What kind of nuclear forces does Russia need?

What kind of nuclear forces does Russia need?
19:37 | 02/ 07/ 2008
  


MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov) - If the
Defense Ministry sticks to its plans to devote three-fourths of this
year's booster rocket launches to placing new satellites in orbit, there
is hope that our future strategic nuclear missile forces will be not only
the sword, but also a strong shield, of our country.

Besides missiles, silos and submarines, modern nuclear weapons systems
also depend on a space-based component, comprising telecommunications and
early warning satellites. Today, timely and precise information on a
nuclear attack and adequate counter-measures are equally necessary for the
effective use of strategic missile systems.

In other words, it is necessary to develop a system capable of working
effectively with both enemy and friendly missile defenses operating in the
same space. Yury Solomonov, director of the Moscow Heat Engineering
Institute and one of Russia's principal developers of strategic missile
systems, says:

"Advanced strategic systems need to be adaptable to the full-scale
deployment of missile defense systems, including space-based components.

"A modern missile defense system comprises two principle components. The
data component requires military satellites capable of recording strategic
nuclear capabilities and cataloguing the trajectory parameters and combat
characteristics of individual missiles. This is crucial for the second
component, which includes data processing and means of intercept. This
could include either traditional interceptor missiles, or various weapons
based on new physical principles.

"These basic principles must be built into the systems which are to
replace the current weaponry".

This entails three things: A nuclear power should have a strong network of
data service satellites at its disposal, deploy its own missile defense
capability, and ensure that the whole system functions as a single entity,
aimed at protecting the country from strategic threats.

Frankly, Russia will not be capable of deploying a missile defense system
of such complexity in the near future, due to a combination of weak
infrastructure and an absence of political will. Even more alarming is the
fact that the current early warning system is insufficient. By the
beginning of this year only three Russian early warning satellites
remained in orbit, which is not sufficient to form a joint data and
missile-firing complex.

With so few satellites in operation, potentially fatal errors in missile
attack detection become more likely. A false alarm, for example, could
force the high command to take the decision to retaliate.

The ground based warning system is also experiencing problems. Russia
abandoned early warning radar installations at Sevastopol and Mukachevo in
Ukraine for economic and political reasons. The radar station in Armavir,
meant to fill the "gap", has still not been put on alert, and the date for
doing so is constantly being postponed.

In late June it was reported that a new early warning satellite had been
launched into orbit. Unfortunately, it is still premature to talk about
Russian strategic missile systems being adjusted to modern requirements.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not
necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.



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