A top US general warned that the United States and its allies would be left defenceless in the face of a large-scale Russian attack. Speaking to US lawmakers, Tuesday general John Hyten, who heads the Strategic Military Command, said that a single ground launch missile attack is not a threat, but in the event of Russia deciding to launch large numbers of cruise missiles from the ground NATO and the US would not be able to prevent it. “We have no defense for it, especially in defense of our European allies,” Hyten told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“That system can range and threaten most of the continent of Europe depending on where it is deployed. … It is a concern and we’re going to have to figure out how to deal with it as a nation.”
Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of deploying a land-based cruise missile system in contravention of a 1987 US-Russia arms control deal, known as the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).