The anti-ballistic missile treaty was a result from the cold war, bipolarity and the technology at the time. The idea being that since both the Soviet Union and the United States were building their ballistic missile defense reserves to out power one and another. Both sides realized that having so many giant missiles in their country could be a target for the other side's missiles. .
Fearing attacks on their missile reserves both sides starting building interceptor missiles. This merely allowed a greater store of ballistic missiles in both countries. By this time both the US and the former Soviet Union had so many ballistic missiles that the US sought a treaty with the Soviet Union to prevent Massive destruction from a devastating nuclear war. The treaty would reduce the amount of ballistic missile defenses, which the US hoped would reduce the amount of Ballistic Missiles. Their reasoning being a reduction in defenses would lessen the offensive reserves. .
The anti-ballistic missile treaty allowed research, development and deployment of anti-ballistic missiles. In SALT I talks of 1972 the original treaty only allowed for two missile defense silos. An amendment was added in 1974, which further restricted the amount of missile defense silos allowed to only one. .
The Soviet Union decided to place their sole silo in Moscow to protect the capitol. We decided to place ours in North Dakota to protect our 150 minuteman missiles. Our missile defense silos are also referred to as the Stanley R Mickelson complex.
