World Affairs Brief, April 8, 2016 Commentary and Insights on a Troubled World.
Copyright Joel Skousen. Partial quotations with attribution permitted. Cite source as Joel Skousen’s World Affairs Brief (http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com).
This Week’s Analysis:
Panama Papers a Very Selective Expose
Is the Trump Loss in Wisconsin Fatal?
Russia Building New Warheads and Weapon Systems
Russia has Not Withdrawn from Syria
Tribeca Film Festival Threatened over Anti-Vax Film Screening
Why Oil isn’t Going to Fall This Far Again
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RUSSIA BUILDING NEW WARHEADS, WEAPONS SYSTEMS
Bill Gertz, the most consistent American journalist watching out for legitimate security threats, had a fairly comprehensive piece this week on Russian rearmament. While the US is doggedly working to implement nuclear disarmament, the Russians are backing out of those same one-sided treaties and rearming at an alarming pace.
Russia deployed 153 strategic nuclear warheads over the past year under the New START arms treaty while the U.S. military pared its nuclear forces by 57 warheads, according to State Department figures released last week.
Defense officials disclosed last week that Russia is doubling the number of strategic nuclear warheads and remains over the 1,550 warhead limit set by the 2010 New START arms treaty.
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced last month that its nuclear forces will add 20 new SS-27 Mod 2 missiles, known as Yars, this year. New SS-N-32s, called Bulava by Russia, also are being fielded. Both missiles can be equipped with up to 10 warheads each. The SS-N-32s are deployed on new Borei-class missile submarines.
Additionally, the latest data released by the State Department on Friday shows the Russians added six new missiles over the past year, while reducing its launchers by 34 nuclear missile launchers or bombers [all obsolete].
For the United States, 20 missile launchers or bombers were eliminated over the past year under the treaty, along with eliminating 44 systems, either intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), sub-launched missiles, or nuclear-capable bombers. [In contrast to the Russians, the US isn’t replacing any of its missiles that it test fires with new ones. In addition, we have replaced all the triple warheads on the Minuteman III missiles with a single warhead. Russia’s newest heavy ICBM missile will carry 15 warheads—and is called the SARMAT.]
The treaty requires the United States and Russia to reduce their arsenal of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 by February 2018… The large Russian warhead buildup, combined with official statements from Moscow questioning the utility of continued adherence to the treaty, are raising concerns about a break-out from the treaty limits.
And well we should be concerned. It’s a given among realists that the Russians will back out of the treaty by Feb. 2018. We will be in full unilateral compliance by then, and the Russians will have at least double that number when they withdraw.
“Whether or not the Russians pull the plug on New START, the number of Russian warheads will be much larger than 1,550,” Schneider said, noting state-run Russian press reports put Moscow’s long-term warhead level at 2,100, while a U.S. think tank estimates the Russians will deploy around 2,500 WARHEADS by 2025.
Additionally, Russia will be emboldened to pull out of the New START treaty by the FAILURE of the United States to address Russia’s VIOLATION of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Schneider said. The treaty bans the construction of intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Russia breached the accord with a NEW SS-N-8 cruise missile, U.S. officials have said.
Schneider, now with the National Institute for Public Policy, also said the estimates of Russian warheads do not include announced plans by Moscow to build at least 50 new Tu-160 NUCLEAR BOMBERS. “That will push the number to over 3,000 when this program is completed,” he said.
The US hasn’t produced a new missile for 20 years and has no intention of doing so. The Russians are deploying their latest rail-launched, mobile ICBM, the RS-26 that cannot be effectively targeted with a pre-emptive strike or counter strike by missiles. While the world is focused on ISIS due to all the false flag attacks on Europe, the real enemies are building weapons that can reach the US. Sadly, only Bill Gertz is sounding the warning, and none of the mainstream media is picking up his warning.
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