Joe Biden will have to make critical decisions on arms control in his first days in the White House that could determine whether a new nuclear arms race can be averted, and possibly reversed. Russia has indicated its readiness to extend but there is still the question of how long for. The Trump administration deployed a low-yield variant of the Trident missile warhead, and began work on a nuclear submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM). Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty ImagesMany arms control advocates argue ICBMs are the shakiest, most dangerous, leg of the triad. “I don’t think there is just going to be a back to normal,” said a former arms control official.

Source: The Guardian January 11, 2021 06:00 UTC