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(ZHE) Having unveiled the first images of its new nuclear missile capable of reaching US soil, Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning today that Washington’s actions are “pushing Russian into a nuclear arms race,” forcing Russia “to develop its nuclear attack systems.”
Yesterday, Russia reveals photos of a new highly advanced liquid fuelled heavy ICBM capable of evading anti-missile defenses and hitting US territory with 10 tons nuclear payload.
The Makeyev Design Bureau – the designer of Russia’s heavy liquid fuelled Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (“ICBMs”) – i.e. of missiles capable of reaching US territory from Russian territory, has published the first picture of Russia’s new heavy Sarmat ICBM which is due to enter service shortly, probably in 2018.
The picture is accompanied by a short statement which reads
“In accordance with the Decree of the Russian Government ‘On the State Defence Order for 2010 and the planning period 2012-2013,’ the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau was instructed to start design and development work on the Sarmat. In June 2011, the Bureau and the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a state contract for the Sarmat’s development. The prospective strategic missile system is being developed in order to assuredly and effectively fulfil objectives of nuclear deterrent by Russia’s strategic forces.”
And now today, Putin explains:
· *PUTIN: INTERMEDIATE NUCLEAR FORCES TREATY SHOULD BE OBSERVED
· *PUTIN: RUSSIA, U.S. MUST BREAK VICIOUS CIRCLE OF CONFRONTATION
· *PUTIN: RUSSIA HAS TO DEVELOP ITS NUCLEAR ATTACK SYSTEMS
· *PUTIN: U.S. PUSHED RUSSIA TO ARMS RACE IN NUCLEAR SPHERE
Perhaps even more worrying are the comments from Obama administration officials declaration that war with Russia was all but inevitable (via AntiWar’s Jason Ditz),
With some Obama Administration officials openly advocating starting a war with Russia over Syria, it is noteworthy that a lot of top Pentagon officials are treating the conflict as all but inevitable. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley hyped Russian modernization efforts, but declared that they ‘will lose to the American Army.‘
“Russian officials have been cognizant of the possibility, insisting that Russia ‘can now fight a conventional war in Europe,’ comments which Gen. Milley dismissed as ‘bluster, hubris, bravado.’ and insisting that war with other nation-states ‘is almost guaranteed.’
“Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Joe Dunford also complained about recent modernization efforts within the Russian military, claiming that they are threatening American interests with their capabilities, while Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work referred to them as America’s ‘competitor.’
“Of course, the United States spends many, many times what Russia does on its military, but the fact that Russia has a proper military capable of defending the nation at all puts it in a total different category from most of America’s recent wars, and Russia’s massive nuclear arsenal makes it clear this is one war which, if the US launches it, they won’t be able to win outright.”
As ZeroHedge noted previously, by contrast the US strategic deterrent still relies on missile systems such as the ground-based Minuteman III and the sea launched Trident II, which have their origins in the 1960s and early 1970s. With the Sarmat missile, which is supposed to enter service in 2018, the Russians will add another powerful modern advanced system to their strategic armory.
This article (Putin Warns “US Has Pushed Russia Back Into Nuclear Arms Race”) by Tyler Durden originally appeared on ZeroHedge.com and was used with permission.
Major nuclear powers vote against UN push to ban nukes
Fri Oct 28, 2016 3:18AM
This file photo shows a US Titan II nuclear missile ready to launch.
A United Nations General Assembly committee has approved a resolution to launch negotiations on a treaty that would outlaw the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons, despite objections from the world’s nuclear powers.
On Thursday, four of the five UN Security Council member states – Britain, France, Russia and the United States – joined 34 other countries and voted against the motion.
The fierce opposition from the world's nuclear powers came as they had lobbied for weeks to garner 'no' votes.
A total of 16 countries, including China, India, and Pakistan that have relatively small but growing nuclear arms programs, abstained from voting.
The resolution, presented by Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa and Brazil, was finally adopted as 123 countries voted in its favor.
The non-binding resolution will now be put to a full General Assembly vote in late November or early December. It aims to convene a conference in March next year to discuss a “legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination.”
The resolution also points to the grave concern over the “catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons.”
Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, hailed the adoption of the resolution as a “historic moment” for the decades-old campaign against the use of nuclear weapons.
“This treaty won't eliminate nuclear weapons overnight. But it will establish a powerful, new international legal standard, stigmatizing nuclear weapons and compelling nations to take urgent action on disarmament,” she stated.
