into force of the convention; it is only as the level of declared stocks decreases that the military importance of the quantities omitted from the declaration rises. 2. Delivery vehicles: These are not specific, for chemical munitions are launched by the same delivery vehicles as conventional explosives; there are no canons, howitzers, mortars, rocket-launchers, launching ramps or aircraft that can be considered as designed exclusively for the launching of chemical loads or the conveyance of means for spreading chemicals . On the other hand, the neutralization of production facilities is possible, and relatively easy to check through the implementation of efficient verification procedures. Assuming that the production of immediately usable toxic substances, i.e. mainly munitions, has been halted (a verified stoppage of production followed by dismantling), the security balance will then depend on the pace at which existing stocks of weapons are destroyed. These stocks are not comparable at the beginning of the process. The first task to be accomplished in seeking security balance is therefore to make them comparable while bearing in mind, of course, the military capability of each country. Once this first point has been reached, the second stage should consist of the elimination of the bulk of the stocks so as to leave, at the end of this stage, only a residual retaliatory capacity, i.e. one that is at the lowest possible level while remaining militarily significant. After military equivalence among all holders of stocks is thus secured at the end of the second stage of destruction, the last stage would be the completion of a linear destruction process until the authorized maximum quantity (one metric ton) is reached. The security balance also requires the fixing of a precise date for the beginning of the destruction process. It will have to be fixed by agreement 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing a treaty or agreement related to chemical weapons, focusing on the process of verification, destruction, and security balance. The language used is technical and specific to military and chemical weapons contexts, suggesting that the text is not related to broader economic or social issues.

**Category**
International relations, Defense