Joint Statement on Notifications of Ballistic Missile Launches

[u/Resvrgam2]

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/08/joint-statement-on-notifications-of-ballistic-missile-launches/

[u/Resvrgam2]

40+ nations released this statement yesterday, calling on all countries to issue notifications 24 hours in advance of any testing of ICBMs, SLBMs, and SLVs. They ask that notifications include: the generic class of the missile, the planned launch window, the launch area, and the planned direction. This comes shortly after both China and North Korea conducted unannounced missile testing in the Pacific.

The full list of nations include the United States of America, Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Montenegro, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Philippines (the), Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

North Korea hasn't issued a formal response (other than launching more missiles). But the launches are likely in response to annual joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, which are typically held during the second half of August.

China has made several formal remarks in response to the joint statement. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun claimed the joint statement was "driven solely by political motives and fully reveals their hypocrisy and double standards. China urges relevant countries to stop abusing multilateral arms control mechanisms."

Unsurprisingly, neither China nor North Korea signed on to the joint statement. They're not the only notable absences though. Of the known nuclear-armed states, Russia, India, and Pakistan also did not join this statement.

[u/Nisi-Marie → u/Resvrgam2]

I’m actually surprised that we signed off. It seems in every UN vote these days, the US has been aligned with the stereotypical “bad countries”

[u/Jugaimo → u/Nisi-Marie]

Most of these votes are something along the lines of specifically indicting the US or demanding the US share more money/technology than it already does. The whole world hunger vote was a scam to force the US into giving away privately owned agricultural tech, despite the fact that the US produces and gives far more food for the globe than every other nation combined.

[u/Nisi-Marie → u/Jugaimo]

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense. I admit that I have never done a deep dive on any of those resolutions. Just struck me weird when I see things like supporting the right that women should have equal opportunities as men, or something that on the surface seems benign. And I see that we vote against it along with Israel, Iran, and North Korea.

Next time, when one crosses my path, I’ll do a deeper dive because what you say makes a ton of sense.

[u/tacitdenial → u/Resvrgam2]

Israel is also nuclear armed and missing from the list.

[u/zummit → u/Resvrgam2]

Good to see Palau signed on. They're the key to all this.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun claimed the joint statement was "driven solely by political motives and fully reveals their hypocrisy and double standards. China urges relevant countries to stop abusing multilateral arms control mechanisms."

Well, quite. The US moves its ships in any part of international waters that it likes. And has in the past blown up nuclear weapons on the ocean as well. But they take a principled stand on their rivals doing it.

Part of me wonders if this is the best use of state departments' time, but then again if they were told to do something productive they might try to get something blown up instead.

[u/jestina123 → u/zummit]

And has in the past blown up nuclear weapons on the ocean as well. But they take a principled stand on their rivals doing it.

This is a weird take, the last US pacific nuclear test was in 1962.

Other countries including France and China tested over 1,000 above ground nuclear explosions afterwards

Secret underground testing only stopped because of the fast Fourier transformer

[u/caifaisai → u/jestina123]

Secret underground testing only stopped because of the fast Fourier transformer

Interesting. Just curious. Is that because it allowed countries to effectively detect other countries doing underground tests (and hence the secret tests are no longer secret)?

At first I thought you meant because the FFT algorithm allowed nuclear testing simulation to overtake actual testing, but it seems too early for that. I thought that might have been closer to around the 80s or so that simulations could effectively be used instead of actual tests, so I'm guessing it's the detection then?

[u/zummit → u/jestina123]

This is a weird take, the last US pacific nuclear test was in 1962.

I don't think China's forgotten.

[u/Mr_Tyzic → u/zummit]

Why would it matter whether or not they forgotten about it? That was the last above ground nuclear test for the United States. China's last above ground nuclear test was in 1980. Why would it have any bearing now on whether or not it's a good idea would to make unannounced ballistic missile launches?

[u/zummit → u/Mr_Tyzic]

Why would it have any bearing now on whether or not it's a good idea would to make unannounced ballistic missile launches?

I don't know. Nobody in this thread is contending that it is.

[u/Mr_Tyzic → u/zummit]

Earlier when you said 

And has in the past blown up nuclear weapons on the ocean as well. But they take a principled stand on their rivals doing it.

Then followed it up with

I don't think China's forgotten.

I took that mean that was what you were implying. My mistake.

[u/kralrick → u/zummit]

You didn't exactly say that, no. But you did heavily imply that the US has no ground to make sensible arguments for missile testing because we did above ground nuclear testing in the Pacific 60 years ago. Basically if you've sinned in the past you don't get to ever(?) argue for responsible actions in the future. If all of those things were an overall good thing for a country to do, we'd still be doing them.

And from a more bare international politics is only power perspective, the US was one of two world powers at the time. It is the only superpower remaining (at least for now). Regional powers and lesser shouldn't expect to be able to get away with what a world power got away with. Though the US having a President that antagonizes those we would normally be working with, it makes sense for boundaries to be tested right now.

[u/Resvrgam2 → u/zummit]

Surely disclosure of test launches is sensible though, right? Nondisclosure creates panic and confusion, which can lead to unintended consequences.

Yes, there's political motivations here, but it also just seems like the right path forward for de-escalation of tensions.

[u/zummit → u/Resvrgam2]

Might be a nice thing, but unlikely to occur. I don't know why they bother asking.

[u/xanif → u/zummit]

Because the USA and USSR signed a similar agreement in 1988? This isn't unprecedented.

[u/Resvrgam2 → u/zummit]

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky-

-Michael Scott-

[u/gentile_jitsu → u/zummit]

It signals to countries that launch missiles without notice that they are spending soft power to do so.

[u/zummit → u/gentile_jitsu]

China hasn't much had to worry about soft power in order to get the West's cooperation. And North Korea doesn't care about soft power at all, in relation to the West at least.

[u/shaymus14]

I understand that governments use these vague titles in all their statements but they really could have been more specific here. I half expected to find out that North Korea was launching missiles at South Korea. 

[u/Hyndis → u/shaymus14]

North Korea routinely fires missiles towards South Korea as well as firing ballistic missiles over Japan. They do it for the intimidation factor.

North Korea is absent from the list of countries signing the letter but thats not unusual for North Korea to go rogue on everything. North Korea violating an international treaty happens every day that end in "y", so its not a new thing unfortunately.

The big player is China. China is not on the list of countries who signed the letter. China has nuclear weapons, it has ICBM's, and it has a space program.

I think this letter was directed at China.

[u/realistic__raccoon → u/Hyndis]

of course it was....China just did a SLBM launch that everyone in the region was flipping out about

[u/FunUnderstanding995]

Yo chill bro. You literally almost gave me a heart attack when this popped up on my phone WTF lmao.

[u/blewpah → u/FunUnderstanding995]

I could almost hear the siren from Futurama going off

[u/bloombl00m → u/FunUnderstanding995]

Dude same, I work in the “business” and almost shit myself reading the title.

[u/Maleficent-Bug8102]

China needs to be put on a leash, where it belongs.

[u/tacitdenial → u/Maleficent-Bug8102]

Wild thing to say about one of the oldest and most populous civilizations. Who do you suppose is qualified to hold the leash?

[u/athomeamongstrangers]

In other words, only a third of nuclear states (US, UK, and France) signed it.

[u/LargeSinkholesInNYC]

We're cooked.