START Treaty Signed: US and USSR Slash Nuclear Arms
The United States and Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on July 31, 1991, capping each nation at 6,000 nuclear warheads and 1,600 delivery systems. Negotiations had begun under Reagan in 1982 and stalled repeatedly over the Strategic Defense Initiative. The treaty was the most ambitious arms control agreement ever negotiated, requiring the destruction of thousands of warheads under mutual verification. By the time START I was fully implemented in 2001, both sides had reduced their deployed strategic arsenals by roughly 80% from Cold War peaks. The treaty's rigorous verification regime, including on-site inspections and data exchanges, built the institutional trust that made subsequent disarmament agreements possible.
July 31, 1991
35 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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