ABM Treaty Overview Treaty Summary Treaty Text and Documents Archived Treaty Developments
For major recent developments, see the Strategic Forces General Developments file
To return to the main Nuclear Disarmament Treaties and Agreements entry, see the Arms Control Treaties and Agreements file
See also: Russian Strategic Early Warning, Command and Control, and ABM System Overview

Treaty Status

ABM Treaty
Signed: 26 May 1972
Ratification advised by the US Senate: 3 August 1972
Ratified by US President: 30 September 1972
Proclaimed by US President: 3 October 1972
Ratified by the USSR: 3 August 1972
Instruments of ratification exchanged: 3 October 1972
Entered into force: 3 October 1972

ABM Treaty Protocol 
Signed: 3 July 1974
Ratification advised by US Senate: 10 November 1975
Ratified by US President: 19 March 1976
Instruments of ratification exchanged: 24 May 1976
Proclaimed by US President: 6 July 1976
Entered into force: 24 May 1976

New York Agreements on Theater Missile Defense and ABM Treaty Successor States
Signed: 26 September 1997

President Boris Yeltsin submitted the New York agreements for ratification by the State Duma in April 1998. The START II Ratification Law adopted by the Russian State Duma makes START II entry into force contingent on the US ratification of these agreements, but so far they have not been submitted to the US Senate.

On 13 December 2001 the United States gave formal notice of intent to withdraw from the ABM Treaty, and officially withdrew from the treaty on 13 June 2002.

Treaty Summary

The ABM Treaty prohibits the deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems for the defense of the national territory, limiting the deployment of such systems to a single site for the United States and the USSR, with no more than 100 interceptor launcher and missiles. Although the initial treaty text permitted each country two ABM deployment sites located no closer than 1,300km of each other and protecting the capital city and an ICBM launch area, these provisions were modified by the ABM Treaty Protocol. The treaty also places considerable restrictions on the deployment of ABM system large phased-array radars (restricting their location to the periphery of the country and facing outward) and prohibits giving ABM capabilities to other weapon systems, such as air defense weapons, and bans testing such weapons in ABM role. The ABM Treaty also prohibits the development of rapid reload or multiple-launch capability for ABM launchers, and of multiple independently-guided ABM missile warheads.  Development, testing, and deployment of mobile, air-, space-, and sea-based ABM systems are banned as well. Additionally, the treaty permits the United States and the Soviet Union to maintain a limited number of ABM systems and associated components on designated ABM test sites.

While the ABM Treaty does not specifically limit ABM defenses based on "other physical principles," including lasers and other directed energy weapons, it calls for discussions on limiting such systems in accordance with the provisions for consultations laid out in the treaty. 

ABM Treaty verification mechanisms are limited to National Technical Means.

The treaty is of unlimited duration, and provides for treaty reviews at five-year intervals. Additionally, it contains provisions for establishing the Standing Consultative Commission for considering treaty-related issues. It allows a party to the treaty to withdraw following six months' notification.

On 26 September 1997 the United States and the Russian Federation signed a number of agreements concerning the ABM Treaty, which have yet to enter force. These include the Memorandum of Understanding on Successor States to the ABM Treaty, which recognizes United States, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan as parties to the treaty. 

The First Agreed Statement on Demarcation allows the deployment of Theater ABM (TMD) systems with interceptor velocities of no more than 3km/sec, but prohibits testing them against ballistic missile-type targets with velocities in excess of 5km/sec or ranges over 3,500km. 

The Second Agreed Statement on Demarcation prohibits ABM Treaty parties from testing TMD systems with interceptor velocities in excess of 3km/sec against ballistic missile-type targets with velocities in excess 5km/sec or ranges over 3,500km.

The Agreement on Confidence-Building Measures Related to Systems to Counter Ballistic Missiles Other Than Strategic Ballistic Missiles, which applies to the US, Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian TMD systems (such as the US THAAD or the Russian S-300-series air defense missile systems), obligates these countries to conduct an exchange of information on TMD systems in their possession within 90 days of the agreement's entry into force. The agreement also calls for annual updates to the exchange of information, and requires the signatories to inform each other which testing ranges they will use for TMD system tests. It also specifies a 10-day notification of any TMD system test against a ballistic missile target.

