Report: Russia may arm Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads

Ynet | Reuters | AP ^ | 8/17/08

[LibWhacker]

New Russian threat comes in response to war in Caucasus, US-Poland deal for missile defense shield in Europe. According to Sunday Times, nuclear warheads could be supplied to submarines, cruisers and fighter bombers of Russia's Baltic fleet based between Poland and Lithuania

Cold War warming up? Russia is considering arming its Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads for the first time since the cold war, the London-based Sunday Times has reported, quoting senior military sources.

[LibWhacker]

At the bottom it says both Reuters and the AP contributed. But I can't tell which is which. So I've heavily excerpted the article just to be on the safe side.

[piytar]

As I said in an earlier thread, “Hey Czar Putin, you third third stage syphilitic puke (if not in fact, then in behavior: http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec17/ch200/ch200b.html), go ahead and overplay your weak hand some more.”

Putin = Al Capone, anyone?

[bruinbirdman]

Hot dog. Reminds me of my classes with Bernard Brodie, the father of "Defense Strategy in the Missile Age" at UCLA 1967. Ol' Henry Kissinger was a guest lecturer and protege of Brodie.

Reminds me of "Brinksmanship". In those days, Kissinger wanted to put tactical nukes in Western Europe. He was also dead set against anti-ballistic systems.

yitbos

[nathanbedford]

I am certainly not competent to judge, but I bet somebody with knowledge of these matters will say that the purpose of this threat is for agitprop purposes rather than for military expediency.

In other words, I bet they don't need nuclear missiles on these ships and boats for military reasons but intend to exploit them to further their campaign to cleave the NATO from America. Living here in Germany, I have reason to believe they will succeed.

[Caipirabob]

Report: Russia may arm Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads

It's gonna suck trying to recover those from the ocean floor.

[piasa]

sounds about right. The antinuke crowd is big over there and Russia is trying to get them scared and so fire them up again.

[DB]

All that bluster sounds like someone on the short end of the stick...

[rayvd]

Is Russia really so delusional to think a couple Patriot missile systems in Poland are truly geared to shoot down the thousands of warheads they still possess? It’s so obvious that the intent of these ABM systems is to defend against the crackpots in the middle east that a child could grasp the concept.

You just have to think they want to become militarily relevant once again, and this is the excuse they can use to do it.

[bruinbirdman]

"I bet they don't need nuclear missiles on these ships and boats for military reasons but intend to exploit them to further their campaign to cleave the NATO from America. Living here in Germany, I have reason to believe they will succeed."

The EUrotopians have had withdrawal from NATO and a separate EU defense as a goal since early Maastricht and European Community.

Maastricht even evolved, was modified, to include "offense" as a means of "defense", ie. first strike.

When the EU had its first oppostunity for first offensive strike, Serbia/Kosovo, they punted to Clinton.

Sarkozy intimates France rejoining NATO logistically.

I think when the Rooskies start rattling sabres, it is not the time EUrotopians start thinking about leaving NATO.

yitbos

[rahbert]

Time to blockade Kaliningrad Oblast...

[ari-freedom]

and now they are also crackpots.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Russias military infrastructure has badly deteriorated since the Cold War. If the Baltic Fleet is in any thing like the condition of the Black Sea Fleet, they won't have much going.

Military hardware is inherently dangerous, and the maintenance requirements are very high. Poor maintenance equals greater risk of self destructive accidents.

[Chode]

nuclear warheads could be supplied to submarines... could be???