News

Current as of: May 21, 1996
Created July 29, 1991
START: CENTRAL LIMITS

The principal US objective in strategic arms control is to increased stability in the US-Soviet nuclear relationship at significantly lower levels of nuclear weapons. In START, the US has achieved an equitable and effectively verifiable agreement that reduces the number of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles and the warheads on them. Furthermore, limits in START are designed specifically to constrain the most destabilizing weapons of the Soviet arsenal--heavy ICBMs--while encouraging greater reliance on slower, stabilizing delivery systems, e.g., heavy bomber aircraft.

The Central Limits of START
Strategic Nuclear Delivery Vehicles (SNDVs)
Deployed ICBMs and their launchers
Deployed SLBMs and their Launchers
Deployed Heavy Bombers
1600
Accountable Warheads: 6000
Total Warheads deployed on
ICBMs and SLBMs:
4900
Warheads on Mobile ICBMs: 1100
Warheads on 154 Heavy ICBMs: 1540
Heavy Bombers equipped for long
range nuclear ALCMS (LRNA):
US - 10 warheads attributed to the
first 150 bombers. Each additional
bomber is attributed with a warhead
count equal to the number of LRNA
for which it is equipped. No LRNA
heavy bombers will be equipped with
more than 20 ALCMs.

USSR - 8 warheads attributed to the
first 180 bombers. Each additonal
bomber is attributed with a warhead
count equal to the number for which
it is equipped. No LRNA heavy bomber
will be equipped with more than 16 LRNA.
Heavy Bomber Aircraft
equipped nuclear weapons
other than LRNA:
1 warhead per bomber
Throw-weight: The throw-weight ceiling, the aggregate
weight of the payload of ICBMs and
SLBMs, has been set at 3600 metric tons.
Timetable for Reductions:Seven years in three phases, with equal
levels at the end of each phase.
Duration of Agreement: Fifteen years unless superseded earlier,
with an option to extend for five years
increments if both sides agree.