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Schlesinger: START surrenders tactical nuke advantage to Moscow
Geostrategy Direct ^ | 5/7/2010 | Geostrategy Direct

Posted on 05/07/2010 8:57:11 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld

Former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger last week highlighted significant flaws in the new START arms reduction treaty, including the fact that it allows Russia to load up nuclear weapons on its bombers and failed to address Moscow's growing arsenal of tactical nuclear arms. Schlesinger noted in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the treaty’s failure to limit tactical nuclear arms was akin to the Sherlock Holmes’ story “The Dog That Did Not Bark.”

“While New START may be acceptable in the narrow context of strategic weapons, it also needs to be considered in a much larger context,” he said.

Schlesinger noted that the current treaty fails to adequately address tactitcal nuclear arms, which have been reduced by the United States while Russia has increased its battlefield nuclear weapons. Additionally, he said the treaty is weak on limiting multiple warheads on missiles and on verification. Schlesinger also said the Obama administration agreed to cut its launchers from 900 to 700 despite the fact that Russia’s launcher levels were already at 700.

“The main effect of reducing launchers relative to weapons is to reduce the number of aim points for an attacker, thus hypothetically increasing instability,” he said.

Schlesinger also said that the treaty is flawed by allowing bombers to count as one launcher in the total 700 when bombers can carry many more weapons. “A bomber can carry 16 to 20 [air launched cruise missiles],” he said. “A force of 65 to 70 bombers could readily carry upwards of 500 additional weapons beyond the 1,550 limit.”

Schlesinger stated that Russia official press has “bragged” that the new treaty counting rules give Russia 2,100 strategic weapons instead of the 1,550 specified in the treaty.

(Excerpt) Read more at geostrategy-direct.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: icbm; moscow; nuclearweapons; nukes; obamaadministration; russia; start; strategicbomber; strategicweapons; tacticalnukes

1 posted on 05/07/2010 8:57:12 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: sonofstrangelove

Oh, so this is why Medvedev called Obama “comrade”.


2 posted on 05/08/2010 12:54:21 AM PDT by TheThinker (Communists: taking over the world one kooky doomsday scenerio at a time.)
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To: TheThinker

This was such a horribly negotiated treaty in the history of the United States. This tops SALT I and II and they were the worst.


3 posted on 05/08/2010 2:17:31 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove

Obama is a Marxist.

Did everyone listen to Tom Fife?

http://www.breitbart.tv/the-b-cast-interview-was-obama-a-committed-marxist-in-college/

RaceBannon?

Dr. John Drew PhD ? -— who knew him very well as a gay passionate Marxist.

http://www.breitbart.tv/the-b-cast-interview-was-obama-a-committed-marxist-in-college/


4 posted on 05/08/2010 2:44:53 AM PDT by DontTreadOnMe2009 (So stop treading on me already!)
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To: TheThinker

Medvedev is not the one in charge of Russia. Putin runs the place.

Medvedev is only there to put a “Moderate” face to Russia.


5 posted on 05/09/2010 8:38:20 PM PDT by Thunder90 (Fighting for truth and the American way... http://citizensfortruthandtheamericanway.blogspot.com/)
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