Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and agreements between the United States and the Soviet Union, aimed at curtailing the arms race in strategic nuclear weapons during the Cold War. These talks were instrumental in shaping international relations and arms control policies of the 20th century.
Background
The backdrop for the SALT was the escalating arms race between the two superpowers, which was driven by the development of increasingly sophisticated nuclear delivery systems. The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 highlighted the dangers of this unchecked escalation, prompting both nations to seek a way to limit their arsenals to prevent accidental or unintended nuclear war.
SALT I
- Date: November 1969 - May 1972
- Outcome:
- Interim Agreement: This agreement froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers at existing levels. It allowed for the replacement of older missiles with new ones but did not cover heavy bombers or warhead limits.
- ABM Treaty: The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty limited each nation to two ABM deployment areas, one to protect the national capital and another to protect an ICBM site. This was later reduced to one area each in 1974.
SALT II
- Date: November 1972 - June 1979
- Outcome: The SALT II Treaty was signed by President Jimmy Carter and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev in Vienna in 1979. It:
- Set a limit on the number of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles to 2,400 for each side, with further restrictions on the number of MIRVed ICBMs and SLBMs.
- However, the treaty was never ratified by the U.S. Senate due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, although both nations observed the limits until the end of the Cold War.
Impact and Legacy
The SALT negotiations were significant for several reasons:
- They marked the first formal effort to limit strategic offensive arms, setting a precedent for future arms control agreements.
- They eased the tensions of the Cold War by reducing the likelihood of a surprise nuclear attack through mutual understanding of each other's capabilities.
- Although not all aspects of SALT were fully implemented, the treaties laid the groundwork for subsequent arms control treaties like START I and START II.
Challenges and Criticisms
Despite their achievements, the SALT agreements faced several challenges:
- Verification and compliance issues, particularly with the ABM Treaty, led to mistrust and accusations of cheating.
- The agreements did not cover every type of weapon system, allowing for continued development in areas not explicitly limited.
- The rapid technological advances in weaponry made some provisions of the treaties obsolete soon after their signing.
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