Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site. , Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, 1991 , "The United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, … conscious that nuclear war would have devastating consequences for all humanity, that it cannot be won and must never be fought, … have agreed as follows.", Following World War II, ideological, economic, and political differences between the former allied nations of the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) led to mounting tension and hostility. Advancements in nuclear technology only added to the strain in relations. As the U.S. and U.S.S.R. raced to increase their nuclear capabilities, it soon became clear that each nation held the poser to completely destroy the other. The theory of Deterrence emerged - possessing nuclear weapons was necessary to prevent either side from actually using those weapons., The Minuteman missile system was one part of the United States' deterrent force. In 1961 construction began on the first of six Minuteman Missile Wings. By 1967 construction was complete, with 1,000 Minuteman Missiles on alert in under-ground silos dotting the countryside of the Great Plains. The November-33 Launch Facility (LF) and Oscar-Zero Missile Alert Facility (MAF) were part of the 321st Strategic Missile Wing (SMW), Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB), the final wing constructed., While there were several attempts to bring peace through arms treaties and agreements, these early efforts did little to stop the two nations from increasing their nuclear stockpiles., The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. eventually reached an agreement on the reduction of nuclear weapons. On July 31, 1991, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was signed by U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. START drastically limited the number of strategic offensive arms on both sides, making it the most comprehensive arms treaty up to that date., With the treaty in place, reduction in the Minuteman missile force was imminent. To meet the requirements set forth in START, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommended deactivation of three Minuteman missile wings, including the 321st. By June of 1998, the final missile in the 321st was pulled from its silo. However, there are still 450 active Minuteman missile sites remaining in the United States - located near Minot AFB (Minot, ND), F.E. Warren AFB (Cheyenne, WY), and Malmstrom AFB (Great Falls, MT)., START provided for extensive inspection and verification measures to ensure treaty compliance. The former Soviet Union has over five Dozen START - inspectable sites, while the U.S. has just over two dozen. At these locations, treaty inspection teams are allowed to make close observations, take measurements, and take photographs if there are any questions. As of August 15, 2009, the U.S. had conducted 647 inspections and Russia had conducted 470. , Photo captions , Map of the 321st Strategic Missile Wing. , Location of the six Minuteman missile fields in the United State. (Fields in black were deactivated as a direct result of START). , Implosion of the first of 150 Minuteman silos, once a part of the 321st Strategic Missile Wing (October 6, 1999).