Russia is deploying a new series of nuclear tipped missiles with warheads designed with the aid of US supercomputers. The new Russian SS-X-27 missile is being moved directly into deployment with an advanced 550 kiloton nuclear warhead made by the Arzamas-16 nuclear design bureau.
The original version of the TOPOL - mod 1 version - is designated the SS-25. This mobile missile is quite capable and can reach the US with a variety of weapons packages, including nuclear warheads of Russian design...
Defense officials, however, are worried that the new deployment of a highly accurate, MARV warhead missile only highlights the weakness of aging US strategic systems... The maneuvering warhead and extreme accuracy indicates the silo based SS-27s are "first strike" weapons intended to penetrate US defensive missiles which may be deployed around strategic land based - nuclear missiles. It can be fired from mobile missile launchers.
The current US force consists solely of 450 Minuteman-III missiles, designed in 1970. They are silo based. So, the antiquated 2011 missile from Russia is to be laughed at because we have 42 year old models that are much more modern.
Pride goes before a fall.
Our Polaris and Trident systems are very effective tools of persuasion. The Russians are not going to start a war with the United States or NATO. They have no infrastructure, no money to fight a war and don’t have the depth of weapons or technology that we do. They are a third world country. They would be crushed. The Russians are not suicidal. They are very street smart and they use the tantrum, bully technique to get what they want. The Russians want to be a player in the world stage and they know that they cannot really achieve that unless Europe and the US let them in the game. Russia is not a threat to us.
Um, you forgot about our submarine-based ballistic-missile force, which the Russians have great difficulty tracking (Hollywood notwithstanding). That's what keeps the Russian strategic defense command up at night.