Biden should continue building intermediate-range missiles
Luke Griffith
December 23, 2020
Developing and deploying intermediate-range missiles would allow the Biden administration to propose an exchange of apples for apples in nuclear arms control negotiations, according to this commentary. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
After withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump envisioned a comprehensive agreement that controlled all Russian and Chinese nuclear systems, including about 100 Russian and 2,200 Chinese ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles. With the Xi government unwilling to join arms control negotiations, the Trump administration expressed interest in a bilateral deal with Russia. To augment its bargaining position and military capabilities, it secured $181 million to develop intermediate-range conventional missiles.