The House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee is calling for the Defense Department to develop a ground-launched cruise missile within the range covered by Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, while conditioning further arms control with Russia on resolution of INF violation issues.
The INF Treaty prohibits Russia and the United States from fielding ground-based cruise and ballistic missiles with flight ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. U.S. officials determined earlier this year that Russia has deployed such a missile, in material breach of the accord.
The subcommittee mark for the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act would require establishment of a U.S. program of record to develop a “dual-capable road-mobile ground-launched cruise missile system” within that range. The Pentagon would also be required to report to Congress within 120 days on the feasibility of modifying existing and planned ground-launched systems in that same range.
The mark would require the president to report to Congress on whether Russia is violating the INF Treaty within the year following enactment of the legislation; if the president determines Russia is noncompliant, the United States would no longer be bound by INF provisions.
The subcommittee’s proposal would also prohibit funding in fiscal 2018 for the Defense Department to “extend the implementation” of the bilateral New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the agreement that caps both countries’ long-range nuclear arsenals, unless the president certifies Russia “has verifiably eliminated all missiles that are in violation of or may be inconsistent with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.”
Moreover, the administration would be required to evaluate Russia’s RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missile to determine whether it is covered under New START or would be considered an INF Treaty violation “because Russia has conducted flight tests to ranges prohibited by the INF Treaty in more than one warhead configuration.”
The State Department’s 2016 arms control compliance report said the violating system it previously identified is not the RS-26. If the president determines the RS-26 is covered under New START but Russia does not agree to limit it under that agreement, the United States would consider it in violation of the INF Treaty, according to the subcommittee mark. This report would also determine whether Russia has agreed to limit the system under New START, in which case it would need to exhibit the system.
The subcommittee markup of the NDAA is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