Foreign ministers of Russia, Syria, and Iran take part in joint press conference on Syria in Moscow
Tunisia denies hosting US drones for Libya operations
Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:45PM
Tunisian Defense Minister Farhat Horchani (C) attends the unveiling of an anti-militant fence in eastern Tunisia, close to the border with Libya, on February 6, 2016. (Photo by AP)
Military officials in Tunisia have rejected claims that the country is hosting a base for US drone operations against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in neighboring Libya.
Tunisia’s Defense Minister Farhat Horchani on Thursday ruled out any possibility that foreign forces could have direct access to Tunisian military bases or run their own in the country.
“We don't -- and won't -- have a foreign military base in Tunisia," Horchani said, adding, “We were one of the few first countries to oppose a foreign military intervention in Libya.”
A Tunisian Defense Ministry spokesman also said on Thursday that the North African country has never allowed Washington to operate unmanned planes from its territory for anti-Daesh missions.
"Tunisian soil has never been and never will be used to strike targets in Libya. The drones are used by Tunisians and no one else," Belhassen Oueslati said, adding, "As part of Tunisian-US bilateral cooperation, we have acquired drones to train our military personnel to use this technology and to control our southeastern border with Libya and detect any suspicious movement."
The remarks came after US media claimed that Washington has expanded its deployment of drones to North Africa as part of a secret program.
A report by the Washington Post said on Wednesday that unmanned aircraft and US military personnel had been deployed to a facility in Tunisia to conduct spy missions in neighboring Libya. The paper added that "drones began flying out of the Tunisian base in late June,” claiming that the dispatch of the planes was a key element of the extended US air offensive against a Daesh stronghold in Libya.
Daesh, which is known for its terror acts in Iraq and Syria, has been operating mostly in northern Libya, a country which slipped into chaos in 2011 following the ouster of longtime dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.
Forces loyal to Libya’s unity government, which enjoy the support of the West and the United Nations, have been battling Daesh militants over the past six months in the coastal city of Sirte.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Thursday that since August 1, Pentagon has carried out 351 airstrikes in Libya to help Libyan forces in the fight in Sirte.
“There are US service members working with the Tunisian security forces for counter-terrorism and they are sharing intelligence from various sources, to include unarmed aerial platforms,” said Colonel Mark R. Cheadle, spokesman for US Africa Command.
Tunisia, which is frequented by Western tourists, has suffered several major attacks by the Daesh terrorist group.
Last year, a total of 59 foreign tourists were killed in two such assaults by Daesh on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis and a beach resort.
Russia to establish permanent naval base at Syria’s Tartus
Mon Oct 10, 2016 2:48PM
Russian warship Grisha class Corvette 617 ‘Mirazh’ passes the Bosporus on its way to Syria on October 7, 2016 in Istanbul. (Photo by AFP)
Russia has announced that it plans to set up a permanent naval base on a Mediterranean port in western Syria, a sign that Moscow is to increase its support for Damascus in its fight against terrorism.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said Monday that Moscow is going through the process for establishing the naval base at Tartus where it currently leases an existing facility from the Syrian government.
“The necessary documents are already prepared and are in the process of being approved by different agencies,” Pankov told Russian senators, adding, “We hope we can ask you to ratify these documents soon ... We will have a permanent naval base at Tartus.”
Other officials said the plan was meant to give Russian ships more freedom in the Mediterranean as the enhanced facility would allow them to refuel and resupply.
“By doing this Russia is not only increasing its military potential in Syria but in the entire Middle East and in the Mediterranean region as a whole,” Senator Igor Morozov told local media.
Tartus is Russian navy's sole foothold in the Mediterranean, a Soviet-era naval facility which is fairly modest and unable to accommodate larger warships.
Moscow has a permanent air base at Hmeymim in the neighboring province of Latakia. The base has greatly helped the Russians in their attacks on militants since an operation began last September at the request of the Syrian government. However, the plans for establishing a permanent naval base is expected to add to the current level of support that Russia provides for Syria’s fight against terrorism.
Through Russia’s military support, Syria has managed to retake key areas from militants across the country, especially in the north, where a fierce battle is currently going on to recapture the militant-held areas of the city of Aleppo.
(ANTIWAR) A day after reports NATO was soliciting even more ground troops for their deployment into Eastern Europe, officials are reporting “progress” in recruiting more troops from more member nations to participate in the deployment, intended to be around 40,000 troops along the Baltic states, near Russia’s border.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg claimed to have been “very inspired” by the response of nations he sought troops from, after yesterday’s report quoted diplomats as saying the deployment was meant to both “confront” Russia and to undercut Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s complaints NATO isn’t participating enough in its own defense.
