Washington wants to quickly deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Asia, to counter the rise of China in the region, new US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday.
"Yes I would like to," Esper said when asked if the US was considering deploying new medium-range conventional weapons in Asia now Washington is no longer bound by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.
"We would like to deploy a capability sooner rather than later," Esper told reporters on a plane to Sydney at the start of a week-long tour of Asia. "I would prefer months ... But these things tend to take longer than you expect."
The new Pentagon chief did not specify where the US intended to deploy these weapons.
"I would not speculate because those things depend on plans, it's those things you always discuss with your allies," he said.
Washington withdrew from the INF treaty on Friday after accusing Russia of violating it for years.
But its unraveling had been on the cards for months amid worsening ties between Russia and the US.
Washington is now free to compete with China, whose arsenal is largely made up of weapons prohibited under the INF Treaty, to which Beijing was never a signatory.
Esper said China should not be surprised by the US plans.
"That should be no surprise because we have been talking about that for some time now," he said.
"And I want to say that 80 percent of their inventory is INF range systems. So that should not surprise that we would want to have a like capability," he said.
Esper, who was confirmed as Pentagon chief on July 23, wouldn't detail possible deployment locations in Asia, saying it would depend on discussions with allies and other factors. He downplayed any reaction from China, saying that "80 percent plus of their inventory is intermediate range systems, so that shouldn't surprise them that we would want to have a like capability."
He said that because of the great distances within the Indo-Pacific region, U.S development of effective intermediate range precision weapons is important.
Some Pentagon estimates have suggested that a low-flying cruise missile with a potential range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) could be flight-tested this month and be ready for deployment in 18 months. A ballistic missile with a range of roughly 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers (1,860 to 2,490 miles) could take five years or more to deploy. Neither would be nuclear armed.
Under the pact signed in 1987 by then US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Washington and Moscow agreed to limit the use of conventional and nuclear medium-range missiles (with a range of 500-5,000 kilometers, 300-3,000 miles). Its demise comes as world powers seek to contain the nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea. And it signals another milestone in the deterioration of relations between the US and Russia.
Esper also added his voice to those who believe that extending the New START Treaty may not make sense. New START expires in February 2021, and is the only remaining treaty constraining US and Russian nuclear arsenals.
Trump has called New START "just another bad deal" made by the Obama administration, and has said he wants to negotiate a three-way nuclear arms control agreement among the US, Russia and China.
Esper said the US should look at bringing in other nuclear powers and expand the types of weapons controlled by the treaty. He added that he does not believe this will trigger a new arms race, but that the US needs to deploy missile capabilities that can protect both Europe and the Pacific region.
Esper arrived in Sydney for the annual meeting of US and Australian defense and foreign ministers. Pompeo is also attending.
Esper's weeklong trip will also take him to New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia.
It will be his first overseas trip as a Senate-confirmed secretary. Former Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who stepped down before his confirmation, visited both Japan and South Korea in June.
Esper said he is returning to the region in order to affirm the US and his own personal commitments to the Indo-Pacific. The Pentagon's national defense strategy deems China and Russia as America's top strategic competitors.
