The Washington Post says the Pentagon is developing missiles armed with conventional warheads that could strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour.
The daily quoted U.S. military officials as saying that the intercontinental ballistic missiles, known as Prompt Global Strike weapons, are a necessary new form of deterrence against terrorist networks and other adversaries.
The paper noted that the Obama administration has asked Congress for 240 million dollars for next year's Prompt Global Strike development programs, a 45-percent increase from the current budget for the projects. The Air Force is scheduled to perform an initial flight test of a prototype next month.
The report said that some U.S. military officials say their current nonnuclear options are too limited or too slow and that is why such missiles should be developed. However, the daily said the Prompt Global Strike program is already raising hackles in Moscow, where Russian officials predict it could trigger a nonnuclear arms race.