ABM Treaty

1. The popular name for part of the 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between the United States and the former Soviet Union ; it restricts the number and locations of antiballistic missiles (ABM) that each nation can deploy. President George W. Bush has announced his intention to abandon the treaty so that the United States can deploy an ABM system, parts of which would be space-based. ( See Star Wars .)