BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. —
Air Force Global Strike Command hosted a workshop here for 90 attendees across the Department of the Air Force from April 2-4 regarding the Command’s implementation of the New START Treaty.

New START, signed in 2011, furthers reductions provided in START I, which expired in December 2009. Under New START, the U.S. and Russian Federation agree to significantly reduce their arsenal of strategic offensive arms.

The Treaty includes provisions for on-site inspections and exhibitions, biannual data exchanges, and notifications related to strategic offensive arms and facilities covered within the treaty.

Participants from throughout the Department of the Air Force attended the three-day workshop, which focused on Global Strikes’ participation in the Treaty. Subject matter experts provided briefings on numerous topics, broadening the understanding of Global Strikes’ role in implementing New START.

In addition to these briefings, the workshop provided an opportunity for attendees to view a simulated inspection of a B-52H Stratofortress in Barksdale’s Weapons Load Trainer Facility, tour the base Munitions Storage Area, and view the construction progress of the new Weapons Generation Facility.

Workshops like these are one way the DAF trains its personnel, ensuring an understanding of New START and other treaties.
At this workshop attendees shared lessons learned from previous inspections and exercises, received familiarization with ordnance carried by the B-52, and listened to subject matter experts on issues ranging from budgeting to weapons system modernization efforts.

On Feb. 3, 2021, the U.S. and Russia agreed to extend the New START Treaty for an additional 5 years. The New START Treaty will expire Feb. 4, 2026, as the Treaty provides no means to extend its duration.

The workshop highlighted the importance of arms control treaties in providing strategic stability as the world enters an era of great power competition. For Airmen standing as stewards of the bomber and ICBM legs of the U.S. Nuclear Triad, this idea is familiar: perpetual readiness, every minute of every day, while innovating to further increase that readiness.