Editing START II (section)

==Impact of MIRV==
[[Intercontinental ballistic missile|ICBMs]] using [[MIRVs]] are considered destabilizing because they put a premium on a [[pre-emptive nuclear strike|first strike]]. These missiles can carry from two warheads to as many as 50 in some Soviet super-heavy missile designs. They can also carry a large number of decoys. Significant numbers of highly accurate warheads and decoys could annihilate an entire nation in a first strike, including a substantial amount of an opponent's missile silos and air force bomber fleet.

Hypothetically, if each side had 100 missiles, with five warheads each, and each side had a 95% chance of neutralizing its opponent's missiles in their silos by firing two warheads at each silo, the side that strikes first can reduce the enemy ICBM force from 100 missiles to about five by firing 40 missiles with 200 warheads and keeping the remaining 60 missiles in reserve. Thus, the destruction capability is greatly multiplied by MIRVs since the number of enemy silos does not significantly increase.

Both Soviet [[R-36 (missile)|R-36M]] and US [[LGM-118 Peacekeeper]] missiles could carry up to 10 MIRVs though the latter are no longer operational.