U.S. may again deploy nuclear missiles in Europe after Russian treaty violations

Special to WorldTribune.com

Bill Gertz, Washington Free Beacon

The Pentagon is considering the re-deployment of nuclear cruise missiles in Europe in response to a new Russian cruise missile that the United States has charged violates a 1987 nuclear treaty, a senior Pentagon official told Congress on Wednesday.

Russia's Vladimir Putin
Russia’s Vladimir Putin

Brian P. McKeon, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said U.S. cruise missile deployments are among a range of options being considered if Russia fails to return to compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. …

“We don’t have ground-launched cruise missiles in Europe now obviously because they’re prohibited by the treaty,” McKeon said. “But that would obviously be one option to explore.” …

The Air Force deployed nuclear-tipped BGM-109G ground-launched cruise missiles in Europe beginning in 1983 and removed and destroyed all but a handful by 1992 under the terms of the INF treaty. Six remaining missiles are preserved as museum pieces. McKeon’s comments were the most explicit to date by the Obama administration on possible responses to the Russian treaty cheating. The Russian INF violation was formally disclosed by the State Department in an annual arms compliance report in July, noting development of a new ground-launched cruise missile banned under the terms of the accord. …

Rep. Ted Poe (R., Texas), the nonproliferation subcommittee chair, said classified information he has seen on Russian arms violations was “alarming.”

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