美国测试了一枚陆地发射的巡航导弹，该导弹超过了唐纳德·特朗普政府取消数十年来与俄罗斯达成的协议设定的限制。
在周一发布的新闻稿中，五角大楼宣布前一天它“在加州圣尼古拉斯岛进行了一次常规配置的地面发射巡航导弹的飞行试验”值得注意的是，它指出，“试验导弹在飞行500多公里(约310英里)后离开地面移动发射器，准确击中目标”，这一距离曾受到华盛顿和莫斯科签署的1987年《中程核力量条约》的限制。
美国指责俄罗斯首先违反了该条约，发展了自己的陆基巡航导弹，名为诺华9M729。莫斯科方面否认了这一指控，指责华盛顿方面违反了与国防系统的协议，该系统被怀疑也可以用于进攻。
五角大楼周日表示:“从这次试验中收集的数据和吸取的经验教训将为国防部未来中程能力的发展提供信息。”五角大楼表示，尽管俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京(Vladimir Putin)政府一再发出警告，但仍将进行更多此类试验。普京政府已宣布暂停此类发射，目标是防止新一轮军备竞赛。
8月18日，美国在加利福尼亚州圣尼古拉斯岛进行常规配置的地面发射巡航导弹的试飞。据说这种武器飞行了310多英里，这一距离曾被华盛顿和莫斯科在1987年签署的一项协议限制，后来被双方放弃。
在试验之前，俄罗斯国防部长谢尔盖·绍伊古告诉俄罗斯24电视台，一旦被INF宣布为非法，莫斯科将为导弹谈判“敞开大门”，重申“只要美国不在欧洲部署此类系统，我们就不会这样做，只要亚洲没有美国导弹，我们就不会在该地区部署导弹”
俄罗斯外交部副部长谢尔盖·里亚布科夫周五在接受国营俄罗斯电视台采访时也提出了类似的观点，呼吁华盛顿做出类似的承诺，以回应国防部长马克·埃斯珀本月早些时候表示在亚洲扩散此类中程和中程导弹。里亚布科夫说，“美国对在世界任何地区部署任何类型的洲际弹道导弹的可能性的调查只能引起我们最严重的关切。”
虽然五角大楼尚未透露周日测试的是哪种武器系统，但该平台在美学上与作为舰载宙斯盾作战系统一部分的马克41垂直发射系统(Mk-41 VLS)相似。在发送给新闻周刊五角大楼发言人罗伯特·卡弗中校证实使用了“MK41”，该导弹是“战斧地面攻击导弹的变体”
俄罗斯多年来一直认为，作为宙斯盾岸上防御系统的一部分，一个类似的系统也可以用来攻击罗马尼亚的一个活动基地和波兰正在开发的另一个基地，这违反了中程核力量，但美国否认了这一点。
美国国务卿麦克·庞贝(Mike Pompeo)在本月早些时候宣布美国正式退出时曾表示，“俄罗斯对该条约因9M729巡航导弹的研发而终止负有全部责任”，但俄罗斯外交部回应称，“在美国欧洲军事基地部署有能力发射中程巡航导弹的Mk 41发射器已经严重违反了该条约。”
U.S. TESTS MISSILE BANNED FOR DECADES, IGNORING WARNINGS FROM RUSSIA
The United States has tested a land-launched cruise missile surpassing a limit set by a decades-old deal with Russia since scrapped by President Donald Trump's administration.
In a press release published Monday, the Pentagon announced that the previous day it "conducted a flight test of a conventionally-configured ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, California." Notably, it stated that the "test missile exited its ground mobile launcher and accurately impacted its target after more than 500 kilometers of flight" or roughly 310 miles, a range once restricted by the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed by Washington and Moscow.
The U.S. has accused Russia of first violating the treaty through the development of its own land-based cruise missile, known as the Novator 9M729. Moscow has denied the charge, accusing Washington of having broken the agreement with defense systems suspected of being able to be used offensively as well.
"Data collected and lessons learned from this test will inform the Department of Defense's development of future intermediate-range capabilities," the Pentagon said Sunday, suggesting more such tests would be on the way in spite of repeating warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration, which has imposed on itself a moratorium against such launches with the stated goal of preventing a new arms race.
The U.S. conducts a test flight of a conventionally-configured ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, California, August 18. The weapon was said to have flown more than 310 miles, a range once restricted by a deal signed by Washington and Moscow in 1987 and since abandoned by both.
Prior to the test, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told television station Rossiya-24 that Moscow was "keeping the door open" for talks on missiles once outlawed by the INF, reiterating the stance that "as long as the U.S. doesn't deploy such systems to Europe, we won't do the same, and as long as there are no US missiles in Asia, there won't be our missiles in the region."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov argued a similar point Friday during an interview with the state-run Rossiya Sevodnya station, calling for Washington to adopt a like-minded pledge in response to Defense Secretary Mark Esper having earlier this month expressed proliferating such medium and intermediate-range missiles in Asia. Ryabkov stated that "American inquiries into the possibility of deploying IRBMs of any kind in any region of the world cannot but cause us the most serious concern."
While the Pentagon has not yet revealed what kind of weapons system was tested Sunday, the platform bore aesthetic similarities to the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (Mk-41 VLS) used as part of the ship-based Aegis Combat System. In a statement sent to Newsweek, Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert N. Carver confirmed that an "MK41 was used" and that missile "was a variant of the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile."
Russia has for years argued that a similar system as part of the Aegis Ashore defense complex could be used to attack as well from an active site in Romania and another under development in Poland, thus a violation of the INF, but the U.S. has denied this.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that "Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise" due to the development of the 9M729 cruise missile in announcing the official U.S. exit earlier this month, but the Russian Foreign Ministry responded by arguing that "the deployment at U.S. military bases in Europe of Mk 41 launchers that have the capability to launch intermediate-range cruise missiles was already a grave violation of the Treaty."
