For the first time since the Cold War, the US will deploy medium-range missiles in Asia

The missiles’ flight range ranges from 500 to 2,700 kilometers.

The US military plans to deploy land- based intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region in 2024. This was reported by Nikkei Asia , citing US Pacific Army spokesman Rob Phillips.

According to him, the first deployment of an arsenal in the region since the end of the Cold War will be to strengthen deterrence against China. Options under consideration include ground-based versions of the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and the Tomahawk cruise missile. The missiles’ flight range is believed to be between 500 and 2,700 kilometers. However, Phillips did not provide details about where and when the American missiles might be deployed.

The publication clarifies that this is the first deployment since the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty expired in 2019. An agreement signed with the Soviet Union in 1987 prohibited countries from developing and possessing ground-launched missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 km.

“China continued to expand its arsenal of intermediate- and short-range missiles while the United States was bound by the Treaty. Beijing now has 1,500 missiles with a range of 1,000 to 5,500 km, according to the Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military power,” the article says.

Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the US Army will send intermediate-range missiles mainly to US soil.

“They will be permanently deployed to U.S. territories in the region, primarily Guam. Allies may be prepared to rotate forces during crises, but this is very dependent on future political dynamics,” Panda said.

US-China relations – latest news

The US must be prepared for simultaneous wars with China and Russia . This is stated in the report of the bipartisan commission on strategic policy appointed by Congress. It noted that the United States should extend the service life of ballistic missile submarines and deploy more tactical nuclear weapons in Asia and Europe.

Meanwhile, the United States announced that China was preparing for war . According to John Bolton, a former adviser to previous US President Donald Trump, the threat is not limited to military affairs, but also extends to politics and the economy.

(C)UNIAN 2023