How did the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks differ from the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks?

The primary difference between the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) lies in their fundamental objectives regarding nuclear arsenals.

• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT): Conducted during the 1970s, these negotiations aimed to restrain the ongoing buildup of nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). While these agreements helped stabilize the arms race, they did so at very high force levels, effectively limiting the growth of arsenals rather than reducing the total number of existing weapons.12
• Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START): Beginning in 1982, these negotiations shifted the focus from merely limiting growth to achieving radical, actual reductions in the number of nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles (missiles and bombers) possessed by the superpowers.3

While SALT agreements focused on freezing or capping the number of strategic launchers and regulating defensive systems like antiballistic missiles, START treaties committed the parties to significant percentage-based cuts in their strategic nuclear forces. START also introduced more rigorous verification measures, including on-site inspections and access to missile telemetry, to ensure compliance with the mandated reductions.123