Yesterday, Russia reveals photos of a new highly advanced liquid fuelled heavy ICBM capable of evading anti-missile defenses and hitting US territory with 10 tons nuclear payload.
The Makeyev Design Bureau – the designer of Russia’s heavy liquid fuelled Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (“ICBMs”) – i.e. of missiles capable of reaching US territory from Russian territory, has published the first picture of Russia’s new heavy Sarmat ICBM which is due to enter service shortly, probably in 2018.
The picture is accompanied by a short statement which reads
“In accordance with the Decree of the Russian Government ‘On the State Defence Order for 2010 and the planning period 2012-2013,’ the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau was instructed to start design and development work on the Sarmat. In June 2011, the Bureau and the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a state contract for the Sarmat’s development. The prospective strategic missile system is being developed in order to assuredly and effectively fulfil objectives of nuclear deterrent by Russia’s strategic forces.”
And now today, Putin explains:
· *PUTIN: INTERMEDIATE NUCLEAR FORCES TREATY SHOULD BE OBSERVED
· *PUTIN: RUSSIA, U.S. MUST BREAK VICIOUS CIRCLE OF CONFRONTATION
· *PUTIN: RUSSIA HAS TO DEVELOP ITS NUCLEAR ATTACK SYSTEMS
· *PUTIN: U.S. PUSHED RUSSIA TO ARMS RACE IN NUCLEAR SPHERE
Perhaps even more worrying are the comments from Obama administration officials declaration that war with Russia was all but inevitable (via AntiWar’s Jason Ditz),
With some Obama Administration officials openly advocating starting a war with Russia over Syria, it is noteworthy that a lot of top Pentagon officials are treating the conflict as all but inevitable. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley hyped Russian modernization efforts, but declared that they ‘will lose to the American Army.‘
“Russian officials have been cognizant of the possibility, insisting that Russia ‘can now fight a conventional war in Europe,’ comments which Gen. Milley dismissed as ‘bluster, hubris, bravado.’ and insisting that war with other nation-states ‘is almost guaranteed.’
“Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Joe Dunford also complained about recent modernization efforts within the Russian military, claiming that they are threatening American interests with their capabilities, while Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work referred to them as America’s ‘competitor.’
“Of course, the United States spends many, many times what Russia does on its military, but the fact that Russia has a proper military capable of defending the nation at all puts it in a total different category from most of America’s recent wars, and Russia’s massive nuclear arsenal makes it clear this is one war which, if the US launches it, they won’t be able to win outright.”
As ZeroHedge noted previously, by contrast the US strategic deterrent still relies on missile systems such as the ground-based Minuteman III and the sea launched Trident II, which have their origins in the 1960s and early 1970s. With the Sarmat missile, which is supposed to enter service in 2018, the Russians will add another powerful modern advanced system to their strategic armory.
This article (Putin Warns “US Has Pushed Russia Back Into Nuclear Arms Race”) by Tyler Durden originally appeared on ZeroHedge.com and was used with permission.
Major nuclear powers vote against UN push to ban nukes
Fri Oct 28, 2016 3:18AM
This file photo shows a US Titan II nuclear missile ready to launch.
A United Nations General Assembly committee has approved a resolution to launch negotiations on a treaty that would outlaw the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons, despite objections from the world’s nuclear powers.
On Thursday, four of the five UN Security Council member states – Britain, France, Russia and the United States – joined 34 other countries and voted against the motion.
The fierce opposition from the world's nuclear powers came as they had lobbied for weeks to garner 'no' votes.
A total of 16 countries, including China, India, and Pakistan that have relatively small but growing nuclear arms programs, abstained from voting.
The resolution, presented by Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa and Brazil, was finally adopted as 123 countries voted in its favor.
The non-binding resolution will now be put to a full General Assembly vote in late November or early December. It aims to convene a conference in March next year to discuss a “legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination.”
The resolution also points to the grave concern over the “catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons.”
Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, hailed the adoption of the resolution as a “historic moment” for the decades-old campaign against the use of nuclear weapons.
“This treaty won't eliminate nuclear weapons overnight. But it will establish a powerful, new international legal standard, stigmatizing nuclear weapons and compelling nations to take urgent action on disarmament,” she stated.
