Five Central Asian nations have agreed to a treaty declaring their region a nuclear weapons-free zone in a move toward stemming arms proliferation and distancing themselves from Russia.

Defense Minister Sergei B. Ivanov of Russia warned today that the American proposal in arms reduction talks to "warehouse" excess warheads instead of destroying them would not only encourage nuclear proliferation, but could even set off a new kind of arms race.

The approved draft proposal of an international ballistic missile code of conduct will do little to stop missile proliferation, arms control experts told Global Security Newswire this week, although some said the code is a progressive step towards more transparency in arms control.

Politicians from 78 countries are attending a conference to help produce international guidelines aimed at curbing the proliferation of ballistic missiles. The guidelines would look to make it difficult for countries to buy missiles from exporting nations and to improve weapons monitoring systems.

Russia and the United States are to set up three working groups on military cooperation focusing on strategic disarmament.

The Defense Department plans to reduce the number of operational U.S. nuclear warheads from today's 6,000 to 3,800 over the next five years as part of the administration's new strategic policy.

A classified Pentagon review of nuclear policy calls for sharply reducing United States dependence on nuclear weapons by expanding the use of conventional, precision arms and building a missile defense system, according to officials familiar with the document.

The Bush administration has announced that bombs and intercontinental missiles involved in the president's promised two-thirds reduction of deployed strategic nuclear forces over the next 10 years would be kept in reserve under its new strategic policy according to congressional sources.

David Albright demonstrates the utility of commercial high-resolution satellite imagery for detecting clandestine nuclear proliferation by focusing on the test case of Algeria.

U.S. President Bush announced recently his committment to enhance US aid aimed at keeping Russian weapons and know-how from unfriendly hands.