ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the position of the Soviet Union with regard to the strategic nuclear balance, the role of conventional forces, and the likely Soviet agenda in future arms control negotiations. For the future, the Soviets are unlikely to be the first to openly break the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, because it is in their interest to maintain a treaty that inhibits US development and deployment of sophisticated ballistic missile defenses. Like the United States, the Soviet Union has a vested interest in limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The current Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty bans the transfer of nuclear weapons and technologies to nations that do not have nuclear weapons. Based on the history of US-Soviet relations and the current strategic balance, it is clear that the Soviet Union will continue to pose the major threat to US security for the foreseeable future.
