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Soviet Union [USSR] Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Arms Control
Intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) are nuclear weapons
systems with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. They could be
used in a theater operation either at the outset of hostilities or
after nuclear escalation on the battlefield. INF arms control
became a Soviet concern in the 1980s, when United States nuclear
missiles were deployed in Western Europe to offset new Soviet INF
deployments on Soviet territory. Although the 1987 IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) led to the dismantling of
the most threatening, longer-range INF missiles, capable of hitting
Soviet territory, Soviet strategists viewed complete
denuclearization of Europe as the most desirable end of INF arms
control.
Data as of May 1989
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