Vienna Document of 1999 (VDOC99)

Overview

Potential Facility Impacts

Current Activities

Overview

Purpose and Background

The Vienna Document of 1999 (VDOC99) is composed of politically-binding confidence and security-building measures (CSBMs). These measures are designed to promote mutual trust and security among the 55 participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). VDOC99 integrates a set of new CSBMs with measures previously adopted in successive predecessor documents: the Document of the Stockholm Conference of 1986, the Helsinki Document of 1992, and the Vienna Documents of 1990, 1992, and 1994. Each of these documents represents progress "in stages" toward enabling participating States to better achieve the OSCE's disarmament goals and refraining from the threat or use of force.

The new measures incorporated into VDOC99 are intended to:

• limit a wider array of military activities;
  
• increase site visits, inspections, and observations; and
  
• promote further consultations and cooperation between participating States.

The CSBMs in VDOC99 focus on increasing openness and transparency concerning military activities conducted inside the OSCE's zone of application (ZOA), consisting of the whole of Europe and parts of Central Asia. The ZOA includes the territory, surrounding sea areas, and air space of all European and Central Asian participating States. In the case of the United States, only U.S. military activities conducted inside the ZOA are impacted by these CSBMs.

VDOC99 was adopted on November 16, 1999, at the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC) plenary meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. The FSC is the multinational body responsible for overseeing VDOC99 implementation. It was created by the OSCE in 1992 and provides a forum where representatives from participating States discuss, negotiate, and clarify matters relating to CSBMs. The FSC meets weekly in Vienna, and hosts the Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting (AIAM).

The United States is committed to being in full compliance with all provisions of VDOC99. These provisions include a wide variety of information exchanges, on-site inspections, evaluation visits, observation visits, and other military-to-military contacts. Some of the core CSBMs contained in VDOC99 are listed below:

• Annual exchange of military information (AEI) — exchanging information on command organization, personnel strength, and major conventional weapon and equipment systems;
  
• Defense planning — exchanging information on defense policy, force planning, budgets, procurements, and calendars;
  
• Demonstrations of new major weapon systems or equipment — arranging observation visits at military facilities;
  
• Prior notification of certain (large-scale) military activities — providing at least 42 days advance notice and, in certain cases, inviting observers;
  
• Constraining provisions — specifying limits on certain types of large-scale military activities;
  
• Compliance and verification — specifying participating States' rights and obligations with regard to on-site inspections and evaluation visits;
  
• Regional measures — encouraging participating States to conclude additional agreements among themselves that are tailored to regional needs and complement VDOC99 measures.

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Potential Facility Impacts

Key Verification Measures

VDOC99 allows participating States to conduct on-site inspection activities and evaluation visits to confirm the accuracy of information provided in information exchanges. Participating States are obligated to accept no more than three on-site inspections each year, and no more than one inspection from the same participating State. The participating State requesting the inspection may designate the “specified area” for the inspection. The specified area may comprise terrain where notifiable military activities are conducted or where another participating State believes a notifiable military activity is taking place.

The inspecting State may invite other participating States to be part of the inspection team, but the size of an inspection team is limited to no more than four inspectors. The maximum time allowed for inspection activities is 48 hours, which begins when the inspection team arrives at the specified area. The inspection team may access the specified area by ground and air, except for areas or sensitive points where access is normally denied or restricted.

Evaluation visits are shorter and less intrusive than inspections. Each visit must be completed within a single working day and there is no requirement for the host State (receiving State or stationing State) to provide access to sensitive facilities and equipment. Evaluation teams may consist of no more than three members and are obligated not to interfere with the activities of the formation or unit being visited. The maximum number of evaluation visits a participating State is obligated to accept each year is 15.

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Current Activities

Recent Developments

The 18^th AIAM was held March 4-5, 2008, in Vienna, Austria where implementation activities conducted in 2007 under VDOC99, the Global Exchange of Military Information (GEMI), and other CSBMs were reviewed.

The 19^th AIAM was held March 3-4, 2009 in Vienna, Austria. At the Meeting, participating States discussed the present and future implementation of agreed CSBMs, including VDOC 99 and GEMI.

Inspection Status

In 2007, 88 inspections were requested and 84 were conducted under VDOC99, of which 12 inspections were conducted under regional/bilateral agreements.

Since 1992, an average of four inspections and evaluation visits have been conducted each year at U.S. facilities located within the ZOA.