Photo credit: China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology CSS-3 being Prepared for Launch

The Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START I) treaty, which entered into force in December 1994, limits the United States and Russia to no more than 6,000 warheads each (including those on ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers) by December 2001. If the START II treaty and the associated New York protocols enter into force, the United States and Russia will each be limited to no more than 3,500 warheads, and ICBMs with MIRV payloads will be banned after 2007.