WMD 411 Chronology — 1997

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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 7 1997 [B, C] The Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses finds no conclusive evidence linking Gulf War Syndrome to exposure to chemical (CW) or biological weapons (BW).

March 6 1997 [M] The U.S. Army's THAAD missile interceptor fails to intercept the target during a test at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This was the seventh test of the system and the first mission in which the entire THAAD system was integrated and tested.

March 13 1997 [N] The European Parliament calls on all members to support negotiations leading to the conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention.

March 21 1997 [C] The U.S. and Russian presidents agree at the Helsinki Summit to "expedite ratification in each of the two countries" and to press their legislatures to ratify the CWC.

April 7-18 1997 [N] The first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2000 NPT Review Conference is held in New York.

April 24 1997 [C] The United States ratifies the CWC.

April 29 1997 [C] The CWC enters into force. By this date, 88 states have ratified the treaty including four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Great Britain, and the United States).

May 16 1997 [N] The IAEA Board of Governors approves the Model Additional Protocol (INFCIRC/540), which strengthens safeguards to protect nuclear technology and to ensure that such technology is only used for peaceful purposes.

July 2 1997 [N] The United States conducts an underground sub-critical nuclear weapons test at the Nevada Test Site. Scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory conduct the test.

Aug 31 1997 [M] North Korea test-fired a multi-stage Taepodong-1 missile over the main Japanese island of Honshu. In describing the test, North Korea reported that it had launched a satellite into orbit via a multi-stage rocket.

Sept 8 1997 [N] Alexander Lebed, former Russian National Security Advisor, claims that 100 suitcase-sized nuclear bombs are unaccounted for.

Sept 18 1997 [N] The United States conducts a sub-critical nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site.

Sept 26 1997 [N] During a meeting in New York, the United States and Russia sign a protocol to the START II Treaty that extends the deadline for completing the nuclear reductions from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2007. Officials from Russia, the United States, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus also sign an ABM Demarcation Agreement. The agreement outlines criteria that distinguish TMD systems from strategic ballistic missile defense systems.

Oct 31 1997 [C] Russia ratifies the CWC. By this date, 104 countries have ratified the CWC.

Nov 1997 [N] U.S. President Clinton signs Presidential Decision Directive 60 (PDD 60) on U.S. nuclear warfare policy. Under the directive, the U.S. military will no longer prepare to win a protracted nuclear war. PDD 60 would reserve the option to use nuclear weapons in response to a chemical or biological weapons attack against the United States.

Dec 1997 [N] This is the warhead reduction deadline under START I; the United States is ahead of schedule.

Dec 19 1997 [M, N] Russia's Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev announces that Russia will begin deploying a new ballistic missile, the Topol-M. The advanced version of the Topol ICBM carries a single nuclear warhead and can be deployed in silos or on mobile launchers. The new missile is cheaper and more accurate than its predecessor, and is intended to become the backbone of Russia's strategic forces.

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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.