Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II (SALT II)

 

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II (SALT II) was designed to replace the Interim Agreement, but SALT II did not enter into force. 

SALT II called for numerical limits on missiles, bans on certain missiles, definitions of systems limited by the agreement, and verification provisions. The treaty would have limited U.S. and Soviet ICBM silos, SLBM launch tubes, air-to-surface ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers to 2,250 delivery vehicles by January 1, 1981, down from an initial ceiling of 2,400 delivery vehicles. The agreement would have required the Soviets to reduce their forces by roughly 270 delivery vehicles, but U.S. forces were below the limits and could actually have been increased.

Actions by the United States and the Soviet Union would have been verified through national technical means, including photo-reconnaissance satellites. The treaty would have been in effect through 1985.

U.S. President Jimmy Carter asked the Senate not to consider SALT II for its advice and consent after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, and the treaty was not taken up again. Both Washington and Moscow subsequently pledged to adhere to the agreement’s terms despite its failure to enter into force. However, U.S. President Ronald Reagan said on May 26, 1986 that future decisions on strategic nuclear forces would be based on the threat posed by Soviet forces and not on "a flawed SALT II Treaty.”

Opened for Signature: 18 June 1979

Entry into force: Never

Official Text: http://www.state.gov/t/isn/5195.htm#treaty

More U.S.-Russian Nuclear Agreements: https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/USRussiaNuclearAgreements