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Title: Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) negotiations and treaty: An historical case study. Master's thesis

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7109209

This thesis performs detailed analysis of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) negotiations and treaty and compares them with those of the two Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT). The study's objectives were: describe SALT and INF negotiations and the contents of the treaties; analyze US and Soviet goals and strategies during the INF negotiations; determine which goals were or were not attained by both sides, and ascertain reasons for this; and delineate arms control progress and prospects since INF Treaty ratification. The study found that the two SALT treaties did impose ceilings in certain areas of strategic weapons but did not curtail the arms race. Treaty verification methods were criticized as being lax. The US achieved the major goal of ridding Europe of the Soviet SS-20 missile. It had to deploy missiles of its own to make the USSR realize the seriousness of its resolve. The US had total support from NATO in achieving this goal. However, with INF gone, the European conventional forces imbalance looms larger, and the West is fighting to obtain asymmetric conventional cuts.

Research Organization:
Air Force Inst. of Tech., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (USA). School of Systems and Logistics
OSTI ID:
7109209
Report Number(s):
AD-A-215576/0/XAB; AFIT/GSM/LSM-89S-46
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English