Narrative
Treaty Text
Protocols
As the result of a U.S. initiative, President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev agreed at the November 1985 Geneva Summit to have experts explore the possibility of establishing centers to reduce the risk of nuclear war. The impetus for this initiative grew out of consultations between the Executive Branch and Congress, particularly Senators Sam Nunn and John Warner. U.S. and Soviet experts held informal meetings in Geneva on May 5-6 and August 25, 1986. In October 1986, at their meeting in Reykjavik, President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev indicated satisfaction with the progress made at the experts meetings and agreed to begin formal negotiations to establish Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers. Those negotiations were held in Geneva on January 13 and May 3-4, 1987.
The negotiations resulted in the Agreement that was signed in Washington September 15, 1987, by Secretary of State Shultz and Foreign Minister Shevardnadze.
Under the Agreement, which is of unlimited duration, each party agreed to establish a Nuclear Risk Reduction Center in its capital and to establish a special facsimile communications link between these Centers. These Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers became operational on April 1, 1988. The American National Center (known as the NRRC) is located in Washington, D.C. in the Department of State. The Soviet National Center became the Russian National Center with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and is located in Moscow in the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense.
The Centers are intended to supplement existing means of communication and provide direct, reliable, high-speed systems for the transmission of notifications and communications at the Government-to-Government level. The Centers communicate by direct satellite links that can transmit rapidly full texts and graphics. In this respect, the Centers have a communications capability very similar to -- but separate from -- the modernized "Hot Line," which is reserved for Heads of Government.
The Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers do not replace normal diplomatic channels of communication or the "Hot Line," nor are they intended to have a crisis management role. The principal function of the Centers is to exchange information and notifications as required under various arms control treaties and other confidence-building agreements.
There are two protocols to the NRRC Agreement. Protocol I identifies the notifications the parties agreed to exchange. These include ballistic missile launches required under Article 4 of the 1971 Agreement on Measures to Reduce the Risk of Outbreak of Nuclear War and under paragraph 1 of Article VI of the 1972 Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents on and over the High Seas.
The Agreement provides that the list of notifications transmitted through the Centers may be altered by agreement between the Parties as relevant new agreements are reached. Since the Agreement was signed, the Parties have additionally agreed to exchange through the Centers inspection and compliance notifications, as well as other information, required under the INF Treaty, and notifications called for under the Ballistic Missile Launch Notification Agreement.1
The Centers may be used for the transmission by either side of additional communications as a display of "good-will" and with a view to building confidence.
Protocol II establishes the technical specifications of the communications and facsimile links, the operating procedures to be employed, and the terms for transfer of, and payment for, equipment required by the system.2
To help ensure the smooth operation of the Centers, the Agreement calls for regular meetings at least once a year between representatives of the two national centers to discuss operation of the system.
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1 Additionally, the Parties have agreed to use the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers to transmit notifications under the following: the Agreement on Advance Notification of Major Strategic Exercises; the START I and START II Treaties, the Wyoming MOU; the Threshold Test Ban Treaty; and the Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes Treaty. Both the American and Russian Centers have also assumed responsibility for their governments in transmitting messages related to the CFE Treaty, the CSBM notifications under Vienna Document 94 and the Open Skies Treaty via the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Communications Network.
2 Both Parties have agreed to a modernization of communications equipment that updates the terminal equipment (replacing the facsimile capability with scanned files transfer) and should become fully operational in late 1995. Under separate agreements with Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, the U.S. NRRC operates similar communications links with those countries in support of the START I and INF Treaties.
Signed at Washington September 15, 1987
Entered into force September 15, 1987
The United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, hereinafter referred to as the Parties,
Affirming their desire to reduce and ultimately eliminate the risk of outbreak of nuclear war, in particular, as a result of misinterpretation, miscalculation, or accident,
Believing that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,
Believing that agreement on measures for reducing the risk of outbreak of nuclear war serves the interests of strengthening international peace and security,
Reaffirming their obligations under the Agreement on Measures to Reduce the Risk of Outbreak of Nuclear War between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of September 30, 1971, and the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Prevention of Incidents on and over the High Seas of May 25, 1972,
Have agreed as follows:
Each Party shall establish, in its capital, a national Nuclear Risk Reduction Center that shall operate on behalf of and under the control of its respective Government.
The Parties shall use the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers to transmit notifications identified in Protocol I which constitutes an integral part of this Agreement.
In the future, the list of notifications transmitted through the Centers may be altered by agreement between the Parties, as relevant new agreements are reached.
The Parties shall establish a special facsimile communications link between their national Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers in accordance with Protocol II which constitutes an integral part of this Agreement.
The Parties shall staff their national Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers as they deem appropriate, so as to ensure their normal functioning.
The Parties shall hold regular meetings between representatives of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers at least once each year to consider matters related to the functioning of such Centers.
This Agreement shall not affect the obligations of either Party under other agreements.
