With reference to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, consider the following statements:

1. It was negotiated between the United States and the Soviet Union under the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT).
2. It allowed both countries to deploy nationwide missile defense systems.

3. It permitted early-warning radars to be installed anywhere within the territory of both countries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 3 only

Question

With reference to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, consider the following statements:

1. It was negotiated between the United States and the Soviet Union under the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT).
2. It allowed both countries to deploy nationwide missile defense systems.

3. It permitted early-warning radars to be installed anywhere within the territory of both countries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 3 only

ONLiNE UPSC · Accepted Answer

Overview: Negotiated between the United States and the Soviet Union as part of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, the now-defunct Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty was signed on May 26, 1972, and entered into force on October 3, 1972.
The treaty, from which the United States withdrew on June 13, 2002, barred Washington and Moscow from deploying nationwide defenses against strategic ballistic missiles. In the treaty preamble, the two sides asserted that effective limits on anti-missile systems would be a "substantial factor in curbing the race in strategic offensive arms."

Statement 1 is correct: The ABM Treaty was negotiated between the United States and the Soviet Union as part of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT-I) and aimed to limit the deployment of missile defense systems to curb the arms race.

Statement 2 is not correct: The treaty prohibited both countries from deploying nationwide anti-ballistic missile systems. It only allowed one limited ABM site per country (either around the capital or an ICBM site) with no more than 100 interceptors.

Statement 3 is not correct: The treaty restricted the deployment of early-warning radars to the periphery of national territory and oriented outward. It did not allow placing them arbitrarily within the territory.

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M Question 1	⏱ 0
With reference to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, consider the following statements: 1. It was negotiated between the United States and the Soviet Union under the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). 2. It allowed both countries to deploy nationwide missile defense systems. 3. It permitted early-warning radars to be installed anywhere within the territory of both countries. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1 and 3 only