US Anti-Russian Missile Deployment in Europe Would Be Costly
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Experts claim that US missile deployment in Europe to counter alleged Russian violations of would be a costly and time-prohibitive endeavour that not all NATO allies would welcome.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US missile deployment in Europe to counter alleged Russian violations of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) would be a costly and time-prohibitive endeavour that not all NATO allies would welcome, experts told Sputnik.
“I cannot see a major US investment in a true counterforce capability [such as] a new intermediate range, land-based, ballistic missile, precisely because of… the costs, and the time to develop and deploy,” St. John’s University Professor of Government David Kearn told Sputnik on Friday.
In addition, Kearn said, “it is not clear that the perception of the Russian threat is shared across Europe.”
Polish soldiers watch as US troops from the 5th Battalion of the 7th Air Defense Regiment emplace a launching station of the Patriot air and missile defence system at a test range in Sochaczew, Poland, on March 21, 2015.
On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that United States was considering deploying missiles capable of striking targets inside Russia as a counterforce measure to alleged Russian violations of the INF Treaty.
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Senior Fellow John Isaacs told Sputnik that a US forward missile strategy in Europe would ratchet up tensions and deliver absolutely nothing in terms of military value.
“This [US missile deployment to Europe] is a total waste of money,” Isaacs said. “We both have ample weapons to destroy each other many times over.”
