Major Arms Treaties

 Here is a chronological list of major international arms-control, disarmament, and non-proliferation treaties, useful for competitive exams.

Major Arms Treaties in Chronological Order

Year Treaty / Agreement Main Purpose

1899 Hague Convention Regulation of warfare and restrictions on certain weapons and methods of warfare

1907 Hague Conventions Further rules on warfare, weapons and conduct of war

1925 Geneva Protocol Prohibited the use of chemical and biological weapons in war

1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) Banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space and underwater

1967 Outer Space Treaty Prohibited placing nuclear weapons and other WMDs in orbit

1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco Established a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Latin America and the Caribbean

1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons and promote peaceful nuclear cooperation

1971 Seabed Arms Control Treaty Prohibited placement of nuclear weapons and WMDs on the seabed beyond coastal zones

1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Prohibited biological and toxin weapons

1972 SALT I / ABM Treaty Limited strategic nuclear arms and anti-ballistic missile systems

1976 Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty (PNET) Limited underground nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes

1979 SALT II Sought limitations on strategic nuclear weapons

1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty Eliminated U.S. and Soviet ground-launched missiles with ranges of 500–5,500 km

1991 START I Reduced U.S. and Soviet/Russian strategic nuclear arsenals

1992 Open Skies Treaty Allowed unarmed aerial observation flights among participating states

1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Prohibited chemical weapons and established their destruction

1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Prohibited all nuclear explosions

2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT/Moscow Treaty) Reduced deployed strategic nuclear warheads of the U.S. and Russia

2010 New START Limited U.S. and Russian deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems

2013 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Regulated international trade in conventional arms

2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Comprehensive prohibition of nuclear weapons

2021 New START extended U.S. and Russia extended New START until 2026

Important sequence to remember

PTBT → Outer Space Treaty → NPT → Seabed Treaty → BWC → SALT I → SALT II → INF → START I → CWC → CTBT → SORT → New START → ATT → TPNW

Exam-important facts

NPT → 1968, entered into force 1970

BWC → 1972

CWC → 1993

CTBT → 1996; not yet in force

INF Treaty → 1987; terminated in 2019

START I → 1991

New START → 2010; extended until 5 February 2026

Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) → adopted in 2013, entered into force in 2014

TPNW → adopted in 2017, entered into force in 2021