The Pentagon warned Tuesday that Russia’s decision to move Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad is unnecessary and could continue to destabilize the region, which is already on high alert. Russia over the weekend moved the missiles near the border with Poland and Lithuania as part of what it said was a training mission, Reuters reported. The move prompted a protest by Lithuania, with its foreign minister saying it “only increases tensions in the region, but also possibly violates international treaties which limit deployment of ballistic missiles of range over 500 kilometers.”
Pentagon leaders, eager to move fast and avoid pitfalls that have plagued defense acquisition in the past, are handing authorities and oversight for some of their biggest programs to officers outside the traditional structure. But the Air Force and Space Force four-stars given those responsibilities say they don’t intend their jobs to be a permanent change to the system.