Posted on 12/28/2005 2:42:38 PM PST by lizol
'Scotsman' warns on Russian missiles
By Martin Sieff
Dec 28, 2005, 19:43 GMT
Over the past four months, United Press International`s BMD Watch and our sister BMD Focus columns have been consistently monitoring a series of Russian intercontinental ballistic missile tests more ambitious and larger in scale and in the technological advances involved than any for almost a quarter of a century. Now, following the fifth successful test of a Topol-M ICBM, also monitored in these columns, that concern is being picked up around the world.
The prestigious British newspaper 'The Scotsman' warned in an editorial Monday that 'with the very public deployment of Russia`s new fifth strategic missile regiment and a successful test firing of the latest Russian intercontinental ballistic missile, the Topol-M ... the world is entering a danger zone not seen since the end of the Cold War.
Although the paper also noted 'Iran`s desire to obtain nuclear weapons, and North Korea`s deployment of rockets capable of hitting the United States' it nevertheless concluded, 'Iran and North Korea are minor players. Ultimately, it is in the interests of Russia and China, as much as the United States, to keep these rogue states in check.'
The paper, however, took far more seriously 'Russia`s decision to deploy a new generation of rockets designed specifically to bypass western anti-missile defenses. President Vladimir Putin is giving Russia a potential first-strike capacity at a time when the United States has actually scrapped its most advanced ballistic missile, the MX Peacemaker.'
The Scotsman noted 'that in 2002, (Presidents) George Bush and (Vladimir) Putin effectively agreed to abandon all the carefully negotiated arms treaties of the Reagan-Gorbachev era which limited strategic missile deployment and the number of nuclear warheads each side could deploy. America interpreted this as agreement to switch emphasis to developing new defensive systems. But Russia -- lacking the technology and the finances -- concentrated on new offensive systems, risking a new arms race. Ominously, Russian sources have implied that later Topol-Ms will be equipped with multiple nuclear warheads. ' This, the paper noted was 'a clear breach' of the old START-II Treaty.
'The new missiles are an early alarm bell,' The Scotsman said. If, on top of their development and deployment, 'Putin ignores the constitutional bar on a running for a third presidential terms,' the paper continued, then 'the Russian Bear may be on the prowl again.'
Who ever said the Cold War is over?!
Topol-M ICBM
I've got two words for people who think the Topol gives Russia any real advantage: Ohio Class.
pulsed, it just take one over america
And thank you President Clinton for squandering eight years in which we may have deployed an effective and evolving ballistic missile defense capability.
It's worrying, not so much from a technological as a political perspective. We are developing a missile defense system mainly against China, North Korea, and other countries that may threaten us in the future. If Russia fired off all its missiles, there's no way we could stop them, not for quite a few years to come.
What's worrying is that Putin is more and more thinking in terms of the US as Russia's chief enemy, while Bush has been trying to stress the areas where we can work together.
Then it would be MAD. Ohios wouldn't be affected by a US-centered EMP, and could easily launch depressed-angle trajectories from just off russia's coast, fire for effect rather than for EMP burst (though we might set one or two tridents aside for that as well).
"in 2002, (Presidents) George Bush and (Vladimir) Putin effectively agreed to abandon all the carefully negotiated arms treaties of the Reagan-Gorbachev era "
But he saw his SOUL in his eyes....
You do know that the Ohio Class is a class of missile submarines, not an ICBM, right?
Boomers are standing by to take your order. Call now!
Russia and US in the Throes of a New Arms Race
Post Chronicle | December 27, 2005
by Jim Kouri
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union embarked on the most massive military buildups in history. Part of President Reagan's strategy for winning was to entice the Soviets into a competition it could never even hope to win. A communist economy by its very nature is ill-equipped to compete with a free-market, capitalist system whether its foreign trade or weapons technology.
And so, slowly the Soviet economy became a basket case due to the communists desire to exceed America in an enormously expensive arms race.
After the Cold War, with the Soviet threat gone and with Democrat President Bill Clinton in the White House, terms such as "the peace dividend" became commonplace within the Washington Beltway and in the mainstream news media. No longer was the political establishment interested in defense, and the new agenda for the US was domestic.
However, slowly and methodically Russia's steel-eyed leader Vladamir Putin began to rebuild and expand his nation's arsenal and its fighting forces. This new phase in Russia's military buildup has created fear in some quarters in the US that a new arms race exists. Recently the Russians deployed a nuclear ballistic system that their generals made clear could render US anti-missile defense systems ineffective, according to reports in the European news media.
While Americans and Europeans celebrated the Christmas holiday, the Russian army activated a large number of Topol-M class missiles that can fit nuclear warheads and travel 6,000 miles, while rapidly switching their trajectory in order to neutralize any US- or European-based interception device.
As usual, the news media in the US is so busy bashing the Commander-in-Chief regarding the Iraqi conflict and President Bush's tactics for combating terrorism, that they've failed to report on the Russian advances in weaponry and the accompanying hawkish rhetoric of the Russian military commanders. In addition, most of the media have chosen to ignore the Russian buildup because the liberal take on the Cold War was that it was a result of a misunderstanding between two superpowers. During the height of the Cold War liberals -- some like Senator John Kerry who are still in power -- were more concerned over how many missiles and weapons we had. That mindset continues and it does no good for the liberal establishment and their media echo chamber to allow the American people to learn that their old enemy is quietly gearing up for a second arms race or worse -- a new Cold War.
