106 STAT. 2550 PUBLIC LAW 102-484—OCT. 23, 1992 extension and possible strengthening of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1995, when the Treaty- is scheduled for review and possible extension, has additional benefits to the national security of the United States, including— (A) a reduced risk of accidental enablement and launch of a nuclear weapon, and (B) a defense cost savings which could be reallocated for deficit reduction or other important national needs. (4) The Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) Treaty and the agreement by the President of the United States and the President of the Russian Federation on June 17, 1992, to reduce the strategic nuclear arsenals of each country to a level between 3,000 and 3,500 weapons are commendable intermediate stages in the process of achieving the policy goals described in paragraphs (1) and (2). (5) The ciurent international era of cooperation provides greater opportunities for achieving worldwide reduction and control of nuclear weapons and material than any time since the emergence of nuclear weapons 50 years ago. (6) It is in the security interests of both the United States and the world community for the President and the Congress to begin the process of reducing the number of nuclear weapons in every country through multilateral agreements and other appropriate means. (7) In a 1991 study, a committee of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that: "The appropriate new levels of nuclear weapons cannot be specified at this time, but it seems reasonable to the committee that U.S. strategic forces could in time be reduced to 1,000-2,000 nuclear warheads, provided that such a midtilateral agreement included appropriate levels and verification measures for the other nations mat possess nuclear weapons. This step would require successful implementation of our proposed post-START U.S.-Soviet reductions, related confidence-building measures in all the countries involved, and multilateral security cooperation in areas such as conventional force deployments and planning.". (b) UNITED STATES POLICY. —It shall be the goal of the United States- CD to encourage and facilitate the denuclearization of Ukraine, Byelarus, and Kazakhstan, as agreed upon in the Lisbon ministerial meeting of May 23, 1992; Treaties. (2) to rapidly complete and submit for ratification by the United States the treaty incorporating the agreement of June 17, 1992, between the United States and the Russian Federation to reduce the number of strategic nuclear weapons in each countiVs arsenal to a level between 3,000 and 3,500; (3) to facilitate the ability of the Russicui Federation, Ukraine, Byelarus, and Kazakhstan to implement agreed mutual reductions under the START Treaty, and under the Joint Understanding of June 16-17, 1992 between the United States and the Russian Federation, on an accelerated timetable, so that all such reductions can be completed by the year 2000; (4) to biiild on the agreement reached in the Joint Understanding of June 16-17, 1992, by entering into multilateral negotiations with the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, France, and the People's Republic of China, and, at an appro-
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