Treaty-Related Documents

Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems. English and Russian text.

Protocol to the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems. Signed in Moscow, 3 July 1974. English and Russian text.

Protocol on Procedures Governing Replacement, Dismantling, or Destruction, and Notification Thereof, for ABM Systems and Their Components. Signed in Moscow, 3 July 1974. English text.

Procedures Governing Dismantling or Destruction, and Notification Thereof, for ABM Systems and Their Components. Signed in Moscow, 3 July 1974. English text.

Procedures Governing Replacement, Dismantling, or Destruction, and Notification Thereof, for ABM Systems and Their Components. Signed in Moscow, 3 July 1974. English text.

Supplementary Protocol to the Protocol on Procedures Governing Replacement, Dismantling, or Destruction, and Notification Thereof, for ABM Systems and Their Components of July 3, 1974. Signed in Geneva, 28 October 1976. English text.

Agreed Statement Regarding Section III, Paragraph 5 of the Procedures Governing Replacement, Dismantling, or Destruction, and Notification Thereof, for ABM Systems and Their Components Attached to the Supplementary Protocol of October 28, 1976. Signed in Geneva, 28 October 1976. English text. 

Decision on the Participation of CIS Member States in the Treaty Between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America on Limiting Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems. Signed in Bishkek, 9 October 1992. Russian text. 

Helsinki Joint Statement, 21 March 1997. English and Russian text.

President's Letter to the US Senate Concerning Approval of ABM Treaty Changes,  15 May 1997. English text.

Memorandum of Understanding on Successor States to the ABM Treaty. Signed in New York on 26 September 1997. English and Russian text.

Agreement on Confidence-Building Measures Related to Systems to Counter Ballistic Missiles Other Than Strategic Ballistic Missiles. Signed in New York on 26 September 1997. English and Russian text.

Joint Statement on the Annual Exchange of Information on the Status of Plans and Programs With Respect to Systems to Counter Ballistic Missiles Other Than Strategic Ballistic Missiles. Signed in New York on 26 September 1997. English text.

First Agreed Statement on Demarcation (Low-Velocity TMD). Signed in New York on 26 September 1997. English and Russian text.

Second Agreed Statement on Demarcation (High Velocity TMD). Signed in New York on 26 September 1997. English and Russian text.

Statement by the Russian Federation on Plans with Respect to Systems to Counter Ballistic Missiles Other Than Strategic Ballistic Missiles. 26 September 1997. English text.

Joint Statement Between the United States and the Russian Federation Concerning Strategic Offensive and Defensive Arms and Further Strengthening of Stability. Issued 20 June 1999 in Cologne. English and Russian text.

Joint Data Exchange Center Memorandum of Understanding. Signed 4 June 2000 in Moscow. English and Russian text. Appendix 1: Russian text. Appendix 2: Russian text. Appendix 3: Russian text. Appendix 4: Russian text. Appendix 5: Russian text. Appendix 6: Russian text.

Reply by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Representative Alexander Yakovenko to a question from the US television company CNN. 4 August 2000. English and Russian text.

Reply by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Representative Alexander Yakovenko to a question from Interfax News Agency. 15 August 2000. English and Russian text.

Statement by President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation in Connection with the Decision of President Clinton of the United States not to Assume an Obligation to Deploy a National Missile Defense. Issued on 4 September 2000 in Moscow. English and Russian text.

Statement by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, 4 September 2000. English and Russian text.

Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiative Implementation Plan. 11 September 2000. English and Russian text. {Entered 4/19/2001 MJ} {Updated 6/20/2002 MJ}

Page last updated 4 December 2002
For major recent developments, see the Strategic Forces General Developments file.

Comments or questions? Contact Nikolai Sokov (nsokovATmiis.edu) at MIIS CNS.

This material is produced independently for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2002 by MIIS.

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