Continue reading this article below
While Americans believe that the only problem facing the US is terrorism, one Russian leader, General Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of the Russia's missile forces, has mobilized a brand new Topol-M missile battalion, each having a one megaton warhead. One megaton is over 35 times the power of both US bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
The Russian general claims his missile system is able to penetrate any missile defense system. He boasts that the Russian missiles are unaffected by electromagnetic blasts used by current US anti-missile systems.
While Russia had disbanded two missile divisions last year to show the US and European Union that they were serious about disarmament, it has recently been discovered that they formed more close to 25 new units -- in what's considered the fastest increase of nuclear spending since the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
According to the Military.Com, the US Navy carried out tests of an anti-missile interceptor, which can be launched from an Aegis class cruiser in the Pacific Ocean. A warhead from an incoming rocket was completely neutralized and destroyed one hundred miles above sea level. Its success marked the first time an anti-missile defense system succeeded in tests when launched from a warship. While not vocally announced by the Pentagon, experts believe this testing was a result of the Russian buildup.
The debut of the Topol-M and Russia's hawkish bravado mark the fastest expansion of nuclear missiles since the SS-18 and Pershing II technologies appeared during the Reagan Administration. Since that time US-Russia arms control treaty was signed in 1993 at the Kremlin and Russia struggled to fund technology to replace its aging war machine. Their defense budget also withered away due to their depressed economy situation.
With the Russians now enjoying a certain amount of prosperity thanks to its new oil wealth, their nuclear missile program reemerged. Just last month an almost $2 billion increase from the Kremlin was earmarked for the military and Mr. Putin's popularity also increased as a result. Equally disturbing is that one of the larger states from the old USSR, the Ukraine asked to come back under the former Soviet military shield and they expect to be protected by the Topol-M stationed in the Volga River.
Meanwhile, the European Union has denounced Putin's intentions to sell antiaircraft missiles to Iran, whose new president announced his desire to "wipe Israel off the map." Iran wishes to purchase Russian nuclear energy, as well
With most of the US intelligence and military resources concentrated on the terrorism war, the Russians have taken advantage of the situation and have once again taken a lead role in international affairs, especially when it comes to nuclear arms and advanced weapons technology.
He boasts that the Russian missiles are unaffected by electromagnetic blasts used by current US anti-missile systems.
The sooner Russia replaces the MIRVed ICBM's, the better for everyone. Russia is not going to launch a nuclear attack on the United States for the same reason the Soviets didn't. The concept of Mutual Assured Destruction still applies.
The Trident II is highly sophisticated and can carry a heavier payload than the Trident I. It is accurate enough to be a first strike weapon. All three stages of the Trident II are made of graphite epoxy, making the missile much lighter. The Trident II was the original missile on the British Vanguard and later Ohio SSBNs.
Trident II Missile Characteristics
Purpose: strategic nuclear deterrence
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif.
Unit Cost: $30.9 million
Propulsion: Three-stage solid-propellant rocket
Length: 44 ft (13.41 m)
Weight: 130,000 lb (58,500 kg)
Diameter: 83 in (2.11 m)
Range: 12000 km (7,500 statute miles)
Guidance system: inertial
CEP: 300 ft (90 m)
Warhead: nuclear MIRV. Up to eight W88 (475 kt) warheads (Mark 5) or eight W76 (100 kt) warheads (Mark 4).
Date deployed: 1990
The United States is highly vulnerable to attack from electronic pulses caused by a nuclear blast in space, according to a new book on threats to U.S. security.
A single nuclear weapon carried by a ballistic missile and detonated a few hundred miles over the United States would cause "catastrophe for the nation" by damaging electricity-based networks and infrastructure, including computers and telecommunications, according to "War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World."
"This is the single most serious national-security challenge and certainly the least known," said Frank J. Gaffney Jr. of the Center for Security Policy, a former Pentagon official and lead author of the book, which includes contributions by 34 security and intelligence specialists.
An electromagnetic-pulse (EMP) attack uses X-rays and gamma rays produced in a nuclear blast in three separate waves of pulses, each with more damaging effects, and would take months or years to repair, the book states. The damage to unshielded electronics would be irreversible.
I don't dispute that our Antimissile defense is fairly primitive. Of course it won't stop all or even most of a large wave of russian ICBMs. However, we are hardly toothless ourselves. We may have scrapped the MX (though I bet there are more than a few still ready in silos we haven't told anyone about), but we still have the sub fleet, and we have plenty of missiles that don't need the heavy-hammer approach of the MX. Heck, the Tomahawk is nuclear-capable, and you can pick which window you want to fly it through when you hit a building. When betting on a fight between a guy armed with a broadsword and a guy armed with a rapier, bet on the rapier (the Rob Roy movie notwithstanding).
Of course, the vast majority of our military equipment is hardened against EMP, and even if russia hit us with the mother of all EMPs, there are plenty of nukes in other places besides CONUS that we can bring into play. It would certainly do a number on the civilian sector, but not everything would fry. Fiber optics are unaffected by EMP, and the vast majority of our national communication grid uses fiber now.
I thought that our warheads had already been "MARV'd".
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