Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was signed in 1987 by the United States and the Soviet Union, eliminating all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. It was the first arms control agreement to reduce nuclear arsenals rather than merely cap their growth, and it included extensive on-site verification provisions — a level of transparency unprecedented in superpower relations.

The treaty addressed a class of weapons that both sides found particularly destabilizing. Intermediate-range missiles in Europe had short flight times — as little as ten minutes — which meant that a decapitation strike against command and control centers could leave no time for retaliation decisions. This use