Updated March 2021 The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty was an agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union that limited the number of ground-based anti-ballistic missile systems and sites that each side could have. Both parties also agreed not to develop sea-based, air-based, or space-based ABM systems. After the fall of the Soviet Union, […]
Fact Sheet: The Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT)
The Treaty on the Limitation of Underground Nuclear Weapon Tests, commonly known as the Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT), is a bilateral agreement between the United States and Soviet Union (now Russia). Signed in 1974, the Treaty prohibits underground nuclear weapons tests greater than 150 kilotons, approximately 10 times larger than the bomb used against […]
Fact Sheet: The Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT)
The Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) (also known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty) is a multilateral treaty banning explosive nuclear testing or “other nuclear explosions” in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater. The treaty only permits underground nuclear testing if the test does not cause radioactive debris to be present outside the jurisdiction of […]
Fact Sheet: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (also known as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT) is an international agreement designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote cooperation between states on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and advance nuclear disarmament. The NPT was opened for signature on July 1, 1968, and the […]
Fact Sheet: The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
Updated January 2025 The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral agreement that prohibits the explosive testing of nuclear weapons. The CTBT opened for signatures on September 24, 1996, but the agreement is still in the ratification stage. The United States has signed, but has not yet ratified the treaty. The United States conducted […]
