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The Post-Cold War Military Meltdown
The Strategy Page | 10/15/2009 | The Strategy Page

Posted on 10/16/2009 1:09:57 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld

The government is very touchy about its nuclear weapons, apparently because it's only the nukes that can dissuade a foreign nation threatening invasion. The Russian armed forces can do it, as it has shrunk 80 percent since the end of the Cold War in 1991, and fallen apart as well. Lack of money means that Russian military technology has not kept up. This includes the nuclear weapons. While Russia got the new Topol M ICBM into service since 1991, this was a Cold War era project, meant to replace the older, and much less effective and reliable ICBMs. But while Russia has several thousand nuclear warheads, most are undeliverable because of the post-Cold War military meltdown. In fact, they can launch only a few hundred warheads, with any assurance that these will land anywhere near where they are aimed. That's still a significant deterrent, but it is more vulnerable to anti-ballistic-missile (ABM) defenses (which are more complex and expensive than the missiles they defend against). Thus the great relief in Russian military circles when the U.S. agreed to cancel the anti-missile system planned for installation in Poland (to protect Europe from Iranian missiles). To Russia, this system threatened their much reduced ICBM attack force. It's one reason why Russian generals are now reminding everyone that Russia still considers itself willing to launch a first strike (with nuclear missiles) against a nation considered an immediate threat to Russia.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: coldwar; firststrike; icbm; missinglink; postcoldwar; russia; russianmilitary; topol

1 posted on 10/16/2009 1:09:57 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: sonofstrangelove

Not to worry:

0bama will find many ways to make certain that all of our enemies will be able to achieve military / nuclear missile parity... Or more likely, superiority.... as he destroys our capability while giving the enemy our technology.


2 posted on 10/16/2009 1:26:55 AM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: LegendHasIt

Here is the link to the article
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/russia/articles/20091015.aspx


3 posted on 10/16/2009 1:30:19 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("We will either find a way, or make one."Hannibal/Carthaginian Military Commander)
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To: LegendHasIt

Well, he is turning over decisions about selling military secrets to the Commerce Department and he has arole model here- Clinton sold off our secrets to China to pay China back for campaign contributions. And Hussein is NOT ON OUR SIDE at all.


4 posted on 10/16/2009 1:56:28 AM PDT by arthurus ("If you don't believe in shooting abortionists, don't shoot an abortionist." -Ann C.)
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To: sonofstrangelove

This “Russia is weak, China is weak” talk will embolden idiots like Obama to further disarm.


5 posted on 10/16/2009 6:13:54 AM PDT by Thunder90 (Fighting for truth and the American way... http://citizensfortruthandtheamericanway.blogspot.com/)
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To: Thunder90

And ozero being weak will embolden our enemies to arm up and push him around.


6 posted on 10/16/2009 6:19:18 AM PDT by Texas resident ( Doing my part to piss off the heathen left.)
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