SALT II: At What Price?

Publication Date: June 1985

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Manfred R. Hamm; Brian Green

Research Area: Military and defense

Keywords: National security

Type: Report

Abstract:

All the options open to the Administration entail some political costs and military drawbacks. This is a problem which Reagan has created for himself by having agreed four years ago not to undercut SALT II. It would have been wiser not to have done so. The legacy of that mistake limits his options today. He must chose one that best permits the U.S.to restore the nuclear balance while minimizing the political, military, and negotiating complications. Some options are clearly less constructive and are less responsive to legitimate U . S . concerns. Ultimately, the President must weigh their benefits and costs in terms of his long-term strategic goals for Soviet-American relations.