Deploying U.S. intermediate-range cruise missiles in the United Kingdom should be considered in response to Russia’s alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 if that country doesn’t return to compliance with the agreement, the head of the House Armed Services Committee told reporters yesterday. “I think it is definitely an option which should be considered, and there are probably others,” Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said on Capitol Hill. The U.S. first publicly accused Russia of violating the INF Treaty in July 2014 through the country’s development of a ground-launched cruise missile capable of hitting ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. The State Department on Friday released its annual arms control treaty compliance report, which stated Russia is still violating the agreement.
Thornberry called the report “significant,” and said the U.S. is “not doing very much to deal with their violation,” adding that the U.S. course of response could impact the decision-making process for future treaties. Thornberry echoed the words of UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who said on Sunday during a BBC interview that his government would “look at the case” of hosting U.S. intermediate missiles “if that proposition was on the table,” emphasizing that any decision would be made in conjunction with Washington. More broadly, Thornberry also said counter-force deployments in Europe could be a possible response. “Obviously, in this case, we’ve got to work with Europeans on responses, but I strongly believe that doing nothing only invites more aggression, more violations, on the part of Russia, and especially [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” he said. “So we’ve sent them nasty notes and talked bad about them. It’s time to do something more than that because, obviously that hasn’t worked.”
