US To Shift Nuclear Missiles in Europe in Anticipation of War vs Putin

US To Shift Nuclear Missiles in Europe in Anticipation of War Vs Putin (Source au.ibtimes.com)

A day after it alleged Russia to have violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty or INF, the United States is thinking of stationing its nuclear cruise missiles in Europe in anticipation of the other country’s war tactics. Brian P. McKeon, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, told a joint hearing on Russian treaty violations that the US cruise missiles will be redeployed in the region if Russia continues to be adamant about its nuclear program. Russia argued the testing of a ground-launched cruise missile in July 2014 was in compliance with the treaty. Suffice to say, the planned redeployment makes good McKeon’s pronouncement that the U.S. will not just watch while Russia conducts its cruise missile testing. McKeon said that although the U.S. doesn’t want to engage in an “escalatory cycle of action and reaction,” the country most definitely asserted the violation “will not go unanswered, because there is too much at stake.” Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told the same hearing President Barack Obama has written Russian President Putin about the arms violation. Other senior U.S. government officials have likewise followed suit. But Russia remained tight lipped. Gottemoeller, stressing the U.S. can’t wait forever for a reply, said the government had drawn up a list of “countermeasures” against Russia. Diplomacy will always be the priority to resolve the new dispute between the two countries, but the U.S. didn’t disregard “future military countermeasures,” along with possible economic sanctions. The U.S. doesn’t possess ground-launched cruise missiles in Europe by virtue of the INF. But McKeon hinted it is an option being highly considered.

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