Foreign ministers of Russia, Syria, and Iran take part in joint press conference on Syria in Moscow
Tunisia denies hosting US drones for Libya operations
Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:45PM
Tunisian Defense Minister Farhat Horchani (C) attends the unveiling of an anti-militant fence in eastern Tunisia, close to the border with Libya, on February 6, 2016. (Photo by AP)
Military officials in Tunisia have rejected claims that the country is hosting a base for US drone operations against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in neighboring Libya.
Tunisia’s Defense Minister Farhat Horchani on Thursday ruled out any possibility that foreign forces could have direct access to Tunisian military bases or run their own in the country.
“We don't -- and won't -- have a foreign military base in Tunisia," Horchani said, adding, “We were one of the few first countries to oppose a foreign military intervention in Libya.”
A Tunisian Defense Ministry spokesman also said on Thursday that the North African country has never allowed Washington to operate unmanned planes from its territory for anti-Daesh missions.
"Tunisian soil has never been and never will be used to strike targets in Libya. The drones are used by Tunisians and no one else," Belhassen Oueslati said, adding, "As part of Tunisian-US bilateral cooperation, we have acquired drones to train our military personnel to use this technology and to control our southeastern border with Libya and detect any suspicious movement."
The remarks came after US media claimed that Washington has expanded its deployment of drones to North Africa as part of a secret program.
A report by the Washington Post said on Wednesday that unmanned aircraft and US military personnel had been deployed to a facility in Tunisia to conduct spy missions in neighboring Libya. The paper added that "drones began flying out of the Tunisian base in late June,” claiming that the dispatch of the planes was a key element of the extended US air offensive against a Daesh stronghold in Libya.
Daesh, which is known for its terror acts in Iraq and Syria, has been operating mostly in northern Libya, a country which slipped into chaos in 2011 following the ouster of longtime dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.
Forces loyal to Libya’s unity government, which enjoy the support of the West and the United Nations, have been battling Daesh militants over the past six months in the coastal city of Sirte.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Thursday that since August 1, Pentagon has carried out 351 airstrikes in Libya to help Libyan forces in the fight in Sirte.
“There are US service members working with the Tunisian security forces for counter-terrorism and they are sharing intelligence from various sources, to include unarmed aerial platforms,” said Colonel Mark R. Cheadle, spokesman for US Africa Command.
Tunisia, which is frequented by Western tourists, has suffered several major attacks by the Daesh terrorist group.
Last year, a total of 59 foreign tourists were killed in two such assaults by Daesh on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis and a beach resort.
Russia to establish permanent naval base at Syria’s Tartus
Mon Oct 10, 2016 2:48PM
Russian warship Grisha class Corvette 617 ‘Mirazh’ passes the Bosporus on its way to Syria on October 7, 2016 in Istanbul. (Photo by AFP)
Russia has announced that it plans to set up a permanent naval base on a Mediterranean port in western Syria, a sign that Moscow is to increase its support for Damascus in its fight against terrorism.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said Monday that Moscow is going through the process for establishing the naval base at Tartus where it currently leases an existing facility from the Syrian government.
“The necessary documents are already prepared and are in the process of being approved by different agencies,” Pankov told Russian senators, adding, “We hope we can ask you to ratify these documents soon ... We will have a permanent naval base at Tartus.”
Other officials said the plan was meant to give Russian ships more freedom in the Mediterranean as the enhanced facility would allow them to refuel and resupply.
“By doing this Russia is not only increasing its military potential in Syria but in the entire Middle East and in the Mediterranean region as a whole,” Senator Igor Morozov told local media.
Tartus is Russian navy's sole foothold in the Mediterranean, a Soviet-era naval facility which is fairly modest and unable to accommodate larger warships.
Moscow has a permanent air base at Hmeymim in the neighboring province of Latakia. The base has greatly helped the Russians in their attacks on militants since an operation began last September at the request of the Syrian government. However, the plans for establishing a permanent naval base is expected to add to the current level of support that Russia provides for Syria’s fight against terrorism.
Through Russia’s military support, Syria has managed to retake key areas from militants across the country, especially in the north, where a fierce battle is currently going on to recapture the militant-held areas of the city of Aleppo.
(ANTIWAR) A day after reports NATO was soliciting even more ground troops for their deployment into Eastern Europe, officials are reporting “progress” in recruiting more troops from more member nations to participate in the deployment, intended to be around 40,000 troops along the Baltic states, near Russia’s border.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg claimed to have been “very inspired” by the response of nations he sought troops from, after yesterday’s report quoted diplomats as saying the deployment was meant to both “confront” Russia and to undercut Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s complaints NATO isn’t participating enough in its own defense.
