Russia Begins to Bring Back Nuclear Power

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20041118/D86DVRRO0.html



MOSCOW (AP) - Russia is developing a new nuclear missile system unlike any weapon held by other countries, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, a move that could serve as a signal to the United States as Washington pushes forward with a missile defense system.



Putin gave no details about the system or why Russia was pursuing it, and it was unclear whether the Kremlin's cash-strapped armed forces could even afford an expensive new weapon.



But in remarks that could also be aimed at a domestic audience, he told a meeting of the top leadership of the armed forces that the system could be deployed soon, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.



"We are not only conducting research and successful tests on state-of-the-art nuclear missile systems, but I am convinced that these systems will appear in the near future," Putin said. "Moreover, they will be systems, weapons that not a single other nuclear power has, or will have, in the near future."



(AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Soviet-era military officials, former Defense...
Full Image"We'll continue our efforts to build our armed forces and its nuclear component," he said.

ITAR-Tass indicated the new system could be a mobile version of the Topol-M ballistic missile, which have been deployed in silos since 1998. But Alexander Pikayev, a senior military analyst with Moscow's Institute for Global Economy and International Relations, said Putin seemed to be referring to the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, a solid fuel missile that had its first test in September.



"Putin apparently wanted to boast the success of his military reform effort ... to both the military and the broad public," Pikayev told The Associated Press. "His statement also intended to show that Russia is regaining its status as a great power which can't be ignored."



Russian officials had stated earlier that the Bulava could be developed in both sea- and land-based versions and equipped with warheads capable of penetrating missile defense, Pikayev said.



He said if the Bulava proves capable, it would represent a major success because it would show that Russia has succeeded in modernizing its missile forces despite the shortage of funds.



(AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks while meeting the leadership of Russia's Armed Forces in ...
Full Image"It will ring the bell for the Americans, forcing Washington to reassess its estimates," Pikayev said.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said it wasn't news to the Bush administration, and that President Bush and Putin had discussed the issue previously. He emphasized there were agreements in place to reduce the two countries' nuclear arsenals and noted Moscow is now a partner in the war on terrorism.



"This is not something that we look at as new," he said. "We are very well aware of their long-standing modernization efforts for their military. ... We are allies now in the global war on terrorism."



McClellan suggested that close ties between Bush and Putin makes alarm unnecessary - but doesn't eliminate Washington's concern.

"We have a very different relationship than we did in the Cold War," he said. "The fact that we do have a good relationship enables us to speak very directly to our Russian friends."



Christopher Langton, head of defense analysis at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, said it appeared to be the first time that Russian officials had spoken publicly about a new deterrent, though he has no idea what the system might be.



"He said it was, firstly, unique and, secondly, capable of defeating any space-based defense system, which is clearly putting the spotlight on the anti-missile of the United States," Langton said.



Military reform is a high priority for Putin, Langton noted, adding that Russia's conventional forces have proved difficult to improve. Missile forces, however, serve as a deterrent simply by their existence, he said.



"He is sending a very clear message that Russia is not going to be rolled over by the United States or NATO," he said.



A national security doctrine Putin signed in 2001 makes it easier for Russia's leaders to use nuclear weapons to oppose any attack if other efforts fail to repel an aggressor. The previous doctrine had stated that Russia would use nuclear weapons only in cases when its national sovereignty was threatened.



Military experts attributed the shift to the tremendous weakness of conventional forces, which might not be able to defend the country in case of an attacks.



Putin has made clear that improving the armed forces, which declined after the breakup of the Soviet Union, is a priority. In the past year, Russia defense officials have made several announcements about new weapons.

Col. Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, chief of staff of the armed forces, said in March that the military tested a "hypersonic flying vehicle" able to maneuver between space and the Earth's atmosphere. Military analysts said the mysterious new weapons could be a maneuverable ballistic missile warhead or a hypersonic cruise missile.



This month, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia expected to test a mobile version of its Topol-M ballistic missile soon. Topol-Ms have a range of about 6,000 miles.



News reports have said Russia is believed to be developing a next-generation heavy missile that could carry up to 10 nuclear warheads weighing a total of 4.4 tons, compared with the Topol-M's 1.32-ton combat payload.

Most analysts viewed the earlier announcements about "hypersonic flying vehicles" as Moscow's retaliation to U.S. missile defense plans. After years of vociferous protests, Russia reacted calmly when Washington withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 in order to develop a missile shield.



Moscow has since complained about Washington's plans to build new low-yield nuclear weapons.



