What treaty, signed on 26 May 1972, limited the US and USSR to two Anti-Ballistic Missile sites each?

What treaty, signed on 26 May 1972, limited the US and USSR to two Anti-Ballistic Missile sites each?

• A. The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
• B. The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
• C. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
• D. The Non-Proliferation Treaty

Answer: (C)

The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, signed on 26 May 1972, specifically focused on limiting the development and deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems by the United States and the Soviet Union. This treaty was a crucial part of the strategic arms control efforts during the Cold War, as it aimed to enhance stability by restricting each superpower to only two ABM sites, which would mitigate the arms race by preventing both sides from developing extensive defensive systems that could undermine mutual deterrence. The focus on limiting anti-ballistic missile capabilities was based on the notion that effective missile defense could lead to an offensive arms buildup by either side, hence the desire to control such systems to maintain a balance. The other treaties mentioned, while relevant in the context of arms control, addressed different aspects of nuclear weapon limitations and proliferation.

The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, signed on 26 May 1972, specifically focused on limiting the development and deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems by the United States and the Soviet Union. This treaty was a crucial part of the strategic arms control efforts during the Cold War, as it aimed to enhance stability by restricting each superpower to only two ABM sites, which would mitigate the arms race by preventing both sides from developing extensive defensive systems that could undermine mutual deterrence.

The focus on limiting anti-ballistic missile capabilities was based on the notion that effective missile defense could lead to an offensive arms buildup by either side, hence the desire to control such systems to maintain a balance. The other treaties mentioned, while relevant in the context of arms control, addressed different aspects of nuclear weapon limitations and proliferation.