In April, Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the U.S. and Russia, replacing the 1991 START that expired in December 2009.

The aggregate limits of New START are 1,550 warheads, 30 percent lower than the deployed strategic warhead limit of the 2002 Moscow Treaty. New START is the next step for nuclear arms reduction in the spirit of START I, signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. The effect of New START will be to prevent more nuclear weapons states and stem nuclear terrorism.

There has been substantial support for the New START from a broad spectrum of experts in nearly 20 hearings in the Senate Foreign Relations, Armed Service and Intelligence Committees.

Testimony in favor of New START has been from the likes of former secretaries of state James Baker and Henry Kissinger. Former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger testified, “It is obligatory for the U.S. to ratify this treaty.”

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, “The new START treaty has the unanimous support of America’s military leadership.” Former Maine Sen. William Cohen recently signed a public letter supporting New START.

Bipartisan support for New START is significant.

Soon, the U.S. Senate must vote to consent that the president ratifies the treaty. A majority of at least 67 senators is required. Maine’s two senators could cast the necessary votes. I am hoping that Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe will show bipartisan leadership and support ratification of the New START.

Edward Walworth, MD, Lewiston