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Putin pushes nuclear, space defense reform

Published time: July 26, 2012 09:52
Edited time: July 26, 2012 13:55
S-300V and S-300VM anti-aircraft long distance missile systems (RIA Novosti / Ramil Sitdikov)

President Putin has said Russia is not planning to enter a new arms race, but urged senior officials to develop the nuclear arsenal further, along with Russia’s own air and space defenses, so that no one in the world doubts their effectiveness.

Putin was speaking at a special meeting on the state weapon program that took place in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Thursday.

“We are not going to enter the arms race, but no one should have any doubts in the reliability and effectiveness of our nuclear potential, as well as the means of air and space defense,” Putin told the meeting.

The president pointed out that all nations that possess nuclear weapons and means of air and space attack are currently investing in their development and perfection. They are actively developing the guidance systems and boosting the effectiveness of their observation and reconnaissance systems.

Putin again stressed that the nuclear forces were playing a key role in Russia’s national security.

“The nuclear weapons remain the most important guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and play a key role in maintaining the regional balance and stability,” he said.

As for the space and air defenses, Putin urged the military and weapons designers to keep the weapons constantly ready and to consider the potential enemy’s plans for development of offensive weapons.

The president ordered that the share of modern weapons be increased to 75-85 per cent for the nuclear forces and to 70 per cent for the space and air defense by 2020. He reminded the officials that the government had allocated sufficient means for this purpose in the recently approved State Armament Program till 2020.

Comments (32)

Bob Diersing (unregistered) 27.08.2012 05:42

I blame the US more than Russia for the current tensions.

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coolhand66 (unregistered) 25.08.2012 23:22

keeping nuclear weapons ready to launch within minutes is approximately $31 billion per year

Today, the U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles (not including warheads awaiting dismantlement) each exceed 5,000 nuclear bombs, any one of which could devastate Washington or Moscow. As of March 1, 2012, the United States deployed some 1,737 strategic nuclear warheads and has approximately 500 operational tactical nuclear bombs, with an estimated 2,700 nondeployed warheads (i.e. warheads in reserve), putting the total number of active U.S. nuclear weapons at about 5,000. Russia deploys some 1,492 strategic nuclear warheads, has an estimated 2,000 operational tactical nuclear bombs, and 2,000 in storage, for about 5,500 total. Under New START each country is still allowed to deploy as many as 1,550 strategic nuclear weapons. Under current plans, thousands of additional warheads would be held in reserve.
for the love of god it's time to cut are nuclear warheads down to some place like no more then 200 nuclear warheads. U.S. and Russian will save billions per year.

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AmericanInRomania (unregistered) 27.07.2012 18:30

Hindu Bodhcong Pala (unregistered) wrote in #4
Ancient land realities, being people, are presently ignored in the importance of the Russian and Poland advantage to be true friends. 

__ ____Russia and Poland are not friends.  They are only recently relatively polite in public discourse, but Poland HATES Russia and fears Russia more than any other nation.  I work and visit on and off to Krakow and spent a year in University doing research there.  I can tell you, Poland was RAPED by Russia and overall, Polish will almost never forgive Russia for the 45 years of forced communism and being part of the Soviet Empire, the Rippentropf-Molitov Pact and the Russian Federation regularly telling Poland what should their foreign policy be, as if Russia owned them.  The US would have included Russia on the Missile Shield, but Poland, Czech Republic and Romania would have none of it.  They wanted to be sure Russian troops were not on their soil and that Russia had no effect on their defenses.  
To the other stuff you wrote,You need to get your head examined.. nobody is stealing blood from children in the US... You gotta stop reading conspiracy garbage put out by Russians, it will give you a warped view of the world.  If you are Indian, you should just ask some of relatives or friends you have that live in New Jersey. lol

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