Mike Gallagher: “Last December, in lockstep with our NATO allies, the U.S. determined that Russia is in material breach of the…”

“Last December, in lockstep with our NATO allies, the U.S. determined that Russia is in material breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF, Treaty. This followed determinations by the State Department in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 that Russia has failed to comply with its INF obligations. As one of only two parties in the agreement, and the only party currently playing by the rules, the U.S. is subject to severe restrictions on our military capabilities faced by no other nation on Earth. This problem is especially acute in Asia, where the U.S. must project power across vast distances and with enormous logistics chains. While the original treaty was about intermediate-range nuclear weapons, China has seized upon the potential of conventional missiles of intermediate ranges, which are likewise banned under the INF. The Chinese military has invested in thousands of conventional ground-based missiles, roughly 95 percent of which would be prohibited by the treaty if Beijing were a signatory. This arsenal puts us on the wrong side of the cost competition. As you can see from this chart from the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the U.S. military is dangerously outranged at intermediate distances. No matter how capable or affordable, our ships, fighters, and bombers will never be cheaper than ground-based missiles. This is a recipe for disaster, both in war and in peacetime competition.…”