Pentagon tests missile previously banned under U.S.-Russia treaty

The U.S. launches a missile on Sunday off the coast of California.

(Image credit: Scott Howe/U.S. Defense Department via AP)

published 20 August 2019

Now that the United States and Russia have scrapped an arms control agreement, the Pentagon announced on Monday it has conducted a test of a previously banned missile.

The missile, a modified version of a Navy Tomahawk cruise missile, was tested off the coast of Southern California on Sunday, and after flying 310 miles, it hit its target, the Pentagon said. The missile had a conventional warhead. Previously, Defense Department officials said the missile would likely have a range of about 620 miles, and could be ready for use within 18 months, The Associated Press reports. The Pentagon has also said it plans on soon testing a non-nuclear ballistic missile with a range of about 1,864 to 2,485 miles.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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