1. United States
2. Ga.
3. Letter

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expires on February 5, 2026, marking the end of the last, major U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control pact. The treaty, which capped deployed strategic warheads at 1,550 and delivery systems at 700, saw a five-year extension in 2021. Its expiration ends over 50 years of bilateral, verifiable, nuclear limitations, creating risks of a new, unconstrained nuclear arms race.  Key Aspects of the Expiration: • Effective Date: The treaty expires Feb. 5, 2026, leaving no legally binding, comprehensive limits on the two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time since 1972. • Background: Signed in 2010 and in force since 2011, New START ensured on-site inspections and data exchanges, limiting the US and Russia, which together hold ~90% of the world's nuclear weapons. • Implications: The end of the treaty allows for an increase in strategic warheads and delivery systems, potentially triggering a new nuclear arms race. • Future Outlook: The expiration creates pressure for a new, possibly more complex, arms control framework that could involve other nuclear powers like China.  CONGRESS MUST ACT!