NATO will need more long-range missiles in its arsenal to deter Russia from attacking Europe because Moscow is expected to increase production of long-range weapons, US Army General John Rafferty said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
Russia's effective use of long-range missiles in its war against Ukraine has convinced Western militaries of their value in destroying command posts, transport hubs and missile launchers deep behind enemy lines.
“The Russian army is bigger today than it was when it started the war in Ukraine“, Major General Rafferty said in an interview he gave to Reuters at the US military base in Wiesbaden, Germany.
„And we know that they will continue to invest in long-range missiles, guided missiles, and high-tech air defense systems. "So it is very, very important to have more capabilities in the alliance," he stressed.
The war in Ukraine has highlighted Europe's heavy dependence on the United States for long-range missiles, and Kiev is trying to strengthen its air defense forces, Reuters notes.
Rafferty was until recently commander of the 56th Artillery Command of the US Army in the German city of Mainz-Kastel, which is preparing for the temporary deployment of long-range US missiles in Europe from next year.
It is expected that at a meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, his German counterpart Boris Pistorius will get clarity on whether this deployment, which was agreed between Berlin and Washington during the term of President Joe Biden, will take place now that Donald Trump is in the White House.
Russia criticizes the planned deployment of long-range US missiles in Germany, claiming that this poses a serious threat to its national security, notes Reuters. It has downplayed NATO concerns that it could attack a member of the alliance and cited its own concerns about NATO expansion as one of the reasons for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Sweden are involved in a program to develop long-range, ground-based conventional missiles, called the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA). Britain and Germany announced in mid-May that they would begin work on developing a missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers.