A RIM-7P NATO Sea Sparrow Missile being
launched from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)
during a stream raid shoot exercise.
The Secretary of the Security Council of Russia has provided
his views on a number of national security issues, including the importance of
preserving Russia’s
nuclear arsenal against potential adversaries.
Nikolay Patrushev, commenting on how atomic weapons play
more of a political role than a military one, said the consequences of even a “limited
nuclear intervention” are so catastrophic that it makes the usage of such
weapons absolutely impossible.
Nuclear arsenals therefore continue to serve as an effective
deterrent against any possible large-scale war, Patrushev told Komsomolskaya
Pravda newspaper in an interview.
Patrushev spoke candidly on the nature and source of threats
to Russian security, and what those challenges mean for the country.
“We…understand that the atomic weapons of leading
western counties are aimed mainly against Russia,”
he said. “In these conditions – and given the insufficient strength of
Russia’s
conventional armed forces – the preservation of the nuclear potential is a
priority task.”
While ruling out the possibility of total nuclear
disarmament, Patrushev nevertheless explained that a new generation of weapon
systems – including anti-ballistic missiles – is changing the nuclear calculus.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin spoke on the
threat mobile, naval-based elements of the US
missile defense system “suddenly appearing” on Russia’s
coastline. Such an event would trigger “the harshest reaction from Russia,"
he warned.
Rogozin said that Russia
is now taking definite steps to counter US
warships “equipped with the Aegis integrated naval weapons system.”
Moscow has
frequently warned of “another arms race” unless a bilateral agreement
is reached on NATO’s plans for missile defense near the Russian border.
Patrushev continued that theme in his interview, underlining
the technological advances that have changed the face of war.
Not long ago, any state that possessed nuclear weapons was
undoubtedly a “dominating force” in the international arena, he noted.
However, in a clear reference to US plans for a naval-based missile defense
shield in Eastern Europe, Patrushev mentioned that a new
generation of weapons is being developed, and that “the United
States has proven successful in
this field of research.”
Patrushev explained that Russia,
which has seen success in developing state-of-the-art technology, had not given
enough attention to that field of research. As new weaponry appears, the US
appears to be reconsidering the role of strategic nuclear arms in the
fulfillment of a “geopolitical idea of world supremacy,” the security
official added.
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