Russia reexamining its military

Boston GLobe ^ | May 9, 2003 | David Filipov

[Cincinatus' Wife]

MOSCOW -- The rapid disintegration of Saddam Hussein's Soviet-style army has offered some sobering lessons for the future of Russia's military, itself a crumbling ruin of the mighty force that once defended the USSR.

Today, as millions of Russians celebrate Victory Day, their attention will be focused squarely on the past: The Red Army's defeat of Nazi Germany 58 years ago. The most popular Russian holiday, it commemorates the Soviets' finest hour. It's also a chance for Russia's military leaders to show their readiness to defend the country.

[American in Israel]

Only Russia's strategic nuclear forces have updated their weaponry in the last decade.

Hmmm, wonder why the article did not mention that spending on ICBM's and Nukes is ten TIMES what was being spent during the Cold War?

Russia has the worlds most advanced Missile systems, their Cruise missiles fly Mach 2.5 to the delivery zone ours fly .6 mach. Their Mobile missiles are solid fuel and are full ICBM capable, we have nothing like them. They are developing underwater torpedos that are missiles, we still have prop jobs. The Russians continued to build SSBN's when we stopped, indeed their production increased to where they have more boomers than we do now.

Clintoon, their buddy canceled ALL our R&D into missile systems during his term, even little Israel has superior missiles to us now! (which is why we are buying them from Israel now)

Now that the Most effective military weapons on the stratigic battle field are designed, built and deployed, how hard will it be to raise moral in an army that dwarfs ours? And why would a "friend" feel the need to deploy more nuclear weapons when we scaled back our army and navy's?

Unless of course the bear is not our friend...

[Leo Carpathian]

But Charlie Wrongel wants to institute conscription and Ruskies style army here.

[11B3]

Of course the Bear is NOT our friend. I'm still hoping that we've had the foresight to quietly begin positioning MIRV platforms in space.

On a side note, the ABL system in the 747 is supposed to have a slant range of 440 miles for penetrating the skin of an ICBM - and that's all within the atmosphere. Now if you were to put that same laser in orbit at the approximate altitude as the KH series sats (under 100 miles), it should be very effective against ground positions as well as other sats. Being in space, many of the cooling problems should be immediately solved and beam correction should be simpler in orbit than bouncing around in the body of a 747. Hopefully, someone in DoD has come to the same conclusion.

[piasa]

It's easier to find a few reliable people to man missile bases than it is to try to support a big fleet and army which are manned by people who won't hold fast.

I'd be suprised if they weren't focusing on the more reliable missiles. It's a short term feel good solution for them, though.

If personnel are fleeing from harassment in numbers they need to fix that morale problem pronto.

[piasa]

Let's draft him and have him scrape barnacles off of our ships or something.

[Springman]

Bump for later.

[Movemout]

..."Russia's military, itself a crumbling ruin of the mighty force that once defended the USSR. "

Is this the same mighty force that got their patooties kicked out of Afghanistan?

[Vinnie]

And why would a "friend" feel the need to deploy more nuclear weapons when we scaled back our army and navy's? And why would a "friend" feel the need to deploy more nuclear weapons when we scaled back our army and navy's?

One scenario that always frightened me , particularly during the reign of X42...We disarm, Russia claims to disarm and OVERNIGHT, literally they get new leadership. Old school Russian military leaders would love to nuke us.

Why do they develop new MIRV missiles while we simply sit and watch. They deploy the new missile in place of the old clunkers and 'meet' the missile reduction treaty.
Oh yeah, I remember X42 assured us during a State of the Union address that there are no missiles pointed at us.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIght

[Movemout]

"Of course the Bear is NOT our friend. I'm still hoping that we've had the foresight to quietly begin positioning MIRV platforms in space. "

The foresight is there but the political will is not. Space Based Lasers(SBL), as defensive weapons, were considered back in the 80s. The Hill was owned by the Rats back then and they were deeply suspicious of anything that might be a space based offensive platform. I don't have a good read on what the Republicans of today might think about the same question. SBL is a problemmatic answer in any event. Positioning them at low orbits would create an expensive proposition for maintaining position. If they were chemically based then that would also require a capability to periodically visit and replenish.

[tet68]

. Only later would military leaders consider reducing the term of compulsory military service from two years to 12 months.


Hhahahaha. Let them drop it to 12 months!
They're cutting their own throat.
It takes 3 to 4 months just to begin to get a man trained,
then to have him serve for only 8 months? Insanity!

[KeyWest]

Your list of outstanding weapons that far out match anything we have is a recurring theme in US/USSR comparisons of the cold war. The truth was far different. It was more in the comparison with our R&D to their R&D, but we took their R&D and made it an operational capability and left ours in the labs.

The article points out the real difference between the USSR/Russia and the US, the ability to translate the weapons from the drawing board to actual use and be operated and maintained by a motivated warrior. We trust the troops. The troops in Russia and not trusted. US noncoms do what Officers do in the Russian system. Russian troops are cannon fodder. Try to get volunteers for that.

[American in Israel]

Cannon fodder and trained troops are the same guy with or without training. If they take the money they are spending and have spent for years on producing and fielding the most modern first strike nuclear systems in the world today, and place it on troop training and equipting they will end up in a very good position to be a very real threat to America.

We could then, while our citys are going up in smoke and our borders over run while our armys are overseas putting out russian brush fires, leaf through the research and development projects Clintoon halted funding and testing for and drool on what we could have done.

I think we are being setup, have been setup and the trap is about to snap shut. Star Wars should have been in place 4 years ago. Now even little Korea is threatining our major Citys and their is not a damn thing we can do about it.

So if Russia pushes the button now, we lose. Period.

[American in Israel]

Your list of outstanding weapons that far out match anything we have is a recurring theme in US/USSR comparisons of the cold war.

Gee, ever wonder why?

[Leisler]

Disorganized cherry picking. Put the mug down and back away from the coffee.

[illumini]

Hopefully, someone in DoD has come to the same conclusion.

At Farnborough (Air Show) last summer, I spoke with our folks who developed the ABL system you mention. They had a display of the capabilities and a test missile fragment hit by the laser system. Everything they had to display has already been on Discovery Channel, but some Russians came over and made tapes of their display. It was rather humorous.

[illumini]

But Charlie Wrongel wants to institute conscription and Ruskies style army here.

Charlie Wrangel has as much foresight as a Russian planner. He would immediately start race-baiting as soon as a conscript force were begun.

[geedee]

Yowsah! I didn't know ANYTHING about the things in your post. Fat, dumb, and happy I guess. But I've emailed my Congressman and BOTH Senators.

EVERY American should DEMAND that our military assets be unchallengable (is that a word?) because if the bad guys know going in that they're gonna have their asses handed to them on an American platter . . . they'll learn some manners and we won't have to pull the trigger.

Iraq and Afghanistan showed the world we were ready, willing, AND DAMN SURE ABLE to defend America's interests again. GW, unlike his predecessor, won't allow Americans to be harmed with impunity.

But this preparedness has to begin on the FRONT END. Our warriors should NEVER be asked to go to battle without have the ABSOLUTE best equipment moola and technology can provide.

I'm damn sure gonna get some answers from my politicians. Hell, all three of the suckers are hitting me up for donations . . . it's damn sure time I got something for all I've contributed. I urge EVERY FReeper to do likewise.

I thank you, AII, for providing me the ammo.

[HighRoadToChina]

BUMP!!!

[The Pheonix]

Are there any real winner in an all-out nuclear war ?

Can't seem to think so.....

Guess ,this is what "MAD" means, ie "Mutually-Assured-Destruction"