Pentagon chief: US to soon put intermediate-range missile in Asia
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he wants
to deploy an intermediate-range conventional missile in the Pacific region
within months, now that the Trump administration has formally pulled out of a
Cold War-era arms control treaty with Russia.
Esper, however, added that it will likely take
some time to develop the more advanced land-based missile capabilities.
The move is likely to anger China, but Esper
said Beijing shouldn’t be surprised by it.
“It’s fair to say, though, that we would like
to deploy a capability sooner rather than later,” Esper told reporters
traveling with him to Australia on Friday. “I would prefer months. I just don’t
have the latest state of play on timelines.”
Esper’s comments come as the
Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty expired Friday, and the US said it
planned to begin testing new missiles that would have been prohibited under the
accord.
The US has complained for years that Moscow
has been violating the treaty and that a Russian system banned by the agreement
is a direct threat to the US and its allies.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the
formal US withdrawal on Friday, saying that “the United States will not remain
party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia.”
Esper, who was confirmed as Pentagon chief on
July 23, wouldn’t detail possible deployment locations in Asia, saying it would
depend on discussions with allies and other factors.
He downplayed any reaction from China, saying
that “80 percent plus of their inventory is intermediate range systems, so that
shouldn’t surprise them that we would want to have a like capability.”
He said that because of the great distances
within the Indo-Pacific region, US development of effective intermediate-range
precision weapons is important.
Some Pentagon estimates have suggested that a
low-flying cruise missile with a potential range of about 1,000 kilometers (620
miles) could be flight-tested this month and be ready for deployment in 18
months.
A ballistic missile with a range of roughly
3,000 to 4,000 kilometers (1,860 to 2,490 miles) could take five years or more
to deploy. Neither would be nuclear armed.
The INF treaty was signed in 1987 and banned
land-based missiles of ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,410
miles). Its demise comes as world powers seek to contain the nuclear threat
from Iran and North Korea. And it signals another milestone in the
deterioration of relations between the US and Russia.
Esper also added his voice to those who
believe that extending the New START Treaty may not make sense. New START
expires in February 2021, and is the only remaining treaty constraining US and
Russian nuclear arsenals.
Trump has called New START “just another bad
deal” made by the Obama administration, and has said he wants to negotiate a
three-way nuclear arms control agreement among the US, Russia and China.
Esper said the US should look at bringing in
other nuclear powers and expand the types of weapons controlled by the treaty.
He added that he does not believe this will
trigger a new arms race, but that the US needs to deploy missile capabilities
that can protect both Europe and the Pacific region.
Esper arrived in Sydney for the annual meeting
of US and Australian defense and foreign ministers. Pompeo is also attending.
Esper’s weeklong trip will also take him to
New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia.
It will be his first overseas trip as a
Senate-confirmed secretary.
Former Acting Defense Secretary Patrick
Shanahan, who stepped down before his confirmation, visited both Japan and
South Korea in June.
Esper said he is returning to the region in
order to affirm the US and his own personal commitments to the Indo-Pacific.
The Pentagon’s national defense strategy deems
China and Russia as America’s top strategic competitors.
