements of the past, this treaty is short, only about one and a half pages. Although it continues the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) verification mechanisms, there is no new verification regime, and no mutually restrictive milestones. According to media reports at the time, the Bush administration would have been content to dispense with an agreement entirely, and had proposed mutual unilateral cuts. Thus the treaty implies a significant change in future arms control and nonproliferation. These changes may also affect the objectives and procedures of nuclear materials management. Consequently, the INMM Nonproliferation and Arms Control Technical Division and the INMM Northeast Chapter initiated a workshop of topical experts to assess the trends and identify challenges and opportunities for the nuclear materials management community.