US to Deploy Ground-Based Missile in Indo-Pacific by 2024

The US military is set to deploy ground-based intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region by 2024, to deter China, according to reports. 

US Army Pacific spokesman Rob Phillips confirmed this development. The missiles under consideration include land-based versions of the Tomahawk cruise missile and the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), boasting a range spanning from 500 kilometers (310.6 miles) to 2,700 kilometers. 

However, specific details regarding the deployment location and timing were not disclosed.

This deployment marks the first time the region will host such weaponry since the end of the Cold War and the first instance of intermediate-range missile deployment by the United States following its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).

The INF Treaty, initially signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the US, prohibited the development and possession of ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges ranging from 500 to 5,500 kilometers. 

In 2019, former US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the treaty.