What was one of the failures of SALT I negotiations?

One of the notable failures of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) negotiations was that it primarily focused on limiting the number of nuclear delivery systems, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, while not addressing the disarmament of older or outdated warheads. This meant that although new technologies were restricted in terms of their development and deployment, there was no significant progress in reducing the overall nuclear arsenals, particularly concerning warheads that had already been built before the negotiations began.

This limitation meant that both superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, could continue to maintain and even modernize their existing arsenals, as long as they adhered to the treaty constraints on new systems. Thus, while SALT I marked a critical step in arms control, its effectiveness was undermined by this oversight regarding disarmament of the older stockpiles of nuclear weapons.