WASHINGTON, November 9 (RIA Novosti, Arkady Orlov) - The U.S. Senate has requested that the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon prepare a report on U.S. and Russian non-strategic nuclear arms, the Senate's secretariat said Wednesday.
The U.S. Senate voted in a corresponding amendment to the current bill on defense spending for 2006. The document says that not later than six months after the defense budget is approved, the U.S. Defense Secretary will consult the Secretary of State on reviewing U.S. and Russian non-strategic nuclear armaments.
The heads of the Pentagon and the State Department will then use this review to prepare a report on the need for cuts in non-strategic nuclear arms, measures to improve security during their storage and transportation, and means of decommissioning excess non-strategic nuclear weapons.