The US on Monday announced it had started initial production of parts used on ground-launched cruise missiles.
The move comes a month after the Trump administration announced the US had suspended compliance to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and would withdraw fully from the accord by August this year. The treaty barred the US and Russia from deploying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500km and 5,500km.
"We will commence fabrication activities on components to support developmental testing of these systems, activities that until February 2 would have been inconsistent with our obligations under the treaty," said Army Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Baldanza added the work on the ground-launched cruise missiles is “reversible”, should Russia return to “full and verifiable” compliance to the INF treaty by August. The Pentagon added the proposed cruise missile would be conventionally, not nuclear, armed.
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The Trump administration had announced last year it was ending US adherence to the INF treaty, signed in 1987, alleging Russia had violated the accord by deploying a ground-launched cruise missile called the Novator 9M729. The US said the Novator 9M729 had a range that violated the INF treaty's specifications. Russia has stoutly denied the allegations about the missile. Last week, Russia announced it had officially ended compliance with the INF treaty.
Since 1987, both Russia and the US had publicly abandoned development and deployment of ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles, which fell in the INF treaty's range. Both sides, however, deploy similar weapons on aircraft and warships. Experts claim the US government's decision to abandon compliance to the INF treaty has been influenced by the growing threat of China, which has amassed a massive arsenal of ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles over the past two decades.
