What Happened Pentagon officials confirmed March 11 that the United States plans to begin building components for ground-launched cruise missile systems, which are banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Research and development for such systems have reportedly taken place since late 2017, but the Pentagon is now moving ahead with the production of individual components to further developmental testing. The Pentagon noted that it would halt this type of weapons development if Russia returned to compliance with the INF Treaty — which has been suspended since February — prior to its expiration in six months. Officials also stressed that the current cruise missile program is only intended to provide a conventional capability, rather than a nuclear one. Why It Matters The U.S. decision to move ahead with building ground-launched missiles is not entirely surprising, since early stages of research and development have been ongoing.