U.S. officials report that Russia has increased deployment of an allegedly INF-violating cruise missile. During a March 20 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican Deb Fischer asked if Russia was increasing its production and deployment of the cruise missile. U.S. STRATCOM Commander General John Hyten, responded, “Yes.” Christopher Ford, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, explained the U.S. concerns with these developments in November, saying “The Russians now need to choose whether they share our steadfast desire to preserve the [INF] treaty or whether they will continue on their current path, which leads to the treaty’s collapse. They no longer have the option of having their cake and eating it, too.”