Verification

The process of ensuring compliance with an agreement usually involving some system or means of observation. In arms control and reduction, verification is considered a critical element because it provides a warning to noncompliance with treaty elements. It also provides a measure of confidence in the process itself because it proves that all parties are doing what they agreed to do.

Means of verification include both intrusive and nonintrusive means. Intrusive means can involve the imposition of teams of personnel on the ground in a country, as well as counting and checking the numbers and types of weapons platforms. Both the United States and the former Soviet Union had these kinds of teams on the ground in the 1980s and 1990s.

Nonintrusive means of verification include overhead surveillance, including spy planes and satellites. An example of this type occurred in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when American spy planes discovered the emplacement of Soviet missiles. As later demonstrated by U.S. actions prior to the Iraq War, however, this system is not comprehensive, nor is it foolproof, and it cannot be applied to all types of weapons systems. Biological and chemical weapons can be easily dispersed and hidden, making verification difficult, if not impossible. Other forms of warfare, such as information warfare, are also difficult to control or even monitor. Nonetheless, verification remains a critical concern for any form of arms control and reduction.