Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Update: On December 22, 2010 the Senate voted 71-26 to ratify the New START Treaty! This was a huge victory for bipartisan policy-making, with 13 Republicans rejecting partisan politics and supporting international arms control. New START is the first major international agreement to be ratified by the Senate since the end of the Cold War, and we send our thanks and congratulations to all of our partner groups that worked so hard for many months to get this treaty ratified.

Our work for disarmament is not done, but this victory sets us up with many opportunities for further progress in 2011. Go to our Act page to learn more about our campaign priorities for 2011 and get materials and resources to join the movement for a nuclear weapons free world.

President Obama and Russian President Medvedev signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on April 8 to reduce both countries’ large nuclear arsenals. New START also provides for verification measures such as on-site inspections and data exchanges. The treaty includes the following reductions:

* 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads
* 800 total deployed and non-deployed missiles and bombers
* 700 deployed missiles and bombers

Now the treaty needs the support of 67 senators in order to be ratified and enter into force. To hit that threshold, at least 8 Republican senators will need to support New START.

Coalition partners can go to our New START page for updated resources and tools. It’s important that we all push our supporters to keep contacting their Senators, and telling them to vote Yes on New START.

If you are not already a coalition partner, and want to see what you can do to help, visit our list of local and national organizations. You can click on the name of the organization and be directed to its website to see how to take action or find resources on New START.

On the April 5 anniversary of President Obama’s speech from Prague, the Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World delivered a letter signed by more than 100 faith, peace, and arms control organizations. As part of his speech from Prague, President Obama stated that negotiating a new nuclear weapons reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia “will set the stage for further cuts, and we will seek to include all nuclear weapons states in this endeavor.” The coalition’s letter asks that the president use the occasion of the April Nuclear Security Summit to announce a new summit on nuclear disarmament in 2011. The letter can be viewed here.

The second version of the letter asked the president to make the announcement at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the UN in May. It was delivered to the Obama administration ahead of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference with 130 local, regional, and national organizations signed on from 31 states and Washington, DC. Thanks to all the organizations that signed on to the letter. We are no longer taking signatories.

Countries pledged to take specific actions to contribute to the four year goal of securing vulnerable nuclear material during the summit. Ukraine has announced it will give up its highly enriched uranium in the next two years. Chile shipped its 40 pounds of highly enriched uranium to the US for safekeeping last month. South Korea will host a follow up Nuclear Security Summit in 2012 providing an opportunity to ensure progress is being made.

Analysis of the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

“Proposed DoE funding also includes large increases for a facility that will expand plutonium production in Los Alamos, New Mexico and for a new highly enriched uranium production facility near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, each estimated to cost about $3 billion. The Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Project (CMRR) plutonium facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory increased from $97 million in FY 2010 to $225 million in FY 2011. Y-12’s Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) also increased to $115 million from $94 million in FY 2010.”

Click here to download a PDF of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation’s budget briefing book.

Alliance for Nuclear Accountability

Click here for ANA’s press release.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico

Click here for their blog post on the budget.

Project on Government Oversight

Click here for their blog post on the budget.

Tri-Valley CAREs

Click here for their press release.

Upcoming activities on nuclear weapons

1. For Peace and Human Needs: Nuclear Disarmament Now! is a new website with resources on activities and demonstrations being planned for the May NPT Review Conference. Hundreds of organizations from the U.S. and around the globe are taking new steps to renew the commitment to a nuclear free world. The website includes an online petition on nuclear disarmament.

2. Groundbreaking is expected in April for a major new production facility, the Kansas City Plant, that will be responsible for 85% of all components for possible new designs and/or half-century life extensions of existing U.S. nuclear weapons. Protests and demonstrations in Kansas City are currently being planned, just before the NPT Review Conference that begins May 3. Contact Nuclear Watch New Mexico for more information.

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjbrenchley/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0