New beginnings: On the end of START as opportunity
On February 5, 2026, the ‘New’ Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expired. By the 1980s, they each possessed over 10,000 strategic nuclear warheads — the U.S. with a lopsided advantage. Later agreements built on START’s framework and reduced deployable warheads to 1,700-2,200 a side, and the New START Treaty (2010) limited each side to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads. The end of START may have serious consequences for global agreements, such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The end of START is an opportunity to restart discussion on more equal terms.
Source: The Hindu February 10, 2026 19:04 UTC
