Keeping the Nuclear Balance Balanced

The United States has always focused on improving its nuclear weapons as a key component of its military strategy. Even during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the Soviet Union was deep in crisis and conducted a political course amenable to Washington, the U.S. leadership increased its advantage over Moscow in terms of nuclear strength. Under the 1991 U.S. national security strategy, the modernization of its land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and nuclear missile-equipped submarines has vital significance for enforcing deterrence in the 21st century.

After the Soviet collapse, the United States and Russia declared a strategic partnership and signed the NATO-Russia Founding Act of May 1997. Nonetheless, Washington still maintained that its U.S. nuclear arsenal in Europe -- about 400 warheads scattered in six NATO countries -- was needed since Russia's military potential would remain an unknown for a long time to come. In real political terms, Russia's nuclear capabilities were viewed as a threat, even as the number of its warheads decreased.

During the past 10 years, U.S.-led wars in Yugoslavia and Iraq, in addition to some key scientific breakthroughs in defense technology, set the stage for a new phase in U.S. military policy.

At the same time, the United States continued to modernize and strengthen its nuclear potential. As part of this modernization, the United States started building a limited missile defense system. This process started during the administration of President Bill Clinton and, for all intents and purposes, bypassed the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that the United States signed with the Soviet Union. The United States' missile defense strategy was officially declared in December 2001, when then-President George W. Bush informed Russia of the U.S. withdrawal from the ABM Treaty.