Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
3/28/2014
Frustrated with the Obama Administration’s reaction to possible Russian violations of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, House and Senate Republicans introduced legislation this week designed to hold Moscow accountable for the potential cheating. GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced companion resolutions that would declare that Russia “violated and circumvented” the treaty and calls on President Obama to “take appropriate action to ensure that the Russian Federation is unable to profit from its violation by potentially threatening U.S. allies in Europe and Asia.” The lawmakers did not specify what actions the President should take.
The INF Treaty that was signed by the Soviet Union and the United States in 1987 required each country to get rid of missiles with ranges of 300 and 4,000 miles, and the accord also prevents each country from testing or building such weapons. But reports earlier this year suggested that top State Department officials met with NATO allies in January to provide info on alleged Russian tests of a new land-based cruise missile that violates the treaty. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Joe Heck (R-Nev.), and Ted Poe (R-Texas) introduced the resolution in the House, while Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), David Vitter (R-La.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced the bill in the Senate. “The viability of future arms control agreements depend on the reliability of current ones,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “The INF treaty is the central arms control accord of the nuclear era. We must treat it seriously and pursue violations relentlessly. There is simply no point in having treaties unless both sides treat them with the utmost fidelity, and act in a manner binding to the agreement.”
Lawmakers: ‘Viability’ of Arms Control in Jeopardy
Republicans have suggested that the reports of Russian cheating should scuttle any U.S. plans for future arms control reductions with Moscow, and the lawmakers emphasized that point this week. “We have introduced this resolution because the viability of future arms control agreements depend on the reliability of current ones,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “The INF treaty is the central arms control accord of the nuclear era. We must treat it seriously and pursue violations relentlessly. There is simply no point in having treaties unless both sides treat them with the utmost fidelity, and act in a manner binding to the agreement.”
The lawmakers called the alleged cheating a calculated move on the part of Russia. “Fresh off the invasion of a sovereign state, Russian cheating cannot be interpreted in anything but the most sinister terms,” the lawmakers said. “Cheating is not a separate issue, but is rather recognized as an equal part of President Putin’s long term plan for a resurgent Russia.”
State Dept. Review of Alleged Violations Ongoing
State Department officials have said that a decision has not been made on whether Russia actually violated the treaty, noting that a review of the potential violations was ongoing. “There is a process in train and that’s all I will say,” Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller said last month at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit. “I will stress a certain nuance though. That is, we do have a review of the compliance going on but no determination of a violation.” She paused, and then said, “Yet.”
