Rose and I covered the landscape related to New START and more:
Her experience as chief negotiator - managing Russian interlocutors, an interagency delegation in Geneva as well as the one back home,
the role of the President and other very senior officials in arms control negotiations,
New START and “reset” politics,
why “drive by” negotiations stink,
Putin’s offer to keep New START limits for one more year,
missile defense,
the recent Congressional Strategic Posture Commission Report and bipartisanship in nuclear policy and arms control,
and much more.
Recent and Upcoming work by Rose:
Dec. 10, 2025, Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “Arms Race 2.0.“
Dec. 2025, Arms Control Association. “Getting the Most Out of New START Before It Expires“
July 30, 2025, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. “Nuclear arms control enters uncharted territory. It needs tools—both old and new.“
May 2021, “Negotiating the New START Treaty.”
Coming April 2026, “Security through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations after the Cold War.”
Also, this isn’t a new topic for Strategic Simplicity - we’ve devoted some time to New START on the podcast, in various posts and articles covering President Putin’s offer, U.S. nuclear force posture after New START, and U.S. arms control policy. Take a look:
Pods:
Responding to Putin's arms control proposal
Is Putin’s offer to continue adherence to New START central limits for one more year a “cost free virtue signal,” a sincere desire to manage nuclear competition, an opening to a broader conversation on strategic issues, or maybe a combination of all of these things. Additionally, what U.S. interests are at play in considering this offer? Austin and I ha…
Framing the New START Follow-On Discussion
Following an earlier conversation with Bob Peters and John Warden on a possible U.S. force posture after New START expires on February 5, 2026, we look at the arms control side of the coin to brainstorm what a New START successor agreement may look like Mallory …
Framing a Future Nuclear Force Posture
Two pods in one week, we’re really overworking ourselves (MIT’s semester ended and we are in between trips in writing limbo, so why not).
Posts:
Assessing Putin’s Arms Control Offer
President Putin offered remarks at a meeting of the Russian National Security Council earlier this week proposing a one-year continuation of New START limits after the treaty formally expires on February 5, 2026. Rather than parse his language, here are relevant excerpts from an official Russian
No Zombie Nuclear Treaties
On July 31st, former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev caused a mild furor by referencing President Trump, zombies, and nuclear war. On his Telegram social media channel, Medvedev said Trump should “remember his favorite films about the ‘walking dead,’ and also how dangerous a non-existent ‘dead hand’ can be.” The Dead Hand refers to Russia’s Perimetr c…
Pranay Vaddi, “Beware Russia Bearing Arms Control Gifts,’ RUSI.
