The Pentagon on Thursday flight-tested a missile that had been banned under a treaty that the US and Russia abandoned in the summer, as some arms-control advocates said that it risks an unnecessary arms race.
The prototype missile was configured to be armed with a non-nuclear warhead.
The Pentagon declined to disclose specifics beyond saying the missile was launched from a “static launch stand” at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and landed in the open ocean.
The US Department of Defense said that the ballistic missile flew more than 800km.
The test comes amid growing uncertainty about arms control. The last remaining treaty limitation on US and Russian nuclear weapons — the New START treaty of 2010 — is scheduled to expire in February 2021.
That treaty can be extended for as long as five years without requiring a renegotiation of its main terms, but the administration of US President Trump has indicated little interest in doing so.
The Pentagon declined to reveal the maximum range of the missile tested.
In the spring, when US officials disclosed the testing plan, they said it would be about 3,000km to 4,000km. That is sufficient to reach potential targets in parts of China from a base on Guam.
The Pentagon has made no basing decisions and has suggested that it would take at least a few years before such a missile would be ready for deployment.
Under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range between 500km and 5,500km were prohibited. The US chose to abandon the INF treaty, saying that while it had adhered to its limitations, Russia had contravened it by deploying a noncompliant missile aimed at US allies in Europe.
Shortly after exiting the treaty in August, the Pentagon flight-tested an INF-range missile.
In a brief appearance before reporters, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was asked whether the Pentagon is considering deploying an INF-range missile to Europe.
“Once we develop intermediate-range missiles, and if my commanders require them, then we will work closely and consult closely with our allies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere with regards to any possible deployments,” Esper said.
Arms Control Association executive director Daryl Kimball said that the Pentagon’s missile project is a mistake.
“This is a reckless and unnecessary escalation that’s going to exacerbate tensions with Russia, China and North Korea — all of whom would be in range of this type of missile if it is ever deployed,” Kimball said.
“The other problem for the defense department is that there is no NATO or East Asia ally that has yet said they are interested in hosting such a missile, because this would put them on the Russian, Chinese or North Korean target list,” he said.
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