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86. U.S. statement at JCIC XXX concerning reentry vehicle inspections of SS-25 ICBMs (May 23, 2007)

UNCLASSIFIED ANNEX
TO
U.S. Closing Plenary Statement
May 23, 2007

JCIC Coordinated Plenary Statement
on
Reentry Vehicle Inspections of SS-25 ICBMs

The United States of America notes that in order to confirm that the SS-25 ICBM is not deployed with more reentry vehicles than the number of warheads attributed to it under the START Treaty, the Russian Federation, as the inspected Party, conducted a demonstration in connection with reentry vehicle inspections of the SS-25 ICBM (hereinafter, the demonstration) for the United States of America, as the inspecting Party, at Vypolzovo ICBM base for road-mobile launchers of ICBMs on February 14-16, 2006. The results of the demonstration are recorded in the demonstration report signed by the representatives of the inspecting and inspected Parties on February 16, 2006. The report contains the results of the official measurements of additional cover parameters made during the demonstration:

  • Outside diameter of the outer ring of the front rigid element - 134 centimeters;
  • Outside diameter of the outer ring of the rear rigid element - 132 centimeters;
  • Smallest inside diameter of the inner ring of the rear rigid element - 87 centimeters;
  • Length of the assembled cover - 229 centimeters

In this connection, the United States of America understands that the Russian Federation will supplement the existing procedures for conducting reentry vehicle inspections of SS-25 ICBMs with procedures for additional measurements of the covers used during such inspections, as well as additional procedures for visual examination and the use of seals. These procedures are intended to confirm that the cover used during a reentry vehicle inspection of an SS-25 ICBM (hereinafter, the cover) has been installed on the front section of the inspected missile in the same configuration as was observed during the demonstration:

1. Prior to presenting the rear rigid element of the cover to the inspectors for visual examination and measurement, escort personnel will install on it a single wire cable, with this being done in such a way that this wire cable is threaded through each component of the rigid element of the cover in such a manner as to preclude the possibilityof disassembling it.

2. Prior to installation of the cover on the reentry vehicle, the inspectors will visually examine the aforementioned wire cable to ascertain its integrity and to ascertain that it is threaded through each component of the rear rigid element of the cover. After the examination the inspectors will seal the ends of the wire cable, using their own seal.

3. When the SS-25 ICBM is being prepared for inspection (before the cover is installed on the reentry vehicle of the inspected ICBM) inspectors will measure the rigid elements for attaching the cover: the outside diameter of the outer ring of the front rigid element; the outside diameter of the outer ring of the rear rigid element; the smallest inside diameter of the inner ring of the rear rigid element; and the length of the assembled cover.

4. The inspectors will ascertain visually that the spokes of the front rigid element of the cover are longer than the spokes of the rear rigid element of the cover.

5. Prior to installation of the cover on the reentry vehicle, the escort personnel will wrap an auxiliary cord around one of the spokes of the rear rigid element of the cover. The cord must be long enough that the tied ends of the cord can be extended beyond the cover on the reentry vehicle, for purposes of observation during the 15-minute examination of the front section.

6. The inspectors will examine the aforementioned auxiliary cord to ascertain its integrity and will seal the ends of the cord, which have first been tied, with two seals that make it impossible to untie the cord without damaging these seals.

7. The cover, including the rear rigid element, will be installed on the reentry vehicle in such a way that the inspectors can observe the tied and sealed ends of the auxiliary cord during the 15-minute examination of the front section and thereby ascertain that the rear rigid element of the cover is the same element that was presented for examination earlier.

8. Upon completion of the 15-minute examination of the front section and removal of the cover from it, the rear rigid element of the cover will be presented to the inspection team so that it can confirm the integrity of the wire cable, the auxiliary cord, and the three previously applied seals. Upon confirmation of seal integrity, the inspectors will remove the seals. The removed seals will be eliminated in the presence of the inspectors.

The measurements of each of the above-mentioned parameters of the cover will be made twice during the inspection. The results of these two measurements will be averaged. The results of all the measurements and the average values will be recorded in the inspection report.

Provided that the average values of each of the above-mentioned parameters differ from the results of the measurements recorded in the demonstration report by no more than five percent, the inspecting Party:

  • as a note in Section II of the inspection report, in the second column of the line headed "Does the missile front section contain more reentry vehicles than the number of warheads attributed to it? (Yes/No)," will insert the symbol "*" and will note in a footnote on that page that the symbol "*" relates to the relevant note in Section IV of the inspection report;

  • will include the following as a note in Section IV of the inspection report:

"In addition to the reentry vehicle inspection procedures for the SS-25 ICBM, additional measurements of the cover used by the inspected Party to cover the front section, which are analogous to the measurements made during the demonstration on February 14-16, 2006, at Vypolzovo ICBM base for road-mobile launchers of ICBMs, were performed during this inspection. Inspectors also ascertained that the rear rigid element of the cover was not disassembled and that it was installed on the reentry vehicle as it had been during the demonstration.

"The measurement results specified in this report, as well as the results of viewing the cover elements and their placement on the reentry vehicle demonstrate that the cover used during the inspection is analogous to the cover used during the demonstration, and that during the inspection it was installed on the missile reentry vehicle in the same manner as during the demonstration.

"Thus, it has been indirectly confirmed that the front section of the inspected ICBM contains no more reentry vehicles than the number of warheads attributed to it."

In this connection, the United States of America understands that the Russian Federation will be prepared to use the aforementioned additional procedures during each reentry vehicle inspection of SS-25 ICBMs, beginning 45 days after all the Parties exchange statements on this matter.

The United States of America notes that this statement, and the statements made by the other Parties on this matter, will enter into force 30 days after completion of the first reentry vehicle inspection of SS-25 ICBMs conducted after all Parties exchange such statements, provided that during those 30 days, the United States of America does not raise questions through diplomatic channels that: 1) were recorded in the report for that inspection; 2) addressed the inability of inspectors to confirm indirectly that the inspected SS-25 ICBM contained no more reentry vehicles than the number of warheads attributed to it; and, 3) were not resolved on-site during the inspection.


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