04 June 2000 White House Fact Sheet: U.S.-Russian Joint Warning Center on Missile Launches President Clinton and Russian President Putin June 4 signed the first document the United States and Russia have ever agreed to for a permanent joint operation involving U.S. and Russian military personnel. The White House Fact Sheet on the agreement to establish a Joint Warning Center for the exchange of information on missile launches and early warning called it "a significant milestone in ensuring strategic stability between the United States and Russia." Following is the White House Fact Sheet: The White House Office of the Press Secretary (Moscow, Russia) June 4, 2000 Fact Sheet: Agreement on the Establishment of a Joint Warning Center for the Exchange of Information on Missile Launches and Early Warning President Clinton and President Putin today signed the Memorandum Of Agreement Between The Government Of The United States and Government Of The Russian Federation On The Establishment Of A Joint Center For The Exchange Of Data From Early Warning Systems And Notifications Of Missile Launches. This agreement - which is the first time the United States and Russia have agreed to a permanent joint operation involving U.S. and Russian military personnel -- is a significant milestone in ensuring strategic stability between the United States and Russia. It establishes a Joint Data Exchange Center (JDEC) in Moscow for the exchange of information derived from each side's missile launch warning systems on the launches of ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles. The exchange of this data will strengthen strategic stability by further reducing the danger that ballistic missiles might be launched on the basis of false warning of attack. It will also promote increased mutual confidence in the capabilities of the ballistic missile early warning systems of both sides. The JDEC will build upon the successful establishment and operation during the millennium rollover of the temporary joint center for Y2K Strategic Stability in Colorado Springs. The JDEC will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with American and Russian personnel. The JDEC is also intended to serve as the repository for the notifications to be provided as part of an agreed system for exchanging pre-launch notifications on the launches of ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles. This agreement is currently being negotiated separately. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) Return to the Washington File