Posted on 11/10/2006 8:25:44 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Amid growing concern in Moscow about the potential impact of a U.S. missile defense deployment in Europe, Russian strategists are retooling their country’s nuclear posture and warfighting strategy. "NATO is so close to the Russian borders nowadays that strategic bombers cannot hope to take off in case of a sudden attack (the order will take too long reaching them, and besides, they will have to be fuelled and outfitted first)," writes analyst Aleksei Vaschenko in the November 10th edition of Defense and Security. Likewise, although "[r]ailroad missile complexes posed a bona fide threat to the Americans," these systems have been largely dismantled over the past two decades thanks to the policies of Presidents Gorbachev and Yeltsin.
The result, Vaschenko concludes, is that Russia must rely on asymmetric weapons in the event of a confrontation with the United States – chief among them the use of "Super-EMI [electromagnetic impulse]." "Powerful electromagnetic impulse released by explosions affected electronic equipment, lines of communications, power networks, and radars" in previous nuclear detonations, and specialists "claim that explosion of such a device (10 megatons 300-400 kilometers above the surface) over Nebraska which is the geographic center of the United States will render all electronic gear all over the country inoperable for the period of time sufficient to prevent nuclear retaliation." Not surprisingly, writes Vaschenko, “[t]he Russian nuclear component includes Super-EMI" as a “response to American nuclear blackmail.”
Does anyone have any idea how many Americans will starve to death if one EMP is exploded 125 miles above Nebraska? No cars will work, no machinery, no nuclear power plants, no radios or TV's or computers or trains, or planes...No fresh water or filtration... Just In Time will kill. Time to harden the chips.
Yep, sure 'nuf. America will be unable to do a thing after that bomb goes off above Nebraska. We don't have hardened sites or nothin'. We're finished. /sarcasm
Not all is well in the Russian strategic arsenal, however. Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozrenie writes in its November 7th issue that a key component of the Russian strategic arsenal – the “Bulava” ship-launched ICBM – has experienced a string of test failures and mechanical mishaps that threaten to undermine the Russian military’s plans for the next-generation missile. “It was originally intended [for the military] to adopt it for operational service in 2005. Then 2007 began to be mentioned. Finally the Moscow Thermotechnical Institute's director and general designer, Yuriy Solomonov, declared that the Bulava ICBM will enter service with the Navy in 2008,” the military paper notes. “The Bulava project is no longer saving either money or time,” and continued failures with the program could render the new nuclear submarines the Kremlin plans to acquire “useless.”" -- American Foreign Policy Council
yitbos
What do you think is going on with the test failures?
Not to mention that our conventional forces aren't hardened enough to deal with these weapons, and Russia's is.
Also, Russia has been deploying a road and rail mobile missle as of late. It is called the SS-27, NATO code Topol-M. Russia has a goal to build over 300 of these missles by 2008, each carrying up to 16 warheads, which can easily penetrate missile defense shields. Russia is also considering deploying IRBM's as well.
At the same time, Russia has said this in the past and yet had the capibilities. This is just to justify Russia spending more money to acquire more units of the missile.
And to those that think that Ivan died along with the USSR, think and look again. The country is being run with an Iron Fist by a KGB good-ole-boy....
They're trying to make pigs fly?
I suspect they have as many problems with the subs as with the “Bulava” ship-launched ICBM.
yitbos
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Why are they thinking in terms of fighting us? What's their motivation? Do they think the EU is going to invade them? Do they fear a massive onslaught from the mighty French? The mighty Germans? They're insane. Unless they're planning a strategic alliance with Al Qaeda, they don't need to be on a war footing against us at all.
I think there's some serious alcoholic poisoning in Russia these days.
Believe it or not, it is a jobs program.
yitbos
You're right. A jobs program.
Also a pride program.
They don't have much to be proud of. Their experiments in democracy and capitalism are pretty much failing.
So they can still dream of blasting American cities and relive the glories of yesteryear, when commies were commies and if you opened your mouth they sent you to the gulag.
The bravado (standing up to the Great Satan) also helps them with the Mooslimes, with whom they are in cahoots.
yitbos
They left out the part about using third world countries to launch them.
"The US is going to attack us, so we have to build superweapons to take them out."
Here we go again...
Duck! ...and cover! Duck! ...and cover!
Someone soldered a leak in the still?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.