Question
11. What were some of the details of the SALT agreements?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union aimed at curbing the arms race, particularly in nuclear weapons. Two main agreements emerged from these talks: SALT I and SALT II.
### SALT I (1969-1972)
1. **Treaty Overview**: SALT I was signed on May 26, 1972, and included two main components: the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and an interim agreement on strategic offensive arms.
2. **ABM Treaty**:
- Limited both the U.S. and the Soviet Union to two ABM sites (later reduced to one each) to protect their missile silos.
- Aimed to prevent the development of extensive missile defense systems that could undermine the concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD).
3. **Interim Agreement**:
- Imposed a freeze on the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers.
- Allowed for an increase in the total number of warheads but limited the number of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
- This agreement lasted for five years, during which arms levels were to be maintained at certain agreed levels.
### SALT II (1972-1979)
1. **Treaty Overview**: Signed on June 18, 1979, SALT II sought to limit the number of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles (like ICBMs and SLBMs).
2. **Limitations**:
- Imposed numerical limits on the total number of nuclear delivery vehicles for both superpowers (maximum of 2,250).
- Addressed various categories of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, including air-launched cruise missiles and heavy bombers.
3. **Verification Mechanisms**: Introduced measures for verification and compliance, including mutual inspections and notification of missile tests.
4. **Challenges**: The SALT II treaty was never ratified by the U.S. Senate after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, leading to a return to heightened tensions and an arms race, although both the U.S. and the USSR continued to observe some of the limits informally.
### Legacy
- SALT agreements represented key steps in arms control efforts during the Cold War and laid the groundwork for future treaties, such as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in the 1990s.
- They highlighted multipolar dynamics and the impact of international politics on arms control initiatives.
### SALT I (1969-1972)
1. **Treaty Overview**: SALT I was signed on May 26, 1972, and included two main components: the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and an interim agreement on strategic offensive arms.
2. **ABM Treaty**:
- Limited both the U.S. and the Soviet Union to two ABM sites (later reduced to one each) to protect their missile silos.
- Aimed to prevent the development of extensive missile defense systems that could undermine the concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD).
3. **Interim Agreement**:
- Imposed a freeze on the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers.
- Allowed for an increase in the total number of warheads but limited the number of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
- This agreement lasted for five years, during which arms levels were to be maintained at certain agreed levels.
### SALT II (1972-1979)
1. **Treaty Overview**: Signed on June 18, 1979, SALT II sought to limit the number of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles (like ICBMs and SLBMs).
2. **Limitations**:
- Imposed numerical limits on the total number of nuclear delivery vehicles for both superpowers (maximum of 2,250).
- Addressed various categories of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, including air-launched cruise missiles and heavy bombers.
3. **Verification Mechanisms**: Introduced measures for verification and compliance, including mutual inspections and notification of missile tests.
4. **Challenges**: The SALT II treaty was never ratified by the U.S. Senate after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, leading to a return to heightened tensions and an arms race, although both the U.S. and the USSR continued to observe some of the limits informally.
### Legacy
- SALT agreements represented key steps in arms control efforts during the Cold War and laid the groundwork for future treaties, such as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in the 1990s.
- They highlighted multipolar dynamics and the impact of international politics on arms control initiatives.