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E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2019
TAGS: KACT MARR PARM PREL RS US START
SUBJECT: START FOLLOW-ON NEGOTIATIONS, GENEVA
(SFO-GVA-VII): (U) MEETING OF THE DEFINITIONS SUBGROUP OF
THE TREATY TEXT AND DEFINITIONS WORKING GROUP, DECEMBER 09,
2009

REF: A. A) GENEVA 1178 (SFO-GVA-VII-093)

B. B) GENEVA 1222 (SFO-GVA-VII-113)

Classified By: A/S Rose E. Gottemoeller, United States
START Negotiator. Reasons: 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) This is SFO-GVA-VII-115.


2. (U) Meeting Date: December 9, 2009
Time: 3:30 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
Place: Russian Mission, Geneva

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SUMMARY
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3. (S) A meeting of the Definitions Subgroup of the Treaty
Text and Definitions Working Group met on December 9 and
agreed to drop four terms, "support equipment," "mobile
training launcher," "solid rocket motor," and "air-to-surface
ballistic missile"; to send three terms to the conforming
group, "production facility," "mobile launcher of ICBMs,"
"conversion or elimination facility"; and agreed to continue
discussion on seven terms, "basing area," "ICBM base," "new
type," "nuclear warhead," "transit," "version," and
"variant." The Russian side proposed deletion of five
telemetry-related terms, "ICBM or SLBM the final stage of
which executes a procedure for dispensing reentry vehicles,"
"residual propellant," "payload," "launch weight," and
"procedure for dispensing reentry vehicles."


4. (S) SUBJECT SUMMARY: Agreed to Drop; Sent to Conforming;
Additional Discussions; and Telemetry-Related Items.

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AGREED TO DROP
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5. (S) The Definitions Subgroup agreed to drop three terms
from the Terms and Definitions List because they were not
used in the text or did not exist:

-- "Support equipment" was not used in the treaty or protocol;

-- Russia did not possess "mobile training launchers" and
they were not listed in the treaty; and

-- "Solid rocket motors" were no longer used.


6. (S) The term "air-to-surface ballistic missile (ASBM)"
was no longer used in Article V and the sides agreed to drop
the term, while reserving the right to reinstate it, if
necessary.

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SENT TO CONFORMING
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7. (S) The following terms were sent to the Conforming Group:

- The term "conversion or elimination facility" means: (a)
for ICBMs or SLBMs, a specified facility for the elimination



of ICBMs, SLBMs and launch canisters; (b) for mobile
launchers of ICBMs, a specified facility for the conversion
or elimination of mobile launchers of ICBMs; (c) for SLBM
launchers, a specified facility for the conversion or
elimination of SLBM launchers; and (d) for heavy bombers, a
specified facility for the conversion of heavy bombers, or
the elimination of heavy bombers.

-- The term "mobile launcher of ICBMs" means an
erector-launcher mechanism for launching ICBMs and the
self-propelled device on which it is mounted.

-- The term "production facility" means: (a) for ICBMs or
SLBMs, a facility at which:

(I) ICBMs or SLBMs that are maintained, stored, and
transported as assembled missiles in their launch canisters,
are assembled, including the joining of all stages and the
loading of such missiles into launch canisters;

(ii) ICBMs or SLBMs that are maintained, stored, and
transported as assembled missiles without launch canisters,
are assembled, including the joining of two or more stages;

(iii) first stages of ICBMs or SLBMs that are
maintained, stored, and transported in stages are assembled;

(b) for ballistic missile submarines, a facility at which
construction of ballistic missile submarines is performed;
(c) for mobile launchers of ICBMs, a facility at which the
erector-launcher mechanism of a mobile launcher of ICBMs is
mounted on the self-propelled device; (d) for heavy bombers,
a facility at which assembly of a complete heavy bomber
airframe is performed.

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ADDITIONAL DISCUSSIONS
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8. (S) ADM Kuznetsov suggested discussing the term "new
type" as a follow-on to Col Kamenskiy's presentation at the
last meeting (Ref A). Mr. Siemon indicated that he did not
have the instructions he needed to have a constructive
discussion.


