The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II (START II) complemented START I. START I’s provisions were unchanged; START II established a limit on strategic weapons and required that reductions be implemented in two phases. Phase I obligated the United States and Russia to reduce their arms to a certain quantitative limit by the end of the phase. Phase II obligated the states to eliminate all heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by the end of the phase. States were verified by on-site inspections, like in START I, but START II also included inspections to confirm the elimination of ICBMs and their silo launchers. START II created the Bilateral Implementation Commission (BIC) as a forum where the United States and the Russian Federation could work towards compliance.
Opened for Signature: 3 January 1993
Entry into force: never
Official Text: https://2009-2017.state.gov/t/avc/trty/102887.htm
ACA Backgrounder: https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/start2
Brief Chronology: https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/start2chron
The 1997 START II/ABM Package at a Glance: https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/pack