Pentagon: Russian Military Policy ‘Actively Considers’ Limited Use of Nukes

Russian President Vladimir Putin / Getty Images

 

Defense official says U.S. Nuclear Posture Review reflects current threat environment

The Trump administration’s new nuclear policy aims to counter an evolving Russian military strategy that appears to more readily envisage the limited use of nuclear weapons, a senior defense official said Monday.

“We have been extremely concerned with what we have seen as the evolution of Russian military policy as it relates to potential use of nuclear weapons,” David Trachtenberg, the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said at the Heritage Foundation on Monday.

Planes, tanks, ships: Russian military gets massive upgrade

FILE – In this Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016 file photo, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shougu speaks during a meeting with senior military officials in Moscow, Russia. Sergei Shoigu told lawmakers Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, that the sweeping military modernization program will continue at a high pace this year. Amid tensions with the West, the Kremlin has continued to spend big on new weapons despite Russia’s economic downturn. (Balashova Olga/Defence Ministry Pool Photo via AP, file)

 

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military received a sweeping array of new weapons last year, including 41 intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the wide-ranging military modernization will continue this year, the defense minister said Wednesday.

Minister Sergei Shoigu told lawmakers the air force will receive 170 new aircraft, the army will receive 905 tanks and other armored vehicles while the navy will receive 17 new ships this year.

Amid tensions with the West, the Kremlin has continued to spend big on new weapons despite Russia’s economic downturn.

Putin urges Russian nuclear weapons boost

A Russian Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile is driven through Red Square in Moscow in May 2009 (AFP Photo/DMITRY KOSTYUKOV)

 

Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for the country to reinforce its military nuclear potential and praised the army’s performance in its Syria campaign.

In a speech that recapped military activities in 2016, Putin said the army’s preparedness has “considerably increased” and called for continued improvement that would ensure it can “neutralise any military threat”.

“We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile defence systems,” the Kremlin strongman said.

Russia plans 16 launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2016

The Russian Strategic Missile Troops plan 16 test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, taken into service, in 2016, Russian news agency TASS reported referring to the Russian Defense Ministry.

At the same time, the Strategic Missile Troops plan to conduct more than 100 command and staff, tactical and special exercises, according to the report.

Putin urges military to destroy threats to forces in Syria

Amid beefed-up Russian presence in war-torn country, order seen as veiled threat at Turkey

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin on Friday vowed to further modernize Russian arsenals and said that its military in Syria will “immediately destroy” any target threatening them, a strong warning to Turkey following its shoot-down of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border.

Speaking at a meeting with the top military brass, Putin named “strengthening of the combat potential of strategic nuclear forces and the implementation of space defense programs” as a key priority. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the military has received 35 intercontinental ballistic missiles this year and put forward equally ambitious weapons modernization plans for next year despite Russia’s economic downturn.

Putin: Russia Has Weapons Capable of Penetrating Any Missile Defenses

Meanwhile, America twice tested a Trident II D5 missile off the coast of California — a missile from the early 1990’s.

 

Russia will strengthen its strategic nuclear potential in response to the deployment of US missile defense systems, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

“Russia will take necessary retaliatory measures to strengthen the capacity of its strategic nuclear forces. We will work on our missile defense system as well. Initially, as we have repeatedly said, we will work on the strike systems able to overcome any missile defenses,” Putin said at a meeting on the situation in the Russian military-industrial complex.

Russia Again Flight Tests Illegal INF Cruise Missile

Russia has and always will cheat on weapons treaties. It’s to the Soviet’s strategic advantage to continue to make deals with America.

Russia knows that America will always take the “moral high road” and abide by the treaty, whereas Russia uses the treaty as a strategic step to make advances and get the upper hand. Throughout the last few decades, America has become completely disillusioned into believing that total disarmament is a demonstration of moral strength. In contrast, a nation can actually remain on the moral high road and simultaneously serve as the world’s hammer with a vast nuclear arsenal, without firing off one nuke. That is how America once was, today it is different and bent on its own demise. Today, and likewise because of this, Russia smells blood and is heading towards nuclear first-strike capability, full-steam ahead.

The Pentagon sees the threat and the White House continues to whitewash it, make concessions and put out happy news in the media. It makes you wonder what side the current administration is working for as suicidally disarming an entire nation is not a mistake. There are checks and balances in America for preventing such mistakes, that is, if you obey the rule of law.

At this pace, if strategic thinking does not change within the American political leadership, it’s only a matter of time before Vladimir Putin (or the next President) can claim checkmate and force America into either capitulation or, or worse, decimation.

“Treaties are like pie crusts, they are made to be broken.”

