US Finally Honest About Its Defenses
© Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Russian servicemen watch the launch of the S-300 air defense system
missile during the International Army Games 2016 at the Ashuluk military
polygon outside Astrakhan, Russia, August 7, 2016.
The
U.S. could be vulnerable in the face of the threat posed by
nuclear-capable Russian cruise missiles deployed by Moscow last month,
according to the head of the U.S. Strategic Command.Air Force Gen. John
Hyten, who was the chief commander of the U.S. missile and nuclear
warhead arsenal, told members of Congress Tuesday that Moscow’s
deployment last month of at least two battalions of the SSC-8 cruise
missile, also called the RK-55 Relief, violated a 1987 arms treaty and
put most of Europe at risk. Hyten told the Senate Armed Services
Committee that Moscow’s latest move left the U.S. and its NATO allies
off guard.”We have no defense for it, especially in defense of our
European allies,” Hyten told the Senate Armed Services Committee,
according to the Agence France-Presse. “That system can range and
threaten most of the continent of Europe depending on where it is
deployed. … It is a concern and we’re going to have to figure out how to
deal with it as a nation.”The ground-launched missiles could be fitted
with nuclear warheads and had a range of at least 1,200 miles, according
to Popular Mechanics. They were reportedly similar to the Kalibr cruise
missiles that have been fitted on a number of Russian warships and
submarines. At least two battalions of SSC-8 cruise missiles were
deployed in the southern Russian city of Volgograd and another unknown
location, according to a report by The New York Times. The
missile was reportedly tested as far back as 2008 and Russia pursued its
production despite protests from the administration of former President
Barack Obama.
Last month, Vice Chairman of
the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Paul Selva said Russia’s
deployment of the SSC-8 was a threat to U.S. and allied facilities in
Europe. His remarks came after U.S. officials said in January that
the missiles violated the “spirit and intent” of the 1987
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union. Moscow has argued that the SSC-8 does not break the
agreement, according to Defense News, and has charged the U.S. and NATO
with threatening Russia’s national security through its own military
build-up along Russia’s borders.