Guide Note

The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) is an agreement between NATO and the Warsaw Pact that limits the number of conventional forces member nations may retain in specified geographic areas in Europe. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia drafted an adapted version of the treaty, which NATO to date has not ratified.

Fast Facts

1. Signed in Paris on November 19, 1990
2. Warsaw Pact dissolved in 1991
3. Treaty became enforceable pm July 17, 2007
4. Russia suspended compliance on July 14, 2007
5. Limited armaments of each side:
   • 20,000 tanks
   • 20,000 artillery pieces
   • 30,000 armored combat vehicles
   • 6,800 combat aircraft
   • 2,000 attack helicopters
6. Military equipment had to be destroyed or converted for civilian purposes

On July 14, 2007: Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced opposition to U.S. plans for a Missile Defense Shield in Europe. In response to the missile defense controversy, Putin suspended Russian obligations under the CFE and proposed an adapted treaty. Russian officials claim the the current version of the CFE treaty does not take in to account the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and thus gives a strategic advantage to western military interests.