– Vladimir Lenin

 

A test of Russia’s SSN-30A Kalibr missile, of which the SS-X-8 might be a variant (screenshot)

 

Obama administration still weighing response—years after violation detected

Russia flight-tested a new ground-launched cruise missile this month that U.S. intelligence agencies say further violates the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, according to Obama administration defense and security officials.

The missile launch Sept. 2 was the latest flight test for what the Pentagon is calling the SSC-X-8 cruise missile. The cruise missile did not fly beyond the 300-mile range limit for an INF-banned missile, said officials familiar with reports of the test.

However, intelligence analysts reported that the missile’s assessed range is between 300 miles and 3,400 miles—the distance covered under the landmark INF treaty that banned an entire class of intermediate-range missiles.

The SSC-X-8 test also involved what officials called a “nuclear profile,” meaning that the weapon is part of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.

Russia Again Flight Tests New ICBM to Treaty-Violating Range

Russia conducted a flight test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile earlier this month that some U.S. officials and security analysts say is a new violation of Moscow’s arms control treaty commitments.

The March 18 flight test of a new RS-26 missile is part of a large-scale nuclear arms buildup by Russia and is raising concerns about treaty compliance, said U.S. officials familiar with details of the missile test.

Russian military received 38 intercontinental missiles in 2014 — defense minister

MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Strategic Nuclear Forces added 38 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to their tables of equipment this year, including 22 submarine-based missiles, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Friday at an expanded session of the Defense Ministry’s Board.

The percentage of upgraded armaments in the Armed Forces has thus reached 56%, he said. The Strategic Missile Troops now have three new regiments operating Yars missile complexes.

By the end of December, the Navy will have three strategic nuclear-powered submarines of the Borei class. The first of them, the Yuri Dolgoruky, has already come on full-scale combat duty.

Russia prepares nuclear surprise for NATO

As said many times here, the United States has intentionally and ignorantly committed national suicide. America was sold New Lies for Old and continued to buy every other one one Russia had to offer — and supplies still last.

 

On September 1, 2014 the US State Department published a report, in which it was stated that for first time since the collapse of the USSR, Russia reached parity with the US in the field of strategic nuclear weapons. Thus, Washington admitted that Moscow regained the status that the Soviet Union had obtained by mid-70’s of the XX century and then lost.

According to the report from the State Department, Russia has 528 carriers of strategic nuclear weapons that carry 1,643 warheads. The United States has 794 vehicles and 1,652 nuclear warheads.

It just so happens that today, Russia’s strategic nuclear forces (SNF) are even more advanced in comparison with those of the US, as they ensure parity on warheads with a significantly smaller number of carriers of strategic nuclear weapons. This gap between Russia and the United States may only grow in the future, given the fact that Russian defense officials promised to rearm Russia’s SNF with new generation missiles.

The progress was made possible thanks to the treaty on the limitation of nuclear weapons, also known as START-3. The treaty was signed by Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama on 8 April 2010 in Prague (came into force on 5 February 2011). In accordance with the document, nuclear warheads of the parties are to be reduced to 1,550 by 2021. The number of carriers (intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers) is supposed to be cut to 700 units.

Admiral Warns that Risk of Nuclear Conflict Is Growing

Any nuclear conflict against the United States will be likely one-sided, as the Obama administration is making sure the only country in the world to reduce nuclear weapons according to his ‘Global Zero’ plan, is only the United States.

America has had all the warnings in the world but has willingly closed its eyes and covered its ears while developing the illusion that total disarmament would be a demonstration of moral strength, while failing to realize that its enemies don’t think like America.

 

Stratcom: Large-scale Russian strategic nuclear buildup has been underway for over a decade

Russia is engaged in a large-scale buildup of strategic nuclear forces that has been underway for a decade, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom) told Congress on Wednesday.

“Russia has maintained and continues to modernize their strategic deterrent capability,” Adm. Cecil Haney, the Stratcom commander told the House Armed Services Committee.

Moscow Conducts Large-Scale Nuclear Attack Drill

Russian strategic forces carried out a large-scale surprise military drill on Wednesday, launching four nuclear missiles that were closely monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies, U.S. officials said.

The drill began around 9:00 am ET and included the test launch of two land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and two submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

The test firings were unusual because of the number of missiles fired at one time, said officials who discussed some details of the drill on condition of anonymity.

US Missile Shield No Threat to Russia – Deputy PM

Rogozin’s statements are only a repeat of what was said in the past: The US missile defense system is useless as their strategic rocket forces are able to change course in all stages after lift-off.

LONDON, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s strategic forces are capable of penetrating the US missile shield and it poses no military threat to the country, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Tuesday.

“We have solved the issue of penetrating the missile shield. We regret that the United States waste their money on missile defense and compel us to do the same. The missile shield is nothing for us, it’s a bluff. It poses no military threat, but remains a political and economic problem,” Rogozin said during his speech at the Russian embassy in London.