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The
White House
Office of the Press Secretary
(Atlanta, Georgia)
April 14, 2000
Fact Sheet
START II Treaty Summary
The START
II Treaty and the START II Protocol will increase stability at significantly
lower levels of nuclear weapons. Together, U.S. and Russian strategic
nuclear forces will be reduced by an additional 5,000 warheads beyond
the 9,000 warheads being reduced under START I. The Treaty sets equal
ceilings on the number of strategic nuclear weapons that can be deployed
by either side.
By December 31, 2007, each side must have reduced its total deployed strategic
nuclear warheads to 3,000-3,500.
All MIRVed
ICBMs must be eliminated from each side's deployed forces; only ICBMs
carrying a single warhead will be allowed.
The U.S.
and Russia have also agreed to deactivate by December 31, 2003, all strategic
nuclear delivery vehicles which under the START II Treaty and Protocol
will be eliminated by December 31, 2007.
No more than
1,700-1,750 deployed warheads may be on SLBMs. There is no prohibition
on MIRVed SLBMs.
The Treaty
allows for a reduction in the number of warheads on certain ballistic
missiles. Such "downloading" is permitted in a carefully constructed
fashion.
Under START
II, the Russians have agreed to eliminate all SS-18 missiles, both deployed
and non-deployed. This fully achieves a long-standing U.S. goal, the complete
elimination of MIRVed heavy ICBMs.
Under START
II, heavy bombers will be counted using the number of nuclear weapons
-- whether long-range nuclear ALCMs, short-range missiles or gravity bombs
-- for which they are actually equipped.
The comprehensive
START I verification regime will apply to the START II Treaty and will
be augmented in certain areas.
Update: START II never entered into force. With the ratification
of the Moscow Treaty on June 1, 2003, the United States and the Russian
Federation have moved beyond START II to a new partnership on the reduction
of strategic offensive weapons.
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