Russia Builds Missile Defense It Would Deny U.S.
Posted 07/03/2013 06:34 PM ET
Weaponry: As
Moscow complains about U.S. missile defense plans in Europe, it is
completing an anti-missile radar site in southern Russia to protect its
homeland against missile strikes. Our flexibility meets their hypocrisy.
On the heels of a test last month of a missile that U.S. intelligence officials believe violates the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, Russia is completing a large radar station near Armavir situated near the Black Sea and designed to detect missiles launched from Europe and Iran.
During a flight test of the Yars-M road-mobile missile on June 6, the missile traveled from a launch center at Kapustin Yar and landed at an impact range at Sary-Shagan, about 2,000 kilometers, or 1,242 miles, away. The distance would make the missile an INF-covered weapon.
While President Obama in his Berlin speech committed the U.S. to reducing its nuclear warhead stockpile by one-third, Moscow is clearly committed to modernizing and expanding its strategic nuclear weapons capability, matching it with a missile defense capability as it seeks to limit ours.
The Armavir radar is one of four advanced missile defense radars built by Russia in recent years and being rushed into service by 2020. Each of the radar can track up to 500 objects simultaneously. Two of the stations already are deployed near St. Petersburg and in Siberia in the Irkutsk region.
The fourth radar is located in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad. That's where Moscow threatened to deploy advanced Iskander short-range nuclear-capable missiles if the U.S. went forward with Bush administration plans to deploy ground-based interceptors in Poland and missile defense radars in the Czech Republic. All the the radars are protected by highly advanced Russian S-400 air defense and anti-missile interceptors.
After Russia objected, Obama caved and dropped those plans, abandoning NATO allies who had stuck their necks out for us but claiming he had a better plan. To reassure the Russians we meant them no harm, the president said last year during an open-microphone exchange with then-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that he would have "more flexibility" to dismantle U.S. missile defenses after his re-election.
Typical of the way Obama has treated loyal allies such as Britain and Israel, the Poles were notified with a midnight phone call on Sept. 17, 2009 — the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion — that we were pulling the plug on that system due to Russian objections.
Since then, Obama has also scuttled his "better plan." Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced in March the U.S. was canceling the fourth phase of its new missile defense plan for Europe, again to assuage Moscow's fears. The fourth and last phase of the program would have included interceptors that could stop missiles from hitting U.S. territory.
Russia Builds Missile Defense It Would Deny U.S.
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On the heels of a test last month of a missile that U.S. intelligence officials believe violates the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, Russia is completing a large radar station near Armavir situated near the Black Sea and designed to detect missiles launched from Europe and Iran.
During a flight test of the Yars-M road-mobile missile on June 6, the missile traveled from a launch center at Kapustin Yar and landed at an impact range at Sary-Shagan, about 2,000 kilometers, or 1,242 miles, away. The distance would make the missile an INF-covered weapon.
While President Obama in his Berlin speech committed the U.S. to reducing its nuclear warhead stockpile by one-third, Moscow is clearly committed to modernizing and expanding its strategic nuclear weapons capability, matching it with a missile defense capability as it seeks to limit ours.
The Armavir radar is one of four advanced missile defense radars built by Russia in recent years and being rushed into service by 2020. Each of the radar can track up to 500 objects simultaneously. Two of the stations already are deployed near St. Petersburg and in Siberia in the Irkutsk region.
The fourth radar is located in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad. That's where Moscow threatened to deploy advanced Iskander short-range nuclear-capable missiles if the U.S. went forward with Bush administration plans to deploy ground-based interceptors in Poland and missile defense radars in the Czech Republic. All the the radars are protected by highly advanced Russian S-400 air defense and anti-missile interceptors.
After Russia objected, Obama caved and dropped those plans, abandoning NATO allies who had stuck their necks out for us but claiming he had a better plan. To reassure the Russians we meant them no harm, the president said last year during an open-microphone exchange with then-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that he would have "more flexibility" to dismantle U.S. missile defenses after his re-election.
Typical of the way Obama has treated loyal allies such as Britain and Israel, the Poles were notified with a midnight phone call on Sept. 17, 2009 — the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion — that we were pulling the plug on that system due to Russian objections.
Since then, Obama has also scuttled his "better plan." Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced in March the U.S. was canceling the fourth phase of its new missile defense plan for Europe, again to assuage Moscow's fears. The fourth and last phase of the program would have included interceptors that could stop missiles from hitting U.S. territory.
Russia Builds Missile Defense It Would Deny U.S.
The three earlier phases are
targeted on missiles aimed solely at Europe. Phase 4 included
development of the SM-3 IIB interceptor, an advanced version of the
missile now aboard our Aegis missile defense warships.
Ironically, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement shortly after Hagel's announcement criticizing the Pentagon for continuing "to maintain a course toward strengthening its system of global missile defense and raising its effectiveness" even as Moscow was busy strengthening its own missile defense systems.
While the Russians have been highly vocal about any U.S. move to modernize its nuclear deterrent or missile defense capabilities, President Obama has been strangely silent on Russia's missile defense and strategic nuclear arms buildup. It also has sought no limits on Russian missile defenses in talks with Russian officials.
We only wish the Obama administration is as interested in defending the United States as it is in seeking a world without nuclear weapons. So far all we see is ours being eliminated.
Ironically, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement shortly after Hagel's announcement criticizing the Pentagon for continuing "to maintain a course toward strengthening its system of global missile defense and raising its effectiveness" even as Moscow was busy strengthening its own missile defense systems.
While the Russians have been highly vocal about any U.S. move to modernize its nuclear deterrent or missile defense capabilities, President Obama has been strangely silent on Russia's missile defense and strategic nuclear arms buildup. It also has sought no limits on Russian missile defenses in talks with Russian officials.
We only wish the Obama administration is as interested in defending the United States as it is in seeking a world without nuclear weapons. So far all we see is ours being eliminated.
Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/070313-662526-russia-builds-armavir-missile-defense-radar.htm#ixzz2YE4zrRIR
Follow us: @IBDinvestors on Twitter | InvestorsBusinessDaily on Facebook
Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/070313-662526-russia-builds-armavir-missile-defense-radar.htm#ixzz2YDwobXvy
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