It’s been only a month since the Senate gave its nod to ratifying New START, a strategic arms control treaty with Russia that the Administration hopes to bring into force next week. But already Moscow is discounting the clarifications the Senators stipulated and added to their resolution of ratification. Senator Jon Kyl (R–AZ) wisely raised concerns about this in his latest floor statement. He pointed out that Russia’s ratification law cites “understandings” that the Russian and U.S. officials came to during negotiations that justify Russia’s claim that the treaty limits …
The Washington Post reports this morning that the fate of a lame duck vote on New START rests on just one man: Senator Jon Kyl (R–AZ). According to the Post’s sources, other Republicans in Congress have “kind of delegated” New START to Kyl, meaning that if the Obama Administration wins his vote, the nine total Republican votes needed to reach 67 votes would be easy to find. That is why the White House dispatched General Kevin Chilton to Arizona last Friday, and it is why Defense Secretary Robert Gates is …
Compiled below are comments made by various experts regarding the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Be sure to follow our continuing coverage of the New START and the impact it will have on America’s security. GENERAL CONCERNS: Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ): “First, it’s not clear that the treaty’s verification provisions are adequate. Second, the treaty’s failure to take into account Russia’s enormous tactical nuclear weapons arsenal (more than 10 times larger than that of the U.S.) and the limitations it places on U.S. conventional global strike capabilities are serious …
Almost seven full months into 2010, the Senate might finally get around to addressing the death tax. The death tax expired on January 1 of this year, but because of a quirk in the budgeting process it will rise from the ashes in 2011 with a punitive 55 percent rate and less-than-generous $1 million exemption level unless Congress acts soon. The long delay in the Senate has lead many to conclude that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) does not want to address the death tax at all this year …
A recent article I wrote for Armed Forces Journal discusses the Pentagon’s efforts to maintain space dominance amid the challenges of emerging peer competitors. The Pentagon’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office stands at the forefront of an effort to revolutionize the way the U.S. builds and deploys satellites. However, only one year after the ORS office was stood up, defense officials are threatening to slash the budget by $297 million dollars between fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2014, essentially grinding the program to a halt. With the unprecedented modernization of China’s …
