SALT II

SALT II. The second round of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks produced a complex arms control treaty signed by Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev in June 1979. Building upon the interim framework of SALT I, it aimed to establish broader numerical ceilings on strategic nuclear delivery systems. Although never ratified by the United States Senate, its core provisions were largely observed by both superpowers throughout the Cold War.

Background and Negotiations

Following the success of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the interim agreement of SALT I, negotiations for a more comprehensive pact began in 1972. The talks were led by U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, continuing through the administrations of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. A major breakthrough occurred at the Vladivostok Summit in 1974, where Ford and Brezhnev agreed on a basic framework for equal aggregate limits. However, contentious issues like the Soviet Tu-22M bomber and American cruise missile technologies prolonged discussions for several more years. Final negotiations were intensely conducted by Carter's team, including Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, culminating in the signing ceremony in Vienna.

Key Provisions and Treaty Structure

The treaty established a complex set of equal aggregate limits for the United States and the Soviet Union. A central ceiling capped each side at 2,400 total strategic nuclear delivery vehicles, including intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, submarine-launched ballistic missile launchers, and heavy bombers. A further sub-limit of 1,320 was placed on systems equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles. It specifically banned the construction of new fixed ICBM launchers and placed limits on the deployment of new types of strategic weapons. The agreement also included detailed protocols limiting certain systems like ground-launched and sea-launched cruise missiles for a temporary period. Verification relied on national technical means, such as imaging satellites, and prohibited interference with these methods.

Ratification Process and U.S. Withdrawal

The treaty faced immediate and fierce opposition in the United States Senate, where critics like Senator Henry M. Jackson argued it codified Soviet strategic superiority. The Committee on Foreign Relations held extensive hearings, with notable testimony from figures like Paul Nitze. Ratification prospects collapsed entirely following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. In response, President Carter requested the Senate delay consideration and later withdrew the treaty from ratification. Although never ratified, the Carter administration announced it would adhere to the treaty's terms as long as the Soviet Union did likewise. The Reagan administration initially criticized the agreement but largely continued its policy of voluntary observance until formally surpassing the SALT II limits in 1986.

Strategic Impact and Legacy

Despite its lack of formal legal status, SALT II served as a de facto framework that stabilized the strategic competition throughout the early 1980s. It demonstrated the possibility of negotiating intricate, verifiable limits on the most powerful weapon systems, paving the way for the subsequent Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and START I. The treaty's failure to achieve ratification highlighted the potent influence of Cold War geopolitics, like the war in Afghanistan, on the domestic arms control process. Its structural concepts, particularly the emphasis on equal aggregate ceilings and sub-limits on MIRVed systems, directly informed the negotiation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The dialogue and precedents established during the SALT process were crucial in maintaining a channel for United States–Soviet Union relations during a period of significant tension.

Category:Arms control treaties Category:Cold War treaties Category:Treaties of the Soviet Union Category:Treaties of the United States Category:1979 in Austria Category:1979 in the Soviet Union Category:1979 in the United States