Super Hypersonic Missiles and the Death of Arms Control: What the World Faces Now

I have looked at public opinion polls in France in the late 1940s and early 1950s during the height of Marshall Plan aid. They had a very negative attitude towards the United States then. There were negative attitudes towards the United States because of Vietnam. There were negative attitudes about the United States when Reagan wanted to deploy intermediate range ballistic missiles. I don't think the president should base his foreign policy on American public opinion polls, let alone foreign public opinion polls. ~ John Bolton

The story of Russia's new super hypersonic missiles, like the "Oreshnik," ties into the broader context of the United States and Russia stepping away from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

This agreement, signed in 1987 by both countries, banned such preemptive strike missiles, reducing arsenals and stabilizing Europe during the Cold War. Super hypersonic intermediate-range nuclear missiles could reach Moscow in less than 10 minutes, while missiles from Russia could reach Paris, Berlin, or London in a similar timeframe. Such preemptive strike capabilities from both sides would significantly increase the risk of an all-out nuclear war, potentially triggering the launch of thousands of ICBMs targeting multiple locations in North America, Russia, and Europe.

In 2019, the U.S., under President Trump, and Russia, under President Putin, accused each other of violating the treaty, the U.S. citing Russia's 9M729 missile and Russia accusing the U.S. of deploying missile defense systems capable of launching attacks.

As a result, both countries abandoned the INF Treaty, freeing them to develop new weapons, including advanced hypersonic systems. Five years later, Russia and China have developed short-range super hypersonic missiles that cannot be intercepted, no defense system currently exists to stop such missiles.

Russia and China's focus on developing hypersonic missiles reflects their concerns about NATO and U.S. defenses.

The super hypersonic multiple-warhead Oreshnik missile aligns with Asia's strategy of creating missiles that can evade defenses through their speed and maneuverability, counterbalancing U.S. technological and military power.

The end of the INF Treaty removed a significant legal barrier, enabling countries to advance their missile technologies and igniting a super hypersonic arms race for future preemptive "decapitation of leadership" strikes causing a world to be plunged into an all out nuclear war within just minutes.