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| Chinese DF-21D Ballistic Missile (File Photo) |
After Russia tested a ground-launched cruise missile two months ago to break the its landmark nuclear limitation treaty signed with the US in 1987, Evan Braden Montgomery, a defense expert from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said the United States has been debating whether or not to modify the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, reports National Interest magazine.
The treaty was a landmark arms agreement which successfully prevented both the US and Soviet Union from fielding surface-to-surface ballistic and cruise missiles carry conventional or nuclear warheads within a range of 500-5500 kilometers. The State Department announced that Russia had violated the treaty to test a prohibited weapon in late July.
Various defense experts have suggested that the US modify the treaty as a response. China's absence on the list of signatories of the treaty implies that the US can deploy the missile to Asia while continuing to bar its deployment in Europe. The US could gain leverage over China and negotiate limits on its offensive forces, said Evan Braden Montgomery, a defense expert from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
Read the full story at Want China Times