This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of its signature.
The duration of this Agreement shall not be limited.
This Agreement may be terminated by either Party upon 12 months written notice to the other Party.
DONE at Washington on September 15, 1987, in two copies, each in the English and Russian languages, both texts being equally authentic.
FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
George P. Shultz
FOR THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS:
Eduard A. Shevardnadze
Pursuant to the provisions and in implementation of the Agreement between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Establishment of Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers, the Parties have agreed as follows:
The Parties shall transmit the following types of notifications through the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers:
(b) notifications of ballistic missile launches under paragraph 1 of Article VI of the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Prevention of Incidents on and over the High Seas of May 25, 1972.
The scope and format of the information to be transmitted through the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers shall be agreed upon.
Each Party also may, at its own discretion as a display of good will and with a view to building confidence, transmit through the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers communications other than those provided for under Article 1 of this Protocol.
Unless the Parties agree otherwise, all communications transmitted through and communications procedures of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers' communication link will be confidential.
This Protocol shall enter into force on the date of its signature and shall remain in force as long as the Agreement between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Establishment of Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers of September 15, 1987, remains in force.
DONE at Washington on September 15, 1987, in two copies, each in the English and Russian languages, both texts being equally authentic.
FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
George P. Shultz
FOR THE UNION OF SOVIET AMERICA SOCIALIST REPUBLICS:
Eduard A. Shevardnadze
Pursuant to the provisions and in implementation of the Agreement between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Establishment of Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers, the Parties have agreed as follows:
To establish and maintain for the purpose of providing direct facsimile communications between their national Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers, established in accordance with Article 1 of this Agreement, hereinafter referred to as the national Centers, an INTELSAT satellite circuit and a STATSIONAR satellite circuit, each with a secure orderwire communications capability for operational monitoring. In this regard:
(b) Each Party shall provide communications circuits capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving 4800 bits per second;
(c) Communication shall begin with test operation of the INTELSAT satellite circuit, as soon as purchase, delivery and installation of the necessary equipment by the Parties are completed. Thereafter, taking into account the results of test operations, the Parties shall agree on the transition to a fully operational status;
(d) To the extent practicable, test operation of the STATSIONAR satellite circuit shall begin simultaneously with test operation of the INTELSAT satellite circuit. Taking into account the results of test operations, the Parties shall agree on the transition to a fully operational status.
To employ agreed-upon information security devices to assure secure transmission of facsimile messages. In this regard:
(b) Each Party shall provide, through its Embassy, necessary keying material to the other.
To establish and maintain at each operating end of the two circuits, facsimile terminals of the same make and model. In this regard:
(b) A Group III facsimile unit which meets CCITT Recommendations T.4 and T.30 and operates at 4800 bits per second shall be used;
(c) Direct facsimile messages from the USSR national Center to the U.S. national Center shall be transmitted and received in the Russian language, and from the U.S. national Center to the USSR national Center in the English language;
(d) Transmission and operating procedures shall be in conformity with procedures employed on the Direct Communications Link and adapted as necessary for the purpose of communications between the national Centers.
To establish and maintain a secure orderwire communications capability necessary to coordinate facsimile operation. In this regard:
(b) To coordinate the work of operators, the orderwire shall be configured so as to permit, prior to the transmission and reception of messages, the exchange of all information pertinent to the coordination of such messages;
(c) Orderwire messages concerning transmissions shall be encoded using the same information security devices specified in paragraph (a) of Article 2;
(d) The orderwire shall use the same modem and communications link as used for facsimile message transmission;
(e) A printer shall be included to provide a record copy of all information exchanged on the orderwire.
To use the same type of equipment and the same maintenance procedures as currently in use for the Direct Communications Link for the establishment of direct facsimile communications between the national Centers. The equipment, security devices, and spare parts necessary for telecommunications links and the orderwire shall be provided by the United States side to the Soviet side in return for payment of costs thereof by the Soviet side.
To ensure the exchange of information necessary for the operation and maintenance of the telecommunication system and equipment configuration.
To take all possible measures to assure the continuous, secure and reliable operation of the equipment and communications link, including the orderwire, for which each Party is responsible in accordance with this Protocol.
To determine, by mutual agreement between technical experts of the Parties, the distribution and calculation of expenses for putting into operation the communication link, its maintenance and further development.
To convene meetings of technical experts of the Parties in order to consider initially questions pertaining to the practical implementation of the activities provided for in this Protocol and, thereafter, by mutual agreement and as necessary for the purpose of improving telecommunications and information technology in order to achieve the mutually agreed functions of the national Centers.
This Protocol shall enter into force on the date of its signature and shall remain in force as long as the Agreement Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Establishment of Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers of September 15, 1987, remains in force.
DONE at Washington on September 15, 1987, in two copies, each in the English and Russian languages, both texts being equally authentic.
FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
George P. Shultz
FOR THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS:
Eduard A. Shevardnadze
