Russia Says U.S. Seeks Absolute Dominance in Military, but Putin Won t Allow It
On 5/3/21 at 5:53 PM EDT
Russia has said that the United States is seeking to attain total hegemony in military might, but Russian President Vladimir Putin was working to ensure that would never be the case.
Speaking with the RIA Novosti news outlet, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova evaluated the recent efforts by U.S. President Joe Biden to expand the Pentagon s anti-missile infrastructure by spending an estimated $18 billion for new interceptors in Alaska.
She argued this project, along with new defensive and offensive systems deployed abroad, can and is already leading to serious consequences in the security sphere.
Finding common ground on homeland missile defense Robert Soofer 1 hour ago A Ground-based Interceptor is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on March 25, 2019, in the first-ever salvo engagement test of a threat-representative ICBM target. (Courtesy of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency) The U.S. Defense Department has approved the Next Generation Interceptor project to proceed. This is a welcome signal that the Biden administration intends to counter North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, strengthen U.S. alliances by increasing the credibility of our security commitments, and seek common ground with Republicans on controversial missile defense policy.
Should U.S. Missile Defenses Be a Part of Arms Control Negotiations With Russia?
The Biden administration should consider whether the benefits to United States and allied security of limiting all nuclear weapons, including non-strategic nuclear arms, would justify accepting some constraints on missile defense.
A consensus has grown in Washington that the next nuclear arms negotiation with Moscow should aim to limit
all U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons, not just deployed strategic ones. That would raise challenging issues. Moscow may insist that it would put non-strategic weapons on the table only if Washington addresses issues of concern to Russia, particularly, missile defense.
US agency forecasts cost for missile defense plans over next decade January 19 A threat-representative ICBM target launches from the Marshall Islands on March 25, 2019. It was successfully intercepted by two long-range Ground Based Interceptors launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in the first salvo test of GBIs. (Courtesy of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency) WASHINGTON The Pentagon could be poised to spend $176 billion over 10 years if it carries out plans informed by the Missile Defense Review published in 2019, which is roughly 40 percent higher than previous budget projections made by the agency that provides budget information to Congress. The Congressional Budget Office released a report Jan. 14, as required by the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, that attempts to estimate the 10-year costs of implementing recommendations in the MDR.