Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

1989 —April 12
SHORT-RANGE NUCLEAR
FORCE NEGOTIATIONS
The Soviet Union proposes short-range (less than 500 kilometers) nuclear forces (SNF) negotiations
between that country <strong>and</strong> the United States.
1989 —May 11
SOVIET UNILATERAL SNF
REDUCTIONS
General Secretary Gorbachev informs U.S. Secretary of State James Baker that the Soviet Union
intends to announce a unilateral cut of 500 short-range nuclear weapons.
1991 —September 27
U.S. UNILATERAL
WITHDRAWAL OF TACTI-
CAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS
President Bush announces a major unilateral withdrawal of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons: “I am...
directing that the United States eliminate its entire worldwide inventory of ground-launched shortrange,
that is, theater, nuclear weapons. We will bring home <strong>and</strong> destroy all of our nuclear artillery
shells <strong>and</strong> short-range ballistic missile warheads. We will, of course, insure that we preserve an
effective air-delivered nuclear capability in Europe.
“In turn, I have asked the Soviets...to destroy their entire inventory of ground-launched theater
nuclear weapons....
“Recognizing further the major changes in the international military l<strong>and</strong>scape, the United States
will withdraw all tactical nuclear weapons from its surface ships, attack submarines, as well as
those nuclear weapons associated with our l<strong>and</strong>-based naval aircraft. This means removing all
nuclear Tomahawk cruise missiles from U.S. ships <strong>and</strong> submarines, as well as nuclear bombs
aboard aircraft carriers.”
1991 —October 5
SOVIET RESPONSE
President Gorbachev responds to President Bush’s unilateral withdrawal of tactical nuclear weapons
by calling for the elimination of air-based weapons <strong>and</strong> announcing that:
• “All nuclear artillery munitions <strong>and</strong> nuclear warheads for tactical missiles shall be eliminated.
• “<strong>Nuclear</strong> warheads for air defense missiles shall be withdrawn from the troops <strong>and</strong>
concentrated in central bases, <strong>and</strong> a portion of them shall be eliminated. All nuclear mines
shall be eliminated.
• “All tactical nuclear weapons shall be removed from surface ships <strong>and</strong> multipurpose submarines.
These weapons, as well as nuclear weapons on l<strong>and</strong>-based naval aviation, shall be
stored in central storage sites <strong>and</strong> a portion shall be eliminated.
• “Moreover, we propose that the United States eliminate fully, on the basis of reciprocity, all
tactical nuclear weapons of naval forces. In addition, on the basis of reciprocity, it would be
possible to withdraw from combat units on frontal (tactical) aviation, all nuclear weapons
(gravity bombs <strong>and</strong> air-launched missiles) <strong>and</strong> place them in centralized storage bases.”
1991 —October 17
<strong>NATO</strong> REDUCTION OF
TACTICAL NUCLEAR
WEAPONS
<strong>NATO</strong> agrees to remove all but 400 to 600 nuclear bombs from Europe.
1992 — February-May
TRANSFER OF TACTICAL
NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO
RUSSIA
On February 1, Russian President Boris Yeltsin announces that the transfer of tactical nuclear
weapons from Kazakhstan was completed in January. On April 28, Belorussian Defense Minister
Pavel Koszlovsky announces that all tactical nuclear warheads in Belarus have been transferred
to Russia/On April 28, Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk confirms that all tactical nuclear
weapons have been transferred to Russia except for those on the ships <strong>and</strong> submarines of the
Black Sea Fleet.
Source: “Arms Control <strong>and</strong> Disarmament: The U.S. Commitment,”
Washington, DC: U.S. Information Agency, 1998, pp. 33-
35.
Table 6-1. History of American-Soviet Reductions
of TNWs in Europe.
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