MILITARY/NUCLEAR/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Pentagon is taking steps to develop new missiles, following the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a 1987 arms-control agreement that the Trump administration has said it plans to exit due to Russian violations…She added that these activities ‘would have been inconsistent with our obligations under the Treaty’ prior to the administration’s move last month to suspend its treaty obligations though she stressed that the missile was non-nuclear…While the Pentagon began researching concepts for the missile back in 2017 in response to Russian missile activities, that research was considered compliant with the treaty. Earlier this month the Kremlin issued a statement saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree suspending implementation of the INF Treaty. The US has long accused Russia of violating the treaty through the development and deployment of the SSC-8/9M729 ground-launched cruise missile, an allegation supported by the NATO allies and denied by Russia.”
–Ryan Browne, “US begins work on new missiles after pulling out of arms control treaty with Russia,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, March 12, 2019 5:50 pm