Future of Arms Control Act

Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means—

New START— The term New START means the Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, signed April 8, 2010, and entered into force February 5, 2011 (commonly known as the “New START Treaty”).

Since the end of World War II, the United States has relied on a robust and effective nuclear deterrent as part of its national defense, particularly against the Soviet Union and its successor state, the Russian Federation.

In tandem with its nuclear deterrent, the United States pursued a number of arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation agreements with the Soviet Union as a means of ensuring strategic stability, providing transparency into the Soviet Union’s nuclear forces, reducing United States nuclear expenditures, and defending the United States, including the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United States continued to pursue arms control with the Russian Federation along with a credible nuclear deterrent as a means of ensuring United States security from nuclear attack.

The New START Treaty, ratified with bipartisan support on December 22, 2010, remains an important tool for limiting and verifying the Russian Federation’s strategic nuclear arsenal.

The New START Treaty, which expires in February 2021, can be extended until February 2026 if both parties agree to such an extension.

The United States engages in robust, verifiable arms control because it fundamentally protects United States and allied security interests.

On April 17, 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and in those talks asserted that any future arms control talks must include the People's Republic of China.

The Government of the People's Republic of China has signaled that it has no intention of engaging in trilateral arms control talks with the United States and the Russian Federation.

Since 1964, the People’s Republic of China has been a nuclear weapons state and has developed strategic and tactical systems capable of threatening the United States, United States allies and partners, and United States and alliance assets in the Indo-Pacific region.

Today, the People’s Republic of China retains a limited but survivable nuclear deterrent with an extensive modernization program which, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency’s 2019 China Military Power Report, will make its arsenal “more mobile, responsive, and accurate”.

It is in the security interests of the United States to engage with the People's Republic of China on relevant arms control issues, whether in a bilateral or multilateral format, through a coherent, coordinated strategy.

unless the President determines and so informs Congress that the Russian Federation is not in material compliance with New START such that the object and purpose of the Treaty is significantly undermined, and that efforts to resolve any such material noncompliance have been undertaken and not resolved such noncompliance, the United States shall extend New START from its initial termination date in February 2021 to February 2026, as permitted under Article XIV of the Treaty;

if the President has not extended New START by November 3, 2020, the United States Government should encourage the Government of the Russian Federation not to exceed or prepare to exceed the limitations of the New START Treaty prior to the expiration of the Treaty on February 5, 2021, providing an opportunity from January 20, 2021, until February 5, 2021, for the United States and the Russian Federation to negotiate an extension to and continued implementation of the treaty;

if the President does not extend the New START Treaty by November 3, 2020, no action or activity should be taken by any United States official, agency, or department that would violate or lead to the violation of the treaty while the treaty remains in force;

the United States must maintain a credible nuclear deterrent capable of defending the homeland and United States allies covered under extended deterrence;

the United States, in conjunction with New START’s extension, should pursue additional arms control frameworks with the Russian Federation that limit the possibility of purposeful or accidental nuclear war and advance United States security, including—

the United States Government should formulate a coherent strategy to engage the Government of the People's Republic of China on relevant bilateral issues that lays the groundwork for bringing the People's Republic of China into an arms control framework, including—

In general— If the President does not extend the New START Treaty by November 3, 2020, no action or activity may be taken by any United States official, agency, or department that would violate or lead to the violation of the treaty until March 1, 2021.

Implementation of United States policy— Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report, and a separate classified annex, detailing the United States Government's plans for implementing the policy of the United States stated in section 4 with respect to the Russian Federation.

Arms control talks with the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes—

Extension of New START— Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report, and a separate classified annex, that includes the following elements: