Top Republicans urge Biden to reject Russia, China demands on missile deployments

WASHINGTON — Top House Republicans are urging President Joe Biden to reject calls from Russia and China to limit U.S. deployments of intermediate-range and short-range ground-based missiles in Europe and the Pacific region , according to a letter obtained by Defense News.

In the Feb. 10 letter to Biden, the Republicans express their opposition to the administration’s willingness to negotiate with Russia over missiles previously covered by the defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Since the U.S. exited the INF Treaty in 2019 over claims Russia was failing to comply with its obligations, the Pentagon has looked at fielding the previously banned weapons to deter China.

“We are gravely concerned that any attempt to resurrect the INF Treaty or reimpose limitations on ground-launched missiles would catastrophically undermine American national security, encourage Russian aggression, and advance a flawed view of security that sacrifices peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” read the letter, led by Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin.

With the letter, the lawmakers ask how Army and Marine Corps modernization plans that center around American ground-based missiles in the Pacific region would be impacted by “any new or modified INF Treaty” and write that it’s “unconscionable” for the administration to consider reimposing limits on American ground-based missiles.

“The consequences would be deadly. Without the ability to amass large numbers of distributed and affordable missiles, a future war in the Indo-Pacific would be over before it began. It is not an exaggeration to say peace in the Indo-Pacific — not to mention the lives of countless American service members — hangs in the balance,” the letter read.

The letter’s signatories include the top Republicans of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama; the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas; and House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio; as well as the chair of the House Republican Conference, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.

The 1987 INF Treaty banned the U.S. and Soviet Union from deploying ground-based nuclear and conventional ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 310 miles to 3,400 miles, while also allowing intrusive on-site compliance verification. It ended, however, amid claims by the Obama and Trump administrations, as well as NATO, that Russia was violating its terms.

The U.S. Army launched a Pershing 2 missile on Jan. 13, 1988, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The ground-based missile was banned after the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty's passage in the 1980s. (AP)

China’s military has fielded short-, medium- and intermediate-range conventional systems capable of holding U.S. and allied bases in the Pacific region at risk, according to a Pentagon assessment published last year. Meanwhile, American commanders in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe have said fielding equivalent systems is important for deterring China and Russia.

In a statement, Gallagher argued the Trump administration’s justified exit from the INF Treaty “both imposed costs on Russia for its material breach of the agreement and set the stage for our military to counter China’s vast missile arsenal.”

“In light of looming Russian aggression in Ukraine and its sustained record of breaching its Treaty obligations, it is insane the Biden administration is even considering negotiating new restrictions on ground-launched missiles. The administration must reverse course before it sacrifices peace in Asia upon the altar of appeasement in Europe,” he said.

Japan is potentially open to hosting American intermediate-range missiles, pending the results of a defense policy review, the ambassador of Japan to the United States, Koji Tomita, told Politico last week.

During a round of U.S.-Russia diplomacy to defuse the Ukraine crisis , U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters the U.S. made clear it is “open to discussing certain missile systems” along the lines of the INF Treaty.

Russia has sought guarantees that neither side will deploy intermediate- or short-range missiles close enough to hit the territory of the other side. And a similar call appeared in a 5,300-word joint statement from Russia and China last week.

Moscow and Beijing argued that Washington’s “acceleration of research and the development” into the previously banned missiles “and the desire to deploy them in the Asia-Pacific and European regions, as well as their transfer to the allies, entail an increase in tension and distrust, increase risks to international and regional security, lead to the weakening of international non-proliferation and arms control system, undermining global strategic stability.”

Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.

华盛顿——据《防务新闻》获得的一封信函显示，众议院共和党高层敦促总统乔·拜登拒绝俄罗斯和中国提出的限制美国在欧洲和太平洋地区部署中程和短程陆基导弹的呼吁。

在2月10日致拜登的信中，共和党人表达了他们对政府愿意与俄罗斯就此前受已失效的《中导条约》约束的导弹进行谈判的反对。自美国于2019年以俄罗斯未能履行其义务为由退出《中导条约》以来，五角大楼一直在考虑部署此前被禁的武器以威慑中国。

“我们严重关切的是，任何试图恢复《中导条约》或重新限制陆基导弹的行为都将对美国国家安全造成灾难性破坏，助长俄罗斯的侵略行为，并推进一种牺牲印太地区和平与稳定的错误安全观，”这封由威斯康星州众议员迈克·加拉格尔牵头的信中写道。

议员们在信中询问，以美国在太平洋地区的陆基导弹为中心的陆军和海军陆战队现代化计划将如何受到“任何新的或修改的《中导条约》”的影响，并写道，政府考虑重新限制美国陆基导弹是“不合情理的”。

信中写道：“后果将不堪设想。如果无法大量储备分散且价格合理的导弹，未来印太地区的战争可能还没开始就已经结束了。毫不夸张地说，印太地区的和平——更不用说无数美国军人的生命——都岌岌可危。”

这封信的签署者包括众议院军事委员会的共和党领袖，阿拉巴马州众议员迈克·罗杰斯；众议院外交事务委员会的共和党领袖，德克萨斯州众议员迈克·麦考尔；众议院情报委员会的共和党领袖，俄亥俄州众议员迈克·特纳；以及众议院共和党会议主席，纽约州众议员伊莉丝·斯特凡尼克。

1987年的《中导条约》禁止美国和苏联部署射程在310英里至3400英里之间的陆基核导弹、常规弹道导弹和巡航导弹，同时允许进行现场强制执行核查。然而，由于奥巴马和特朗普政府以及北约声称俄罗斯违反了条约条款，该条约最终失效。

1988年1月13日，美国陆军从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角空军基地发射了一枚潘兴2型导弹。这种陆基导弹在20世纪80年代《中导条约》通过后被禁用。（美联社）

根据五角大楼去年发布的一份评估报告，中国军队已部署短程、中程和超短程常规导弹系统，足以对美国及其盟国在太平洋地区的基地构成威胁。与此同时，美国驻亚太和欧洲的指挥官表示，部署同等规模的导弹系统对于威慑中国和俄罗斯至关重要。

加拉格尔在一份声明中辩称，特朗普政府退出《中导条约》是合理的，“既让俄罗斯为其实质性违反该协议付出了代价，也为我们的军队对抗中国庞大的导弹库奠定了基础。”

“鉴于俄罗斯在乌克兰的侵略迫在眉睫，以及其屡次违反条约义务，拜登政府竟然还在考虑就陆基导弹的新限制进行谈判，这简直是疯了。本届政府必须改变路线，否则将为了在欧洲绥靖而牺牲亚洲的和平，”他说道。

日本驻美国大使富田浩二上周告诉Politico，日本有可能愿意接收美国的中程导弹，但这取决于国防政策评估的结果。

在美俄为缓和乌克兰危机而展开的一轮外交斡旋中，美国副国务卿温迪·舍曼告诉记者，美国已明确表示“愿意按照《中导条约》的思路讨论某些导弹系统”。

俄罗斯寻求双方保证，不会在距离对方领土足够近的范围内部署能够打击对方领土的中程或短程导弹。上周，俄中两国发表的一份长达5300字的联合声明中也提出了类似的要求。

莫斯科和北京认为，华盛顿“加速研发”此前被禁导弹，“并希望在亚太和欧洲地区部署这些导弹，以及将这些导弹转让给盟国，这将加剧紧张局势和不信任，增加国际和地区安全风险，削弱国际防扩散和军控体系，破坏全球战略稳定。”

乔·古尔德是《防务新闻》的资深五角大楼记者，负责报道国家安全政策、政治和国防工业的交汇点。他此前曾担任国会记者。