Experts in the Field: Samuel Charap interviews Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin on New START—Part one

Samuel Charap: On April 8, President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev signed the New START nuclear arms control treaty. The Obama administration has just sent the treaty to the Senate, marking the beginning of the ratification process. New START needs the support of 67 Senators to pass.

Last month, I traveled to Moscow and spoke with retired Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin to find out how Russia's military establishment sees the deal. Gen. Yesin had a 40-year career working in the Soviet and then Russian Strategic Missile Forces. He retired in 1996 as chief of staff. As the person who was responsible for choosing which U.S. cities would be targeted by Soviet nuclear missiles, Yesin is someone who clearly understands the real-world impact of arms control policy.

Gen. Yesin: I would characterize it like this: The signing of the new U.S.-Russia agreement on limiting strategic offensive arms demonstrated the leadership of both presidents in reducing their countries' nuclear arsenals. Seven years after the ratification of the agreement, the strategic weapons arsenals on both sides will be reduced by 30 percent. This is their shared, significant contribution to moving toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

Samuel Charap: It is striking that a man who spent his entire career directly engaged in the nuclear standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States supports New START and is such a firm believer in the long-term goal of global zero. But he reminded me that President Obama's push for arms control treaties and his strategic goal of eliminating nuclear weapons represent a return to an agenda that men of his generation first brought to the fore.

Gen. Yesin: This is not a new thing. [Ronald] Reagan and [Mikhail] Gorbachev were ready to negotiate and make deals. So this is a renewal. It is a renewal of the agenda of deep nuclear cuts that lead eventually toward global zero. Yes, I'd like to repeat that I welcome [New START] because if we don't starting dealing with this problem then we will never get to global zero. This should be a cherished goal for all mankind because in the end, humanity should not destroy itself. Nuclear war can only lead to the end of all life on earth. Someone put it very eloquently—there will be no veterans of a nuclear war.