US and Russia Still Struggle For Nuclear Parity

The Russian Information Agency Novosti reported The Russian Federation still has 927 nuclear warfare delivery systems, and 4,279 warheads.

The USA,per the same source, has 1255 delivery systems and 5,966 warheads ; and the two nations are in approximate parity.

By treaty, both nations have reduced their stockpiles to agreed levels, and inspect one another at regular intervals.

Russia is nonetheless expressing distress over US pursuit of a national missile defense system-for reasons that ,at first ,are not entirely clear.

Yury Baluyevsky,Russia's No. 2 Defense official recently expressed that distress publicly ,via a written article (quoted from RIA Novosti)

"Baluyevsky writes that U.S. withdrawal from the ABM Treaty in 2002 was part of a crucial step in U.S. defense policy. This allowed it to use modern technologies for more intensive research into and tests of ground- and space-based ballistic missile defense systems, which had been limited by its international commitments, as well as to develop its nuclear forces and infrastructure.

The Americans acted consistently within the framework of their strategy. An analysis of the current and prospective stages of the NMD project shows that its direction and nature have not changed much, whereas U.S. military and political leaders' interest in it and allocations for it have grown dramatically. "

Reading through the General's remarks-in which he claims simultaneously the USA's anti-ballistic missiles could be converted to attack weapons (against Russia) AND that they are useless for anything but shooting down incoming missiles (and finally-that they won't work in any case ) it would seem the real complaint is possible loss of parity.

( If Russia has 927 ICBMs, but the Americans are capable of destroying them,the Americans have achieved an intolerable degree of superiority - and that's not fair !!)

It's interesting to note this is the position taken by some of our "peace groups", and one can't help but wonder if some of them are still fatuous worshippers of "Mother Russia" ...