How did the INF Treaty allow the United States and Soviet Union to verify missile destruction?

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) established groundbreaking procedures to ensure transparency and compliance between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.

To verify the destruction of missiles, the treaty included two specific protocols that allowed for firsthand observation:1

• On-site Inspection: Teams of observers from both nations were granted access to designated operating bases, support facilities, and elimination sites to witness the withdrawal and destruction of missile systems, launchers, and support equipment.1
• Long-term Monitoring: To guarantee the permanent elimination of these weapons, the treaty granted each country the right to conduct periodic inspections of operating bases and support facilities for 13 years. Additionally, each side was permitted to monitor one production plant where weapons of the INF category could potentially be manufactured.1

These measures were essential to the treaty’s success, as they provided a verifiable framework for the first arms-control agreement to abolish an entire category of nuclear-capable weapons.1