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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