The United States and Russia each completed 18 on-site nuclear inspections—the maximum permitted under the New START agreement each year—since the treaty entered force last February, according to a State Department release marking the first year of treaty implementation. The two countries also exchanged 1,800 “notifications” under the treaty’s terms during the past year. “Every time a heavy bomber is moved out of its home country for more than 24 hours” for example, the United States notified Russia through the treaty’s risk-reduction centers, according to the Feb. 3 release. In addition, the Air Force displayed the B-2A stealth bomber for the Russians and conducted a one-time exhibition to show them that “B-1B heavy bombers are no longer capable of employing nuclear armaments,” states the release. In exchange, the Russians allowed US observers first-time access to the RS-24 mobile ICBM system, capable of carrying multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