9. (S) Siemon distributed new definitions for "basing area"
and "ICBM base" and stated that if these terms could be
agreed, then the "re stricted area" and "deployment area"
could be deleted. Mr. Connell explained that the terms were
intended to better align the definitions with their use in
the MOU. Kuznetsov questioned whether the area limitations
referred to area or geographic coordinates and said he would
check with his MOU experts. The proposed definitions were:

-- The term "basing area" means an area within an ICBM base
for mobile launchers of ICBMs, limited in size, in which
deployed mobile launchers of ICBMsand their associated
missiles are based and in whch fixed structures for mobile
launchers of ICBMs may be located.

-- The term "ICBM base" means: (a) for mobile launchers of
ICBMs, an area limited in size, within which routine



movements of deployed mobile launchers of ICBMs and their
associated missiles are conducted, and in which one or more
basing areas and one associated maintenance facility are
located; (b) for silo launchers of ICBMs, an area in which
one or more groups of silo launchers of ICBMs and one
associated maintenance facility are located.


10. (S) A review of the treaty text showed that the term
"version" was used in the Inspection Protocol to outline the
information to be provided to the inspection team upon
arrival on-site. The sides agreed that "support equipment"
and "SLBM" were not needed to describe "version" and agreed
to revisit the definition at the next meeting.


11. (S) Kuznetsov raised the definition of "deployed heavy
bomber" and associated counting rule issues with respect to
the term "air base," particularly in respect to B1-Bs. The
U.S. side acknowledged that this same issue had been
discussed during the Ad Hoc Group meeting earlier in the day
(Ref B) and was not able to provide any more information.


12. (S) The Russian side initiated the discussion of the term
"warhead" (Begin comment: The United States had proposed
"nuclear warhead." End comment.) and Kuznetsov asked Mr.
Dean to "look at it from the angle of exclusion." The
already conformed term of "heavy bomber equipped for nuclear
armaments" was raised with respect to the use of the word
"nuclear bombs" in the definition. Kuznetsov floated the
idea of changing it to "warhead." The sides agreed to review
the term with delegation experts.


13. (S) Kamenskiy outlined his technical objections to the
U.S.-proposed definition of the term "new type," a term used
in the Inspection Protocol that included a ten percent change
in launch weight or five percent change in length of the
first stage, or three percent change in the diameter of the
first stage as criteria. The U.S. side explained that it was
unable to work on this term until it received instructions.


14. (S) In discussing the term "transit," the need for
including launch canisters in the definition was questioned
by the Russian side. Their reasoning was that launch
canisters for the purpose of SOA are disposable and would not
be moved for any purpose subject to the provisions of the
treaty. They therefore asked whether notification for these
items would be necessary. The sides agreed to check with the
Conversion or Elimination Working Group before finalizing
this term.

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TELEMETRY-RELATED TERMS
--------------


15. (S) Kamenskiy proposed another term for agreement,
"stage," and requested the deletion of an additional five
terms, "ICBM or SLBM the final stage of which executes a
procedure for dispensing reentry vehicles," "residual
propellant," "payload," "launch weight," "procedure for
dispensing reentry vehicles." His rationale for deleting the
terms was that they would only be used in a throw weight
protocol, which was not included as a part of the treaty.
The Russian side requested that the term "stage" be modified.



Kamenskiy explained that the ability to calculate an
additional 1000m/sec velocity for a section of a missile that
is equipped with a propulsion unit was hard to determine and
unnecessary. Seimon agreed to consider the change in the
definition of "stage" but declined to accept the proposal for
deleting the five terms because they were linked to
telemetry.


16. (U) Documents provided:

- UNITED STATES:

- Proposal of the United States on Changes to the Term
"Basing Area," December 9, 2009; and

- Proposal of the United States on Changes to the Term
"ICBM Base," December 9, 2009.


17. (U) Participants:

UNITED STATES

Mr. Siemon
Mr. Comeau
Mr. Connell
Mr. Dean
Dr. Dreicer
Mr. Hanchett
Mr. French (Int)

RUSSIA

ADM Kuznetsov
Ms. Fuzhenkova
Col Kamenskiy
Ms. Melikbekian
Mr. Poznihir
Mr. Pogodin (Int


18. (U) Gottemoeller sends.
GRIFFITHS