Washington, DC— Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA), and Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN) will hold a press availability to discuss the need for the Senate to approve the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). The availability will take place outside of room S-116 in the U.S. Capitol.
New START will advance critical national security objectives: reducing the number of deployed nuclear weapons while retaining a safe, secure and effective deterrent; providing direct insight into Russia’s nuclear arsenal; and creating a more stable, predictable and cooperative relationship between the world’s two leading nuclear powers.
Six former secretaries of state, five former secretaries of defense and three former national security advisers have endorsed ratification, along with seven former commanders of U.S. Strategic Command and the entire current U.S. military leadership unanimously support the New START Treaty.
On April 8, 2010, President Obama and Russian President Medvedev signed New START to replace the original START accord, which expired nearly a year ago in December 2009. On September 16, 2010, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution of advice and consent to ratification of New START with 3 Republicans joining 11 Democrats, continuing a tradition of broad bipartisan support for strategic arms agreements that spans four administrations.
WHO: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar
WHAT: Media availability to discuss New START
WHEN: TOMORROW, November 17 at 9:00 a.m.
Pre-set at 8:45 a.m. outside of S-116.
WHERE: Outside of room S-116 in the U.S. Capitol
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