In addition to yesterday’s joint statement that established the new ceilings for nuclear force levels (see above), the US and Russia were busy issuing other documents to plot the path for renewing bilateral operations. Under a military transit agreement, Russia will let US military personnel and non-lethal military equipment pass through Russian territory en route to Afghanistan. The new strategic framework on military-to-military relations calls for the resumption of bilateral ties and exchanges that were suspended last August after Russia’s armed incursion into Georgia. The joint statement on nuclear cooperation pledges both parties to strengthen their cooperation to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. And with the joint statement on missile defense issues, the two nations agreed to seek cooperation in monitoring missile developments around the globe and to intensify efforts on the joint data exchange center, an idea going back to the Clinton Administration, as part of a multilateral missile launch notification regime.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.