Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty (SORT)

Signed in Moscow in 2002, agreement between the United States and Russia to reduce offensive nuclear [Page 687]weapons. According to the provisions of the Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty (SORT), U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that both countries would reduce their strategic nuclear warheads to a level between 1,700 and 2,200 by December 31, 2012. This level is nearly two-thirds lower than the current level of nuclear warheads in each country. SORT is part of a broad array of cooperative efforts announced between the two countries in the aftermath of the Cold War.

The reductions stipulated by SORT were first announced by President Bush in 2001 during a summit held in Washington, DC, and at Crawford, Texas, with President Putin. The treaty was later ratified by both the U.S. Senate and the Russian Duma. The earlier-negotiated Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) of 1991 continues unchanged, and the verification procedures begun by START are to provide the foundation for these same processes with SORT. Immediate implications for the U.S. arsenal are to include the retirement of Peacekeeper ICBMs and the conversion of nuclear submarines to conventional use. Some of the warheads removed from deployment are to be used as spares, some will be stored, and some will be destroyed.