WASHINGTON, March 8. /TASS/. The US’ withdrawal from the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) would create a risk of a new arms race, Gen. John Hyten, head of US Strategic Command, said at a meeting of the armed forces committee of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday.

"I'm a big supporter of the New Start Agreement. I believe that especially when it comes to nuclear weapons and nuclear capabilities, that bilateral, verifiable arms control agreements are essential to our ability to provide an effective deterrent," the General said.

"If you remove that effective deterrent structure, which is the New Start Treaty, it makes it very difficult for us to know the levels. The risk would be an arms race," he said.·

New START is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US and Russia that was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague. After ratification it entered into force on 5 February 2011. It is expected to last at least until 2021.

The agreement provides for reduction of number of deployed strategic carriers to 700 units on each side and the number of nuclear warheads they carry to 1,550.