The RT-2PM Topol ballistic missile (RIA Novosti/Alexandr Kryazhev)
Russia Prepares Nuclear Surprise For NATO -- Pravda
On September 1, 2014 the US State Department published a report, in which it was stated that for first time since the collapse of the USSR, Russia reached parity with the US in the field of strategic nuclear weapons. Thus, Washington admitted that Moscow regained the status that the Soviet Union had obtained by mid-70's of the XX century and then lost.
According to the report from the State Department, Russia has 528 carriers of strategic nuclear weapons that carry 1,643 warheads. The United States has 794 vehicles and 1,652 nuclear warheads.
It just so happens that today, Russia's strategic nuclear forces (SNF) are even more advanced in comparison with those of the US, as they ensure parity on warheads with a significantly smaller number of carriers of strategic nuclear weapons. This gap between Russia and the United States may only grow in the future, given the fact that Russian defense officials promised to rearm Russia's SNF with new generation missiles.
Read more ....
Update: Pro-Kremlin Russian Media Says Moscow Has A 'Nuclear Surprise' For NATO -- Business Insider
My Comment: The debate on who has more nuclear weapons has been ongoing for as long as I can remember. Bottom line .... if even one tactical nuclear warhead is used, it will probably result in all nuclear weapons being used .... a path that I sincerely hope will never happen.
4 comments:
Your comment is spot on, especially when you throw in the chemical/biological component that is almost never addressed.
WNU,
It's been a long time since I've read Pravda in any kind of serious manner, so I was in for something of a surprise when going through the on line edition to read this article. The things that struck me about this article were 1) no byline that I could discover, 2) the technical side was pretty perfunctory, and that leads to 3) in essence it was a political/historical argument for Putin and his policies.
As for as your comment "if even one tactical nuclear warhead is used, it will probably result in all nuclear weapons being used" so true, a navy friend of mine used to laugh at the movies that had the nuclear submarine launching one missile. He used to say "if there is a launch it's all of them if you've got time".
Pravda made me laugh 30 - 40 years ago .... and now .... I just shake my head.
Plus ca change .... plus c'est le meme chose. The more things change, the more that they stay the same.
WNU,
Who is running Pravda these days? Is it an outlet for the Government line, or are they independent in that sense?
Post a Comment