Russia’s Current Nuclear Modernization and Arms Control

Abstract

Russia’s strategic modernization program suggests that it is determined to continue its reliance on nuclear weapons as a key element of its national security strategy. The US is now also committed to the large-scale modernization of its strategic forces. Combined with uncertainty about the future of US-Russian arms control, these developments have given rise to concerns about a potential new round of the arms race that could reverse the progress in nuclear disarmament that has been achieved since the end of the Cold War. This paper considers Russia’s key modernization efforts and the factors that influence the decisions in that area. It concludes that modernization is shaped primarily by internal factors and traditional arms control, and that an emphasis on strategic stability plays a limited role in the process.