Other analysts said Putin's statement appeared to be as much show as

military strategy.



"This is intended for the internal audience, an attempt to say that things are great, that defense is growing stronger and not falling apart, as it actually is," military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said.



"Russian officials have a special attitude toward nuclear arms," said Alexander Golts of the magazine Yezhenedelny Zhurnal. "It is the last attribute of a superpower, it is what makes us equal to the United States."
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Sounds like the stuff that Campbell has been talkin about..... maybe thats why no one has replied...

 

No one has relied becaue we have no right to say much. We have quite a large stockpile of nukes ourselves.

 

Do I hear an echo?

Sounds a little like the Cold War.

I can't hear it that well though, could be mistaken...

We should keep an ear out for that sound again.

You hear it?

 

Sounds like the stuff that Campbell has been talkin about..... maybe thats why no one has replied...
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Devocet
Rome was like America is today, they have so much in common its scary.
so how long till we fall?


Well considering the transport, military, judicial and political system was largely based on the Roman one, it is hardly surprising they are similar. I'd be shocked if they weren't.
How long? at least 2900 days, no need to panic.

And don't worry, if you do, most others will too.

 

True Christians have no need to worry.

 

see now i hate when someone says this

im scared because i still dont know what i believe in, IE God above and creationism, or evolution or what
and i am a science and technology freak, well mostly science and space and travel actually.

i went and took a religion test not too long ago and turned out to be a secular humanist according to it

should someone like me be afraid of end times, etc ?

 

Some test should not answer wheather you are saved or not.... the question you have to ask yourself is have you trully accepted Jesus Christ as your savior (God knows your heart).....

If you have, you have nothing to worry about because the Bible states that True Christians will not be involved in the Judgements of God.

However, if you have not accepted Christ, now is the time.... because you can die at any moment and then you are judged.... but of course God did give people the freedom of choice.... and the choice to accept God or reject him is up to you..

 

You dumb fuck JD4U, can't we have one thread lacking your rambling nonsense?

You people act like we didnt initiate this. We're the ones that pulled out of the treaty and started stockpiling up on missiles, this is Russias response to us. There will always be a slight tension between us and Russia, and it's because of insecure people that keep pushing the "Bad Russian Kill All Man" theory onto everyone. You people are the reason I hate being an American, because you think we can run around making wars and building up our military, then whine when another country does. Stop being so hypicritical for once and look at what you're saying.

Who cares if they're building missiles, it's not like we don't have them. You can't build missiles and then not expect anyone else to. Is your precious Bush going to go invade Russia now? Because they're a "threat". Wait, what's his excuse of the week for invading Iraq? It's still threat, right? Or is it the "humanity" shit?

 

why doesnt russia just put more money into teslas research and development.. thats all they ever need

 

I never said America had a halo around its head. If there ever was one, it's split in two and looks more like horns.

This was just an interesting article I found. I wanted to share it. I think it resembles the cold war, and I stated nothing to prove innocence or rightousness on the US side. It just shows more potential trouble for everyone. For humanity. Because, nations are imaginary. In the end we're all human beings living on a planet called Earth - whether we realize this as the last man and woman crawl from the debri of nuclear holocaust, or right now.

 

That wasnt directed towards you Burn. It was directed towards anyone who has a problem with Russia building up their military and developing weapons and missiles.

 

about comparing america to rome.. theres a few things..

after the first hundreds of years in rome they ended up having no way to select a consul (ruler), so the military ended up electing rulers, but sometimes it split into factions and romes army would end up fighting itself over political power. also some rulers sucked horribly, some were insane and some just lacked the knowledge of how to rule such a large empire.
-americas leaders are elected democratically so there is no need for that (even though bush is a stupid president, at least we dont have a schizophrenic in office who kills anyone he thinks opposes him).

second, rome had invaders from the north in germany and also in scotland (they had the hadrian wall for that though).
-america has no barbaric tribes migrating into it and fighting it, and i dont think canada is invading any time soon.

and then theres just the time gap, the world is alot different today. military technology was just about the same in the time of rome, with armies consisting of catapaults, ballistas, cavalry, archers, phalanx etc.
nowadays you need an airforce, navy, ground troops, tanks, missiles, etc. to even try to take over a nation.

 

scary?
i'm a christian too, i don't know about scary, but i find it saddening and predictable.

 

I'm pretty sure our current president qualifys in all of these departments.

 

Can anyone say they honestly didn't expect this when Putin was put into power?