Former US Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson - former Chief of Staff of former Secretary of State Colin Powell - commented that the cruise missile, once a symbolic weapons of Washington, is now easily intercepted by modern missile defense and air defense systems. However, he warned that the real danger lies in the possibility that this type of weapon could carry a nuclear warhead.
Speaking to TASS on October 2, Mr. Wilkerson said that the US consideration of transferring Tomahawk to Kiev may not bring great military efficiency.
This is mostly just an exaggeration, except for one dangerous factor: Tomahawk is an old system, although it has been upgraded, it is still difficult to avoid limitations. Tomahawk missiles are too old, slow and can be shot down by any country with a relatively good air defense system. But the dangerous aspect is that it could carry nuclear warheads, he stressed.
The former colonel also admitted that, to maximize Tomahawk's capabilities, Ukraine will need direct support from the United States. He cited his experience during the Cold War when he was involved in strategic planning at the US Pacific Command (USPACOM): At that time, only the Tomahawk nuclear version was powerful enough to attract the attention of the Soviet Union. conventional warheads are often too small, only effective for narrow targets.
The information was made in the context that US Vice President J.D Vance confirmed on September 28 that the Washington administration was considering the possibility of supplying Tomahawk to NATO allies and then transferring it to Ukraine. The final decision will be made by President Donald Trump.
While Ukraine continues to call for more long-range weapons to deal with Russia, Wilkerson's warning shows that Tomahawk may not be the " strategic card" as many people expected - unless the nuclear factor is taken into account, which could risk escalating tensions beyond control.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the risk of escalating the US involvement in using these missiles to strike deep into Russia is obvious.
The Speaker of the Russian House of Representatives' Defense Committee Andrei Kartapolov stressed that any US military expert who supports Ukraine in launching Tomahawk shelling against Russia will be a target of Moscow.
