WMD 411 Chronology — 1992

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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

January 1992 [N] Russian President Boris Yeltsin reiterates Gorbachev's offer to negotiate with the United States on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT).

Jan 13 1992 [O] Russia announces its succession to the Soviet Union in all treaties. As such, Russia will assume the responsibilities and obligations contained in treaties to which the Soviet Union was a signatory.

Jan 20 1992 [N] North and South Korea agree to the Joint Declaration of South and North Korea on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, whereby both states agree not to "test, produce, receive, possess, store, deploy or use nuclear weapons; to use nuclear energy only for peaceful purposes; and not to possess facilities for nuclear reprocessing of uranium enrichment."

Jan 28 1992 [M] U.S. President George Bush in his State of the Union Address announces the cancellation of the Midgetman Missile Program and a halt to production of W-88 warheads and MX2 test missiles. He also announces that the production of the B-2 bomber will stop at 20 planes and that the production of advanced cruises missiles will be capped at 640 missiles.

Jan 31 1992 [B, N, C, O] At the meeting of the UN Security Council held at the level of heads of state or government, the Council emphasizes the threat that WMD proliferation constitutes to international peace and security.

Feb 1 1992 [B] Russian President Boris Yeltsin announces the end of Russian BW research, which had continued in secret after the U.S.SR had signed the BWC in April 1972. Yeltsin further states that several Russian BW centers and programs have already been closed and that no further budget allocations will be made for that program.

Feb 7 1992 [N] Foreign Secretary Shahryar Khan of Pakistan admits in an interview with the Washington Post that his country has the components to assemble at least one nuclear bomb.

Feb 17 1992 [N] The Joint Declaration of South and North Korea on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula enters into force (see January 20,1992 above).

March 9 1992 [N] China accedes to the NPT as a nuclear weapon state.

March 24 1992 [O] The Treaty on Open Skies is signed. Member states in Eurasia and North America agree to open their airspace, on a reciprocal basis, and to permit the over flight of their territory by unarmed observation aircraft in order to strengthen confidence and transparency with respect to their military activities. The treaty will enter into force after 20 states have deposited instruments of ratification.

April 3 1992 [N] The 27-member Nuclear Suppliers Group revises its "Guidelines for transfers of nuclear-related dual-use equipment, material and related technology," requiring full-scope safeguards as a condition of export.

April 8 1992 [N] French Premier Pierre Beregovoy announces that France will suspend nuclear testing.

May 21 1992 [N] China conducts a one-megaton underground nuclear weapon test, its largest test ever.

May 23 1992 [N] The United States signs the Lisbon Protocol to START I with Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, as successor states of the former U.S.SR in connection with START I. Under the protocol, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine agree to adhere to the NPT as non-nuclear-weapon states in the shortest possible time and they agree to transfer to Russia all nuclear weapons that remained on their territories after the dissolution of the U.S.SR.

June 1 1992 [N] The U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC) is dissolved and replaced with the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM). For the first time in U.S. history, the planning, targeting and wartime employment of nuclear forces came under the control of a single commander while the day-to-day training, equipping and maintenance responsibilities for its forces remained with the the air force and navy.

June 15 1992 [N] U.K. Defense Minister Tom King announces that the British Navy will no longer routinely carry nuclear weapons on their surface ships and that the weapons previously earmarked for this role will be destroyed.

June 16 1992 [N] President Bush and President Yeltsin sign a joint understanding, which limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads to 3,000-3,500 for each country by 2003. The joint understanding will become the basis for the START II.

June 17 1992 [N] Russian President Boris Yeltsin addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress, stating that the nuclear weapons of the Cold War "turned out to be obsolete and unnecessary to mankind. And it is now simply a matter of calculating the best way and the best time schedule for destroying them and getting rid of them."

June 17 1992 [M] The United States and Russia agree to create a high-level group to explore the concept of a Global Protection System (GPS). Discussions will include: the sharing of early warning information and the establishment of an early warning center; cooperation in developing ballistic missile defense capabilities and technologies; and the development of a legal framework for cooperation that would include new treaties and agreements and possible amendment of existing treaties and agreements necessary to implement a GPS.

July 2 1992 [N] The Kazakhstani parliament ratifies START I.

July 13 1992 [N] President Bush announced a nonproliferation initiative that includes an end to the U.S. production of HEU and plutonium for weapons purposes.

July 13 1992 [M] A senior level U.S. government official reports that U.S. presidential candidate Bill Clinton would adhere to the "narrow," or "traditional," interpretation of the ABM Treaty. According to the 'narrow' interpretation of the ABM Treaty, the development, testing, and deployment of sea-based, air-based, space-based, and mobile land-based ABM systems and components are prohibited.

Aug 3 1992 [N] France accedes to the NPT as a nuclear weapon state.

Aug 4 1992 [N] The U.S. Senate votes 68 to 26 for a nine-month moratorium on nuclear weapons testing beginning October 1, 1992, and a final cut-off of all testing and completion of a comprehensive test ban treaty by September 30, 1996.

Aug 19 1992 [C] The India-Pakistan Agreement on Chemical Weapons is signed, providing for "the complete prohibition of chemical weapons." The agreement commits both governments to sign the CWC, but does not commit them to ratify the treaty.

Sept 3 1992 [C] The Conference on Disarmament agrees on the CWC and forwards it to the United Nations.

Sept 3 1992 [C] United Nations approves the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (CWC).

Sept 10-11 1992 [B] A U.K.-U.S.-Russian Joint Statement on Biological Weapons is issued at the conclusion of a trilateral meeting in Moscow. The three states agree to information exchange about past offensive BW research activities and reciprocal site visits to military and non-military facilities of possible compliance concern. These measures are intended to remove any questions about whether the three states have BW and thus to demonstrate full compliance with the 1972 BWC.

Oct 2 1992 [N] President Bush signs the Hatfield Amendment into law and establishes a nine-month, unilateral nuclear testing moratorium. President Clinton will subsequently extend the moratorium through September 1994 and then through September 1996.

Oct 9 1992 [O, M] The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the states that once formed the Soviet Union, sign the Bishkek Agreement pledging to support and implement the ABM Treaty.

Oct 19 1992 [N] President Yeltsin extends the Russian nuclear testing moratorium until July 1, 1993.

Oct 22-23 1992 [N] Belarus agrees to transfer its nuclear missiles to Russia.

Nov 3 1992 [M] U.S. President-elect Bill Clinton announces his support of the development and deployment of theater missile defense (TMD) systems to protect U.S. troops from short- and medium-range missiles.

Dec 10 1992 [C] The Australia Group issues its first joint background paper on the group's efforts to harmonize national export controls on precursor chemicals that could be used to manufacture CW, to share information, and to curb the use of CW.

Dec 13 1992 [N] The Kazakhstani parliament ratifies the NPT.

Dec 13 1992 [N] President Carlos Menem of Argentina and President Fernando Collor de Mello of Brazil sign a pledge not to build nuclear weapons. Under the terms of the pledge, each state has the right to inspect the other's nuclear installations to ensure compliance.

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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 © 2008 by MIIS.