Who is rattling nuclear club?

"It is time to start disabusing the Russian leadership of the notion that its nuclear saber-rattling is a safe, acceptable or successful tactic," Steven Pifer, the US diplomat and former Ambassador to Ukraine, claimed.

Photo: Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

Vladimir Kozin, Chief Adviser at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, Professor at the Russian Academy of Military Sciences, Member of the Scientific Board at the National Institute for Global Security Research commented Pravda.Ru on the statement of the American diplomat.

"Mr Pifer is an avid anti-Russian US diplomat. He is constantly speaking against Russia, contrives various horror stories, which are related to Russia as he believes, he is looking for some "nuclear" scarecrow in the other part of the world.

What about nuclear threats, which allegedly exist and are directed against the US and NATO, I'd advise Mr Pifer to look in the mirror. In other words, to look at the American nuclear potential, which is being constantly upgraded by Washington given both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons," the expert noted.

The US will set to total renewal of its strategic nuclear arsenal in form of traditional triad in 2025 and keep it up till 2031. And since 2018 the US will start essential modernization of tactic nuclear arsenal in form of the high-accuracy smart aerial bomb B61-12, which is capable of settling both tactic and strategic nuclear tasks.

The United States is the only country in the world which has maintained its own nuclear weapons beyond its national territory since 1953, that is in the territory of four European countries, NATO allies (Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands) as well as the Asian part of Turkey.

"In fact, the US is the only country in the world, which keeps to the doctrine of offensive nuclear deterrence. It envisions delivery of a first nuclear strike against any state except for the US allies. It also has a parallel policy, which is called an "extended nuclear deterrence". It envisages opening of an American "nuclear umbrella" above NATO allies, as well as countries which just have the US nuclear weapon or do not have it at all.

Beside that, it should be taken into account that the US along with two of its nuclear allies, namely Great Britain and France, united their air defence systems, missile nuclear weapons and common weapons within a single operative mechanism, that is forward-deployed means against Russia," Vladimir Kozin told Pravda.Ru.

"It should be also kept in mind that Washington has not ratified agreement on total ban on nuclear tests yet. And this important agreement cannot enter into force unless it is ratified.

The Americans are constantly violating treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles, when testing ballistic and cruise missiles, which they banned under creation of global air defence system. Along with Great Britain and France the US deploys dual-capable aircraft in the territory of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. Those can carry common and nuclear weapons. The operation is called the Baltic air policing. It has been operating in the territory of these countries 24 hours a day since March 2004.

Thus, Mr Pifer should scrutinize the US nuclear strategy, its nuclear build-up and practice which is carried out today and in the longer term. The Americans will possess nuclear weapons till the end of the current century at least, and all the previous American administrations intended to use it namely to deliver the first nuclear strike.

That is the US which rattles the saber. Namely it advances it closer and closer to the Russian borders. Given all the mentioned above circumstances, namely the US is the nuclear threat number one to the whole world," the expert told Pravda.Ru.

Pravda.Ru

Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru