US may deploy ground launched cruise/ballistic missiles to counter Russian INF treaty violation

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/world/177901...eaty-would-be-serious-concern-for-allies.html

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that any non-compliance of Russia with the INF Treaty would be a serious concern for the Alliance, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Brussels reporting from a press conference ahead of the meeting of NATO defense ministers Wednesday.


"I can say is that any non-compliance of Russia with the INF Treaty would be a serious concern for the Alliance," Stoltenberg said, commenting on Russia's covert deployment of a nuclear-tipped ground-launched cruise missile.

"The INF Treaty is very important because the INF Treaty eliminated the whole criteria of nuclear weapons, which threatened Europe and NATO Allies and they were eliminated by the INF Treaty at the end of the 1980s," Stoltenberg said.

"So, compliance with arms control agreements is of great importance and especially when it comes to treaties covering nuclear weapons. So, therefore any non-compliance with the INF Treaty will be of great concern for the Alliance," he added.

The New York Times earlier reported Russia has secretly deployed a new cruise missile that American officials say violates a landmark arms control treaty, posing a major test for President Trump as his administration is facing a crisis over its ties to Moscow.

 

[NirmalKrish]

go scare those small countries you are good at ,we don't care.

China has more than enough problems in the ASEAN region & SCS, the last thing you need is being bombed back to Stone Age by USA.

 

[Hindustani78]

China has more than enough problems in the ASEAN region & SCS, the last thing you need is being bombed back to Stone Age by USA.

By the way

On Feb. 17, 2017, U.S. Air Force WC-135C Constant Phoenix Nuclear explosion “sniffer,” serial number 62-3582, using radio callsign “Cobra 55” deployed to RAF Mildenhall, UK. Europe

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1065556/world

WASHINGTON: Moscow has deployed a land-based cruise missile system that contravenes a 1987 US-Russia arms control treaty and poses a risk to the West, a top US general said Wednesday.


General Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that the missile system’s deployment “violates the spirit and intent” of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).


“The system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe,” Selva told the House Armed Services Committee hearing.

“We believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility.”

The treaty was negotiated during the Cold War by president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, banning intermediate-range missiles from US and Russian arsenals.

It led to the destruction of about 2,700 missiles.

The New York Times last month first reported the deployment.

Russia says it has not violated the treaty — and has accused Washington of doing so.

Moscow says the missile defense system the United States deployed in Poland and Romania could be used if necessary to launch missiles toward Russia.

The 1987 INF treaty put an end to a mini-arms race triggered by the Soviet Union’s deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles targeting Western European capitals.

NATO at the time responded by deploying US nuclear-tipped Pershing missiles. This led to massive pacifist demonstrations across Europe, and even heated public debates around the German pacifist slogan “better red than dead.”

Selva also warned that America’s aging nuclear deterrent — much of it built in the 1970s — is “nearing a crossroads.”

The Pentagon wants to replace or modernize all three legs of its “triad,” a three-pronged nuclear attack force comprising intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarines and bombers.

Experts estimate the cost will hit $1 trillion over the next 30 years.

“These systems will not remain viable forever,” Selva said.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/russia-denies-violating-nuclear-arms-pact-with-us

MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Thursday rejected U.S. claims of Russian violations of a landmark nuclear arms treaty, saying it has respected the pact and will continue to do so.

The controversy over the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty adds another thorn in the side for U.S. President Donald Trump's declared goal of improving ties with Moscow, coming at a time when his administration is facing questions over alleged contacts with Russia during the U.S. election campaign.

Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday accused Russia of deploying a land-based cruise missile in violation of "the spirit and intent" of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. He said that Moscow's intention is to threaten U.S. facilities in Europe and the NATO alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded that "we disagree with and reject any such accusations."

"Russia has adhered to and will adhere to all its international obligations, including those under the INF Treaty," he said in a conference call with reporters.

The INF Treaty bans an entire class of weapons — all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,410 miles).

The Obama administration had accused Moscow of violating the INF treaty, but Selva's statement marked the first public confirmation of recent news reports that the Russians have deployed the nuclear-capable cruise missile.

During earlier bickering over the INF Treaty, Russia has sought to turn the tables on the U.S. with claims of perceived U.S. violations.

Trump has said little about the INF treaty, but he has criticized another arms pact, the 2010 New START nuclear arms reduction treaty that limited the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to no more than 1,550 deployed warheads for each country, saying it offers Russia an advantage.

The bickering over the treaty comes at a time when Russia-U.S. ties have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and other disputes. U.S. allies in Europe have voiced concern about what they perceived as aggressive Russian intentions and its military buildup.

Moscow has responded with its own grievances, saying the U.S.-led missile defense and the deployment of NATO's forces near Russian borders threaten Russia's security.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks in Moscow with his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, that Russia is only responding to "being encircled with NATO's weapons and NATO's units."

Gabriel called for dialogue to ease tensions.

 

[Hindustani78]

13:41
MOSCOW ASKS U.S. TO PROVIDE PROOF OF INF TREATY VIOLATIONS BY RUSSIA, SPECIFY THEM - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

 

[Hindustani78]

https://sputniknews.com/military/201703121051499938-us-russia-inf-violations/

On Wednesday, the United States once again accused Russia of violating the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, an allegation repeatedly denied by Moscow.

Speaking in Congress, a senior US general said that Russia has allegedly deployed prohibited cruise missiles with a range of 500-5,000 kilometers.

"We believe that the Russians have deployed a land-based cruise missile that violates the spirit and intent of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty," Gen. Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee.

The general added that by deploying prohibited missiles, Moscow poses a threat to "NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility."

Earlier, the US had accused Russia of developing a ground-based analogue of the Kalibr-NK cruise missile and concealing the capabilities of the Iskander tactical missile system.

In mid-February, American senators also submitted legislation to toughen Washington’s stance on the INF Treaty, presuming funds for active defense measures and a retaliation strike. Moreover, the proposed bill would also enable transfer of INF missile systems to US allies.

Commenting on the allegations, Viktor Ozerov, the chairman of the Russian upper house of parliament’s defense committee, said that Russia has not violated the agreement.


"Russia strictly observes the agreement signed by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, despite the fact that, according to our evaluations, the agreement was not in the interests of the USSR and then Russia. In particular, it should be taken into account that the US has deployed missile systems and missile defenses in several European countries," Ozerov said.

Aggressive Trend


Moscow and Washington have occasionally exchanged accusations of violating the INF Treaty. From time to time, Washington’s claims sound absurd; for example, calling to expand the treaty to include the RS-26 Yars-M mobile missile system, which possesses an operational range of 6,000-11,000 km.

The system, which has nothing to do with short-range and medium-range missiles, is expected to enter service with the Russian Strategic Forces in 2017. The missile is believed to be imperceptible for existing and advanced missile defenses.

"Probably, the US is concerned with its own exposure to a retaliation strike by the Russian Strategic Forces, rather than the security of its European allies. As a result, Washington has been engaged in complicated maneuvers, including inflating the mythical 'Russian threat,' strengthening NATO, expanding it to the east and accusing Russia of violating the INF Treaty. At the same time, the US continues to deploy its missiles across Europe," Russian journalist and political commentator Alexander Khrolenko wrote in a piece for RIA Novosti.

According to the author, all of the above further contribute to the familiar American trend of resolving “geopolitical tensions by force" bypassing international law and the UN Security Council.

"However, there cannot be 'shock and awe' for Russia efficiently countering the pressure from the US and NATO. Probably, Washington’s allegations against Moscow [over INF Treaty violations] are only a façade for aggressive plans," Khrolenko suggested.

Compromise

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is an indefinite agreement signed between the US and the Soviet Union in 1987. It came into effect on June 1, 1988.

The treaty prohibited the production, testing and deployment of ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles, with ranges of 500-1,000 km (short-range) and 1,000-5,000 (medium-range). It also banned all launchers and ground-based missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km.

By summer 1991, the USSR eliminated 1,846 missiles systems, while the US – 846 systems.

A longtime standoff between Washington and Moscow in the mid-1970s resulted in the creation of advanced missile target seekers, including laser and infrared systems. They guaranteed an unprecedented accuracy of a missile strike. In 1974, the US codified its limited nuclear war doctrine in the national nuclear strategy and began upgrading its forward bases' missile defense system for European allies.

In 1977, Moscow responded with upgrading its arsenal of heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles with scattering warheads and deployed RSD-10 medium-range missiles to the Western border.

In 1983, the NATO Council decided to deploy 572 Pershing II missiles to Europe. The missile had a flight time to the target of 6-8 minutes.

Finally, a compromise was reached in 1987 between the US and the USSR, after years of negotiations.

What’s Next?

The deployment of US Mk-41 launchers to Poland and Romania was a major violation of the INF Treaty. Those systems can be used for launching Tomahawk medium-range missiles.

Currently, the guidance system of the Pershing II is used in the Hera target missile, which can be qualified as a ground-based medium-range ballistic missile. The Pentagon continues missile defense tests and intensifies the development of heavy attack drones and cruise missiles.

"The US says that the modernization of its nuclear triad is not aimed at a new arms race. However, such efforts should have a practical goal. And if they are directed against Moscow the US should consider the modernization of Russia’s nuclear potential," Khrolenko concluded.

 

[Hindustani78]

17:28
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: U.S.'S DEPLOYMENT TO POLAND, ROMANIA OF AEGIS MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS CAPABLE OF CARRYING TOMAHAWK MISSILES IS GROSS BREACH OF OBLIGATIONS IN INF TREATY

18:19
Moscow considers deployment to Romania, Poland of BMD systems capable of carrying Tomahawk missiles gross violation of INF Treaty - Russian FM

18:00
Russian Foreign Ministry concerned about U.S. military, biological structure deployed near Russia's borders

 

[Hindustani78]

https://sputniknews.com/military/201706281055031021-usa-inf-withdrawal-peace/

Dr. Helen Caldicott said that the United States leaving the INF Treaty will only endanger NATO allies by and fuel a dangerous arms buildup in Eastern Europe.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States leaving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty will only endanger NATO allies by and fuel a dangerous arms buildup in Eastern Europe, Dr. Helen Caldicott, co-winner of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, told Sputnik.

On Monday, media reported that US lawmakers had sent a proposal to the White House urging the Trump administration to withdraw from the INF arms control treaty that was negotiated between the United States and Russia in 1987.

"For God’s sake why doesn’t the US take responsibility for its extremely provocative behavior?" Caldicott, who is also the founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, said on Tuesday.

Far from ensuring security and defense for NATO’s eastern European member-states, the arms buildup was endangering them by alarming Russia and forcing it to respond with its own weapons build up and force expansion in reply, Caldicott noted.

Caldicott queried whether US government policymakers and members of Congress recognized the inevitable catastrophe that would result from their policies in Europe and that they were headed towards "global nuclear holocaust."

The arms race was also driven by the giant US defense contractors with the financial clout they enjoyed over so many members of Congress, Caldicott explained.

"Recently Russia has responded to an alarming military buildup including ABM systems along its vulnerable borders with the new NATO countries armed as they have been by Lockheed Martin et al, by deploying some medium range missiles along its borders," she said.

In the short run those sales would ensure the giant US corporations continued to make enormous profits from their advanced weapons sales to the US and NATO armed forces. But in the long run, the same policies would ensure total destruction for all, Caldicott warned.

The growing drive by members of the Senate and House of Representatives to scrap the INF treaty was particularly worrying because the treaty had stood for 30 years as a major diplomatic protection against a new arms race getting out of control in the heart of Europe, Caldicott maintained.

"An imperative INF treaty prevented the deployment of unverifiable US cruise missiles which could be hidden from satellite verification in haystacks and other places and which would have ended nuclear arms control," she stated.

Russia could have no defense against the deployment of such hard-to-detect intermediate range weapons in the heart of Europe, Caldicott pointed out.

"Deployed in Europe they [US cruise missiles] could reach Moscow in 15 minutes traveling just above the contours of the land. Pershing-2s on the other hand would reach Moscow in three minutes," she said.

Caldicott is the author of many books, including "The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush’s Military Industrial Complex" and "War in Heaven:" The Arms Race in Outer Space." The Smithsonian Institution has named her one of the most influential women of the 20th century

The INF treaty prohibits the development, deployment or testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles with ranges between 300 and 3,400 miles.

**************


Some history

The first version, dubbed the Pershing I, was delivered to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1962 on the back of a tracked vehicle with launch capabilities. It required a caravan of three other vehicles to carry its radar and command equipment, but in flight the missile’s range was 400 miles, twice the distance of the Redstone. This was due in large part to Martin’s use of a solid propellant, which was easier to handle, safer, and more reliable than liquid propellants


On December 8, 1987, at a summit in Washington, D.C., U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Agreement (INF), which called for the elimination of all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missile systems with a range between 300 and 3,400 miles in a little over three years.

During a speech in Longhorn, Texas, in 1988, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush summed up the legacy of the Pershing. “The Pershing missile system strengthened deterrence and was concrete evidence of United States resolve,” he said. “If we had not deployed [Pershing] … there would not be an INF treaty today.” A fitting tribute to a system that defended Europe, the United States, and NATO for 28 years.

 

[PeaceGen]

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1065556/world

WASHINGTON: Moscow has deployed a land-based cruise missile system that contravenes a 1987 US-Russia arms control treaty and poses a risk to the West, a top US general said Wednesday.


General Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that the missile system’s deployment “violates the spirit and intent” of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).


“The system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe,” Selva told the House Armed Services Committee hearing.

“We believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility.”

The treaty was negotiated during the Cold War by president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, banning intermediate-range missiles from US and Russian arsenals.

It led to the destruction of about 2,700 missiles.

The New York Times last month first reported the deployment.

Russia says it has not violated the treaty — and has accused Washington of doing so.

Moscow says the missile defense system the United States deployed in Poland and Romania could be used if necessary to launch missiles toward Russia.

The 1987 INF treaty put an end to a mini-arms race triggered by the Soviet Union’s deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles targeting Western European capitals.

NATO at the time responded by deploying US nuclear-tipped Pershing missiles. This led to massive pacifist demonstrations across Europe, and even heated public debates around the German pacifist slogan “better red than dead.”

Selva also warned that America’s aging nuclear deterrent — much of it built in the 1970s — is “nearing a crossroads.”

The Pentagon wants to replace or modernize all three legs of its “triad,” a three-pronged nuclear attack force comprising intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarines and bombers.

Experts estimate the cost will hit $1 trillion over the next 30 years.

“These systems will not remain viable forever,” Selva said.

that makes an anti-icbm program by anyone including the US, attractive, maybe even needed (the Israeli's for instance). i'll say no more on this subject either.
a civilian bottom line opinion? it perhaps would indeed be best to allow gradual phasing in of anti-icbm equipment,

with of course the best weapons (weapons that take down whole swarms of ICBMs), remaining an official public secret.

 

[maximuswarrior]

Keep it up and similar systems to what I posted above will be coming to China's doorstep in the Western Pacific.

LOL what are you waiting for?

Oh, the CCP would definitely care. Those kinds of systems dispersed throughout the Western Pacific would be significant force multipliers for US forces in the region and a nightmare for China. Don't think otherwise...

You think China will sit idle? You Americans should be more worried about a crazy redneck leading your country.

China has more than enough problems in the ASEAN region & SCS, the last thing you need is being bombed back to Stone Age by USA.

Says a cow vigilante from Modiland. Your country is crying about Kashmir like it has no control over it. You just worry about your own crap. I heard the rape crisis is beyond control...

 

[Penguin]

Defensive weapons like Aegis Ashore would be good, but offensive weapons like ATACMS/MLRS/HIMARS or, well the US doesn't really have too many options here since it's ballistic missile and ground launched cruise missile force has been reduced following the retirement of the Tomahawk GLCM and Pershing II - these would be an unnecessary provocation at a time when de-escalation is needed between the two nations.

I'm not even sure what surface-launched (non-sea-based) missiles the US has left outside its nuclear arsenal and the assorted MLRS rockets.

.

Ground launched ATAMCS
Originally designated Block IA Unitary (MGM-140E), the new Block IVA variant substitutes a 230 kilograms (500 lb) unitary HE warhead for M74 bomblets. It uses the same GPS/INS guidance as the MGM-140B. The development contract was placed in December 2000, and flight-testing began in April 2001. The first production contract was awarded in March 2002. The range has been increased to some 300 kilometres (190 mi), limited more by the legal provisions of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) than technical considerations.

In March 2016, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon announced they would offer a missile to meet the U.S. Army's Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) requirement to replace the ATACMS. It is expected to be operational by 2027,. The missile will use advanced propulsion to fly faster and further, out to 500 kilometres (310 mi) (limited by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty), while also being thinner and sleeker, increasing loadout to two per pod, doubling the number able to be carried by M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS launchers. One contractor is to be downselected in 2018-19 to begin production in 2021-22.In 2017, The US Army has given Raytheon the go-ahead to proceed into the technology maturation and risk reduction (TMRR) phase for its Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) effort, now called DeepStrike.
LRPF is meant to be modular, open-architecture, and easy to upgrade. One of the two contractors on the program, Raytheon, told reporters that giving LRPF more than 500 km of range or an anti-ship seeker would be entirely doable. There is a potential, as technology continues to advance, to come up with alternative rocket motors that will provide range in excess of 499 (km). It may also be used against ships at sea.
http://breakingdefense.com/2016/10/new-army-long-range-missile-might-kill-ships-too-lrpf/

Air launched: JASSM-ER
370+ km (230 mi) [JASSM]
1000+ km (620 mi) [JASSM-ER]
Launch platform: Integrated into B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, and - in future - F-35

It would not be too difficult to come up with a ground launched JASSM-ER. See JASSM-ER derived LRASM antiship missile, which will be fired from ships either from Mk41 (VL) or from deck racks of about the same footprint as Harpoon. Harpoon is also available as coastal defence missile. This or a similar vehicle might well also serve as a launch platform for LRASM and JASSM-ER.

See http://www.navyrecognition.com/inde...-lockheed-martin-lrasm-top-side-launcher.html

So, it would be well feasible for the US to field both a 1000+ km groundlaunched ballistic missile and a 1000+ km ground launched cruise missile within 5-10 years. Less, if they really put their mind to it.

 

[Hindustani78]

https://sputniknews.com/military/201709141057396387-iskander-missile-system-russia-inf/

The developer of the Iskander-M has shed the light on the weapons' compliance with the INF Treaty between Russia and the US, as well as spoke about the ballistic missile system's capabilities.

KOLOMNA (Sputnik) — Russia's Research and Production Corporation Konstruktorskoye Byuro Mashynostroyeniya (RPC KBM), known as the developer of the Iskander missile systems, takes the limitations imposed by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty into consideration when developing new weapons, the company's general designer said Thursday.

"We take into consideration [the provisions of the INF Treaty] very carefully and take steps in order to avoid any quibbling," Valery Kashin told reporters.

