General Hyten: The US has 'no defense' against Russia's new cruise missile
The United States has "no defense" against ground-based cruise missiles recently deployed by Russia, according to a report submitted to Congress by a high-ranking American general.
The Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, General John Hyten, warned that Russian missile systems "are within range and can threaten most of the continent of Europe" and that the US "has no defense against it," especially with regard to the defense of European allies.
The US authorities described the deployment of the missile which took place in February, as a breach of the arms control treaty. American officials did not describe the characteristics of the deployed missile, but experts believe that it could be easily equipped with a nuclear warhead.
The New York Times reported that the Russian missile was deployed to the Volgograd region and also to another unspecified region. The deployment of this missile is "alarming," and the US "must decide what to do about it," Hyten said.
The General confirmed that by deploying the missile, Russia violated the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Short-Range Missiles, which banned American and Russian ground-based missiles of this type.
Hyten said that the US should initiate a dialogue with Russia from a position of strength, and advocated for the modernization of the Armed Forces to strengthen American positions.
"A single ground-launched cruise missile is not a significant threat to the United States or our allies," Hyten said, speaking before the Senate Committee on Armed Services. However, "it shows the beginning of the deployment of a system that could be a threat in the future," he added.