It seems that a military confrontation with the US acquired a permanent basis. Moscow already reacted harshly to the statement of Lieutenant General Henry Obering, head of the US antimissile defense agency, who did not rule out the possibility of building a new radar of the antimissile defense system not only in Europe, but also in the Caucasus. Officials of the Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry of Russia stated that this threatened the interests of Russia and Moscow might quit the treaty on missiles of medium and shorter ranges. It is known that the state armament program intended for the period to 2015 does not make provisions for the production of such missiles. This means that in case of resuming production of such missiles, Russia will have to spend more money than it currently plans.
However, steps for the neutralization of negative consequences from the American antimissile defense system are evidently only the beginning of a possible arms race. Most likely, Moscow will have to react to other military initiatives of the US as well. On March 2, the US Department of Energy announced that American nuclear laboratories in Los Alamos, Livermore and Sundia started development of a new series of hydrogen ammunition for rearming of the entire nuclear arsenal of the Pentagon. In substantiation of the program, its authors do not say anything about Russia and about the threats coming from it. Everything is allegedly made to create a charge “that terrorists cannot actuate even if they reach it.” However, the capacity of this charge will somehow be bigger. The new ammunition will also require practical tests.
Meanwhile, Major General Vladimir Dubrovin, an expert in antimissile and space defense, commented on provisions of the American program, “The reliable replacement of warheads,” saying that the “plans of Pentagon are an attempt to impose a new round of the arms race connected with the development of modern warheads more reliable and safe in storage.”
Dubrovin adds: “Having created a new nuclear weapon with a high degree of combat readiness, the US will demand strong support and security measures from other countries. They will also offer their services in provision of assisting in the protection of strategic objects and their inspections.”
The expert presumes: “The US is going “to kill two birds with one stone,” that is, to develop a new nuclear warhead and to impose the same concept on us to make us develop it.”
Thus, signs of confrontation between the US and Russia in the spirit of the “cold war” have started to appear. Members of the Russian Security Council already spoke about a new military doctrine. In turn, the Russian General Staff is prepared to react to possible challenges and threats in due course.
