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Friday, August 02, 2019, 14:56
After INF treaty's demise, US seeks funds for missile tests
By Reuters
Friday, August 02, 2019, 14:56 By Reuters

(SHI YU / CHINA DAILY)

WASHINGTON — The United States will no longer be prohibited from having ground-launched intermediate-range missiles once it pulls out of an arms control treaty with Russia on Friday, but funds to test and develop the missiles may soon run out, officials say. 

Washington said last year it would be withdrawing from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), accusing Russia of failing to comply with it. Moscow denies it has violated the treaty and says Washington is pulling out because it wants to pursue a new arms race. 

The 1987 pact banned ground-launched nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500-5,500 km

Within the next few weeks, the United States is expected to test a ground-launched cruise missile. In November, the Pentagon will aim to test an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Both would be conventional weapons tests - and not nuclear. 

US officials told Reuters this week that once existing funding runs out, future research and testing would be at risk because of resistance from the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. 

Unlike in the Senate, which is led by President Donald Trump's Republicans, the House declined to fund the Trump administration's request of about US$96 million for the development of the missiles in its version of a fiscal-year 2020 budget and defense policy bill. 

READ MORE: UN chief urges US, Russia to seek new path for arms control

"If you cut this, you're hampering the Department of Defense's ability to respond to the Russian treaty violation," said a senior US defense official, describing the Pentagon's message to Congress. 

"It's not going to bring the treaty back, it's going to help Russia." 

The 1987 pact banned ground-launched nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500-5,500 km. 

Washington and Moscow blame each other for the breakdown of the treaty, the latest in a growing list of East-West tensions. The United States says it needs to develop its own intermediate-range missiles to deter Russia, even if it does not field them in Europe. 

The Pentagon also sees a benefit in developing the new weapons as a counter to China, which boasts an increasingly sophisticated land-based missile force. 

ALSO READ: INF Treaty must remain two-party, says official

PLAYING INTO PUTIN'S HANDS 

The United States will no longer be prohibited from having ground-launched intermediate-range missiles once it pulls out of an arms control treaty with Russia on Friday

The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Adam Smith, has opposed the US pullout of the treaty. 

"Withdrawing from the treaty would allow Putin to deflect responsibility and blame the US for both the treaty's collapse and any ensuing arms race," Smith wrote in an op-ed earlier this year with the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

They added: "The Trump administration has played right into (Russian President) Vladimir Putin's hands." 

The Pentagon hopes that the funding will be restored when the House and Senate confer to resolve discrepancies in the legislation. A Senate Armed Services Committee spokeswoman said those discussions were expected to take place in coming weeks. 


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