WMD 411 Chronology — 1996

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Produced by the Monterey Institute's Center for Nonproliferation Studies

KEY: [B] Biological, [C] Chemical, [M] Missile, [N] Nuclear, [O] Organization [T] Terrorism

Jan 26 1996 [N] The U.S. Senate ratifies START II by overwhelming majority, but with agreed interpretations and conditions. The ratification text states that "the United States is committed to proceeding with a robust Stockpile Stewardship program, and to maintain nuclear weapons production capabilities and capacities that will ensure the safety, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear arsenal at the START II level."

Jan 27 1996 [N] France conducts its sixth and final nuclear test, exploding a 120-kiloton nuclear device at Fangataufa atoll.

Jan 29 1996 [N] France declares a moratorium on nuclear testing in the South Pacific, after conducting six tests—two short of the eight explosions originally planned. International protests, including New Zealand's unsuccessful appeal to the International Court of Justice at The Hague to stop the French tests, had prompted France to reduce the original number of nuclear tests.

Feb 1 1996 [N] President Chirac announces that France has finished testing "once and for all" and states that he is prepared to push for completion of a zero-yield CTBT in 1996.

Feb 22 1996 [N] President Chirac announces that in an effort to economize, France will stop producing plutonium and weapons-grade uranium for nuclear weapons, scrap its 18 land-based nuclear missiles and dismantle the Hades short-range mobile missile.

March 1996 [N] The United States, South Korea, and Japan establish the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to implement the 1994 Agreed Framework.

March 6 1996 [M] The United States announces a reoriented missile defense program that gives priority to theater missile defense systems (TMD) against short-range missiles. The United States will defer deployment decisions on the most advanced TMD systems (THAAD and the Navy upper-tier) until after the year 2000. The Navy upper-tier systems would engage enemy ballistic missiles further away from the target and at higher altitudes than TMD systems. The United States plans to begin a national missile defense (NMD) "3-plus-3" program. Over the next three years, the basic elements of an NMD system will be developed that could be deployed in three more years if a threat emerges that would justify such a decision.

March 25 1996 [N] The United States, France, and the United Kingdom sign the three protocols to the South Pacific Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (the Treaty of Rarotonga) obligating them not to manufacture, acquire, test, or station any nuclear explosive device in the South Pacific. The United States, France, and the United Kingdom declare that internationally recognized Nuclear Weapon Free Zones, created "on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned," can contribute to international peace and security.

March 26 1996 [M] The U.S. Army's THADD missile interceptor fails to intercept the target during a test at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This is the fifth test of THAAD and the system's first failure to intercept a target.

April 11 1996 [N] The Treaty on the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (the Treaty of Pelindaba) is opened for signature. Forty-three nations sign the Pelindaba Treaty and thereby pledge not to build, test, or stockpile nuclear weapons. The United States signs the protocol, agreeing to abide by the terms of the treaty.

May 13 1996 [C] The United Kingdom ratifies the CWC.

June 1 1996 [N] Ukraine transfers the last inherited Soviet nuclear warhead on its territory to Russia for destruction.

June 4 1996 [N] After two years of negotiations, France and the United States agree to share nuclear weapons data from computer simulated nuclear explosions.

June 6 1996 [N] Sha Zukang, China's chief delegate to the CTBT negotiations announces that China has abandoned its long-standing insistence on the right to conduct peaceful nuclear explosions and expresses the hope that an international treaty banning all nuclear testing will be concluded by the end of the year.

June 8 1996 [N] China conducts its 44th nuclear weapons test at its Lop Nor test site. After the test, China announces it will conduct one more test later in the year.

June 20 1996 [N] India announces it will not sign the CTBT as drafted because it would still permit the nuclear weapon states to "continue refining and developing their nuclear arsenal" and because the CTBT does not require nuclear disarmament.

June 24 1996 [M] The United States and Russia conclude an initial agreement that demarcates strategic ballistic missiles defenses (ABM systems) and certain defenses against non-strategic ballistic missiles ("lower-velocity" theater missile defenses). This agreement would permit all TMD systems with interceptor velocities up to and including three kilometers per second under the ABM Treaty. The interceptors cannot be tested against target missiles with velocities above five kilometers per second or ranges greater than 3,500 kilometers. The United States and Russia agree to continue discussions on demarcation of higher-velocity TMD systems.

July 25 1996 [M] Russia successfully test-fires its Topol-M missile, a long-range missile. This is the third successful flight test for the Topol-M, which is the only new ICBM in production and as such it will become the backbone of Russia's ICBM force.

July 29 1996 [N] China conducts its 45th nuclear test and then declares a moratorium on nuclear testing.

Aug 14 1996 [N] The Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons issues its report, finding that nuclear weapons diminish the security of all states, including the nuclear weapon states. The Commission calls upon the five declared nuclear weapons states to commit themselves "unequivocally to the elimination of nuclear weapons and agree to start work immediately on the practical steps and negotiations required for its achievement."

Sept 10 1996 [N] The UN General Assembly adopts a CTBT by a vote of 158 to three (India, Bhutan, and Libya), with five abstentions (Cuba, Lebanon, Syria, Mauritius, and Tanzania).

Sept 24 1996 [N] The CTBT is opened for signature in New York. Seventy-one states, including all five nuclear-weapon states, sign the treaty on that day.

Sept 26 1996 [O, N] The United States, Russia, and Norway sign the Arctic Military and Environmental Cooperation Declaration for cleaning up nuclear waste dumped in the Arctic by the former Soviet military and for preventing future pollution from military activities.

Oct 31 1996 [C] Hungary becomes the 65th nation to ratify the CWC. According to the terms of the CWC, the treaty will enter into force on April 29, 1997.

Oct 31 1996 [M] The United States and Russia cancel the signing ceremony for "first-phase" demarcation agreement on lower-velocity TMD systems (see June 24, 1996 entry above). The United States and Russia blame each other for the last minute cancellation. Russia refuses to sign and allow entry into force of the first-phase agreement unless a second-phase agreement on more capable systems is concluded. The United States wants the two agreements to remain separate and cancels the signing. (See entry from September 2, 1997.)

Nov 19 1996 [N] The Preparatory Commission for the CTBT Organization is established with its seat in Vienna.

Nov 25-Dec 6 1996 [B] The fourth review conference on the BTWC meets in Geneva, but members are unable to agree on measures to strengthen verification provisions of the 1972 BTWC. Conference members instead call on the Ad Hoc Group to prepare such verification provisions.

Nov 27 1996 [N] Belarus transfers the last missile from the Soviet nuclear arsenal remaining on its territory to Russia for destruction. Belarus joins Ukraine and Kazakhstan as former Soviet Republics that have given up all their nuclear arms.

Dec 10 1996 [N] The UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 51/45M calling for negotiations in 1997 leading to a Nuclear Weapons Convention which would prohibit nuclear weapons.

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