The KBM official added that the company had been significantly hit by the decision to discontinue production of the OTR-23 Oka missile systems even though they did not fall into category of weapons banned under the 1987 INF treaty, which prohibits the development, deployment and testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles with ranges between 300 and 3,400 miles.

He also spoke about the Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system's capabilities, saying that it can fire seven different types of missiles.

"Even after completing the state testing of the system, in 2012, we realized that we had not exhausted all the potential of Iskander, we have been continuing development of new missiles. Iskander-M is now equipped with seven types of missiles, and may be even more," Kashin said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has approved a plan to modernize the Iskander-M, which is expected to be in service in the Russian army in the next 20-30 years, he added.

"We want to move forward, so we have now prepared the proposal to the Defense Ministry, it is now being approved and in general, it has already received a nod. It is not necessary to start from scratch, we must work to develop the existing capabilities of the system. Iskander will exist for a long time. It is clear it should live for another 20-30 years, the demands and tasks will change, and it must be able to solve them adequately," KBM chief said.

The Iskander-M (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a mobile short-range ballistic missile system designed to destroy a wide variety of ground targets at a range of up to 500 kilometers (over 300 miles). At present, the supply of Iskander-M brigade-size sets to the Russian army is being completed, under a contract signed with the Defense Ministry in 2011 (the whole agreement provides for the supply of 10 brigade sets).

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/world/2297221-inf-treaty-breach-could-lead-to-another-global-arms-race.html
14 December 2017

The situation around the violations by the United States and Russia of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Short-Range Missiles (INF) can eventually draw other countries into the arms race, Apostrophe wrote citing a report by the U.S.-based private intelligence and analytical company Stratfor.


The U.S. State Department in one of its reports said that Washington was set to take military, diplomatic and economic measures over the alleged violations of the INF Treaty, reads the Apostrophe report.

American analysts suggest that, in order to guarantee compliance with the treaty, the U.S. will enlist the support of NATO partners and join forces to oppose Russia. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Commerce is drafting new sanctions against Russian companies that are involved in developing weapons that violate the Treaty.


Speaking about military measures, analysts mention that the U.S. Congress was considering the allocation of funds for the development of a missile, which, if produced, will violate the INF treaty. The U.S. could deploy its anti-missile defense system in Europe, and also test and deploy its missiles in violation of the Treaty.

According to analysts, the situation surrounding the INF Treaty shows how outdated the global arms control system is. The conflict may hamper negotiations on the extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III), which expires in 2021. Such delay could further weaken the arms control regime, which will give boost to the global arms race between the United States and Russia, and draw other countries into it.

***************

 

[Hindustani78]

http://aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-orders-probe-of-russian-ballistic-missile/1069153

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for a Congressionally mandated review of whether a Russian ballistic missile violates a Reagan-era nuclear treaty.

Trump, in consultation with high-ranking government officials, will conduct a review to determine whether Russia’s RS-26 ballistic missile violates the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, according to the White House.

"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America...I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of National Intelligence the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018," Trump said in a statement.

Section 1245 requires that a review of the RS-26 ballistic missile be conducted within 90 days after the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Dec. 12 last year.

The investigation will determine whether the missile is covered under the New START treaty, a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Russia on measures for the reduction of strategic offensive arms, or is a violation of the INF Treaty because Russia has flight-tested such a missile to ranges covered by the INF Treaty in more than one warhead configuration.

The INF Treaty, a 1987 agreement between Washington and Moscow, aims to eliminate all short-range nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges of 310–620 miles (500–1,000 kilometers) and intermediate-range missiles with ranges of 620–3,420 miles (1,000–5,500 km) as well as their launchers.

According to the NDAA, if the investigation determines that the RS-26 ballistic missile is covered under the New START Treaty and that Russia has not taken certain steps under it, the U.S. shall consider for purposes of all policies and decisions that the missile is in violation of the INF Treaty.